Break Out of Your Mold - By: Linda Greven

Forget Safety -- Live where you fear to live!

This is part of a brilliant quote from Rumi -- that ancient sage.

I don't know about you, but I pooh-poohed that when I first read it. I mean, come on! Isn't that a bit irresponsible?!

But then I thought more about it and I wondered -- how often have I let my responsibilities get in the way of JOY?

So I decided to do something different, something a little bit 'out there' -- I decided to break out of the mold of who I thought I was.

Talk about getting out of your comfort zone!!

Now, don't misunderstand me.

I'm not talking about refusing to pay my rent, or doing something illegal; no, no, I'd just do something small. Like maybe I'd wear my hair a bit differently.

My granddaughter is the queen of that! Her hair is a different colour every week. So, could I go a little risque and try a bit of pink in it? What would people think?

Ouch! That's the rub, isn't it?

It's all about worrying about what people think, my reputation.

I was at the Folk Festival in Vancouver just this past weekend, and let me tell you -- those people don't care what people think. They wore mismatched colours and patterns, showed their bellies even when they aren't super flat, had done all kinds of strange things to their hair. And the clothes! WoW! I saw ruffled leggings, bootie skirts and bikini tops on women of all ages.

Some of them wore rings on every finger, had tatoos all over their bodies, and many of them had multiple piercings. Yikes! Am I ready for that?

I admired them! For their courage to be themselves, to be whatever they wanted to be regardless of what others think. They used their bodies and their clothing to make a statement about their uniqueness. Good for them!

And it made me realize what a stick-in-the-mud I sometimes am, how focussed I am on appearances and what people will think.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about silly things, wearing a rubber nose, goofy glasses, crazy hats. But I've never expressed myself in the ways that I saw this weekend. I think 'silly' has its place -- not out in public. I've always felt that the silly stuff should be reserved for those times when you are at home or with close friends and family.

Now, I'm not so sure!

Maybe it's time to bust out of my 'mold' -- try on a new me -- be notorious!

Now, where is that pink hair dye?

About the Author

Linda has been coaching and counselling women and care-givers for over 5 years. Her clients regularly tell her that they sleep better, feel more alive, have more energy and enjoy life to the fullest. You can contact Linda at fun-wey@shaw.ca or at funwey.llc@gmail.com or visit her blog at http://www.fun-wey.com/lifecoachblog

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Linda-Greven/51348

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