The Mask of Sorrow

THE MASK OF SORROW

I always wanted to be somebody. I should have been more specific. - Lily Tomlin

Are you wearing a mask today? The Legend of Zorro is now available on dvd. As you might imagine, with three sons in our house, and a dad who doesn’t mind a bit of swashbuckling himself, we’ve been glued to the heroic antics of Antonio Banderas and his shapely co-star, Ms. Catherine Zorro-Jones.

But it would appear that Zorro isn’t the only one who goes to work with a mask on. Over the course of this last year I’ve encountered a number of people in various situations who wear a mask either to hide how they really feel or to conform in an organizational culture, which is at odds with who they really are.

Perhaps there’s nothing more damaging to self-worth than having to mask yourself for fear of being reprimanded or criticized or ‘found out’ for being your own person with your own opinions, your own individuality, and your own character. Freedom of spirit is surely worth more than all the money you might earn behind such a mask of sorrow. Are you trading your persona for financial gain? Is it really worth losing your identity?

My wife knows that all my life I searched for the one vocation that would allow me to be myself and enable me to express who I really am. When I came across coaching, I knew that I had found what I was looking for. I don’t need to pretend to be someone I’m not. What you see is what you get (unfortunately!).

As long as you stay behind that mask of sorrow, you might be denying yourself the right to live a fulfilled life - you might also be denying other people the opportunity of seeing who you really are - and that would be such a shame, because you have so much to offer.

What do you need to do today to unmask yourself.