Parents, teachers, and caregivers all had ideas for who you needed to be and how you "should" behave.

They had a lot of influence over what you did,

and what you came to believe.

You were lucky if they were supportive and understanding.

But if you and I were in the same boat, well...

we were just trying to stay afloat most of the time because

Growing up was confusing.

You were so curious about why everything was the way it was yet you were told -

But they made you go to school because it was important to get educated.

At school, you needed to fit the mold. You needed to stay in the box

not outside the box.

If you had a lot of energy, you needed to calm down

and if you weren’t able to then it’s quite possible

you got drugged

so you could stay in your box…er…seat.

Outside the box is where the bad kids met punishment and shame from the school’s faculty.

Thinking inside the box was the way to go.

Adults often ignored you and invalidated you anyway.

And if that hurt your feelings and made you cry, well…

Even when you said you were cold you were told you were wrong -

And if you didn’t follow the rules at home:

And that’s what it was, right? An act.

Being yourself was often unacceptable or punished.

You needed to do what everyone else wanted you to do.

Almost no one wanted to be the bad girl/boy unless

they were so desperate for attention that they’d do anything to get it.

So most of us got with the program.

Most of us are still running that same program -

Like a computer operating on Windows 7.

It's outdated,

insecure, and

doesn't work well anymore, but

you just don't want to install a new version.

It will take time.

Things will be changed.

It will require adjustments.

So you deal with the frustrations

You work around it.

In life, you suppress much of what you want

and what you think is often muted.

Your authentic self is masked

and how you feel is ignored,

so you can fit in,

so you don't rock the boat, or

so you don't have to deal with the discomfort of changing.

And you learned how to dull the pain of it all, didn’t you?

There are so many ways.

It would be totally logical if you’re numb.

But you're still uncomfortable, aren't you?

Yes, you've gotten so familiar with it that you might not even think about it.

Why would you blame yourself for not feeling alive?

Or for getting addicted to dopamine hits?

Or for feeling depressed?

Or angry?

It's not your fault.

You were put on lockdown

in your own mind and body

for decades.

You weren’t allowed to live your life.

But now you can free yourself at any time.

You hold the key

to your personal prison.

You don’t need to continue withering away in there.

If you let this go on, it's quite likely to show up as disease in your body

and/or mental health issues

if it hasn't already.

Let’s be honest,

if you aren’t already working on changing your ways,

can’t you already sense dis-ease deep within you?

That’s a sign.

Is that what you want?

Or do you want to take back your life?

Do you want to free yourself of this outdated program?

What will it mean if you keep pretending to be someone you're not?

What will your life look like in 5 years?

How about 10?

20?

Will you get to the end of your life and

realize it was never really yours?

Will you ever do what you dream?

Will you remain hidden in the shadows fearing

what people will think of you,

whether they will approve of you

or whether they will love you

if they knew who you really are?

And if you're still “acting”…

who do they love?

A fictional character?

A façade?

Are you ready to be loved for who you really are?

If so, you must begin paying attention

to yourself

to become more self-aware.

It doesn’t matter how you choose to do this -

as long as you begin to understand yourself

and then start taking action

to free yourself

of the programs

that no longer serve you.

Are you willing?

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I know I’ve brought up a lot here

and you could be feeling a lot of different emotions.

This could be a good time for an emotional reset.

If that would be supportive,

check out this 2 min. video.

It’s so simple that you'll find it hard to believe it works so well.

You may need to practice it a few times to get it down,

but then you’ll have another tool in your toolbox.

You can use it anytime, anywhere.

It radically changed my life.

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