UNDER THE WRAPPING PAPER

This time of year should be special.  It's Christmas for many of us and we are busy looking to finish up our shopping for friends and family.  If you're like me, you like Christmas (or many more holidays that fall around this time of year) because you can surprise someone with a thoughtful gift.  Their face lights up as they recognize what it is as the wrapping paper is torn to expose what lies beneath.  That feeling of joy is felt as they thank you.  It's a pretty good feeling.

I also like receiving gifts. I'm not going to lie. I like receiving gifts as much as I like giving them. It's fun to open up a present to find something that you've wanted for months (maybe longer!).  What lies beneath is exciting to me too.

Sometimes, we're not so eager to reveal what lies beneath in our hearts and our souls.  It's not a pretty sight and so we disguise it with our own version of wrapping paper.  Our image, projections and bravado are used to disguise who we really are.  This might look good from a distance but up close, it cannot hold up.

Up close, the image is just that, an image.  An image doesn't replace the reality and so it's like a character we play in a movie.  Our projections, over time, reveal what we truly value, struggle with and feel.  The bravado we parade melts like ice cream as it buckles under closer inspection. We feel like a gift that is not worthy of wrapping and so we wrap ourselves up in a false narrative.

Obviously, we've all done this.  Our authenticity is at an all time low and we come across as pretty shallow. Do you know what happens when we do this? It suffocates people from revealing their true selves and ideas.  It hinders honesty and innovation.  Think about this, if someone were afraid to identify a crazy dream or idea to a group of their peers, we wouldn't see some of the amazing technical advances we've been privy to over the last hundred years or so.  No smart phones. No Google.  Nothing new would exist as no one would want to reveal an idea that hadn't been thought of yet. Everyone would be too afraid.

When one person chooses to be vulnerable, to share their truest dreams, it gives freedom to those around him/her/them. Admitting to not having all of the answers allows for a better team mentality than if one person assumes the role of being a know-it-all.

That's the challenge for this season. My wish for you this holiday season is to open yourself up to someone else or tear the wrapping paper so to speak. Admit your shortcomings but also admit your strengths as well. Underneath your wrapping, you're pretty awesome. Show the world that you are a gift!