COURAGEOUS SELF-EXPRESSION
When I was a little girl I loved Madonna. More like, I was obsessed with Madonna. Yes, it was the music, the dancing, her clothes, her glamour. But there was something else about her that mesmerized me.
When I was older, after life had knocked me down and shamed me more than a few times, I realized why I had been so infatuated with her. Even as a child I had recognized that Madonna's courage to unapologetically be herself and express herself freely was not a common trait.
As we come to the end of the final Awesome-Up! Challenge, we are exploring with the challengers what it means to be a real-life superhero. We are discovering our own heroic traits and our superhero selves. This is one of my favorite parts of the challenge and the work we do at Make Me Awesome.
Having done this self-excavation work several times now, I've noticed that some of the beliefs and traits of my superhero self evolve and change over time, while others remain constant. Something that remains the same and that I return to is my superpower of courageous self-expression. We can all agree on universal qualities that superheroes have, and then there are other qualities that are more subjective. For me, being unapologetically yourself and expressing your nature is one of the most heroic acts, and something I strive toward.
It's also something I struggle with and am terrified of. I know that may come as a surprise to those who are familiar with Wonder Nat's spunky, outgoing personality, but I am honestly an introvert trapped inside a fun-loving extrovert's body.
Part of my superhero's origin story is that I grew up thinking I was not enough, and at the same time that I was too much. This could have easily shot me down and shut me up. But I was given permission to express myself. Cue Madonna's song, Express Yourself. I was also given permission to love myself unconditionally, first by my mother and then, most importantly, by myself. Unconditional love for yourself is possibly the most heroic act of all.
So, throughout my life I made it my mission to love myself unconditionally, to unapologetically be myself, to freely express myself, and to share openly with others my journey. It's been scary at times, facing my shame, my insecurities, and my doubt about being not enough or too much. My experiences have shown me that the exhilaration and joy of courageously putting myself out there far outweigh any fear of being misunderstood. I'd rather regret being too much or saying too much for some people than live with the regret of not speaking up when I know it is the right thing to do. For myself and others.
This influenced me to become an actress and a writer, a fitness instructor and yoga teacher, and why I knew I ultimately had to become a coach. If I can empower just one person to feel the freedom of self expression and the joy of loving themselves unconditionally, then I have fulfilled my purpose as a human and a superhero on this Awesome planet. In this lifetime anyways. ;)
My wish for you, my friend is that you will find the courage and give yourself permission to live out loud and express yourself with an open heart. It's never too late, and you're never too broken to pick yourself up and try again. And again. And again.
Much love and freedom, friend.
- Wonder Nat