The many faces of you

Earlier this week I saw a question that I found intriguing. In fact, I journaled with it and gained some interesting insights into my behaviors.

The question is twofold: What face do you show to no one? And what face do you show to others? (Actually, a dialogue was encouraged between the two if you planned to journal with those questions, so I did that, too.)

It's no surprise to anyone that each of us wears masks. We can't go around letting it all hang out all the time. We learn at a very early age to hold back and to show only what feels safe and wise to show to the world. That's normal, and it can actually be a good thing.

As we age, however, many of us try to reduce the number of masks we wear—or perhaps more accurately, to reduce the size or weight of the mask we wear. We want to shed what holds us back, and we want to become more authentic as we age. We want to put our truth out there and be ourselves, no holds barred. As with so many things, you are the only one who can and should decide what of your mask you need to hold onto and what you want to shed or let go. That's why an exercise such as the one I discovered might be helpful to you.

Even if you've already shed some of your mask, you may wish to answer these questions and reflect or journal on them. Have fun with the process—and see what emerges!