(This share is over 3 1/2 years old and the 2nd post I ever wrote for  “The Art of The Well Lived Life.” It was, in essence, my coming out post. I had some startling realizations While I was Busy Being Someone Else. I still feel this post relevant and poignant. Hoping, on this day, you find yourself happy and celebrating who you really are. If you’re not, you can always use today to reclaim your life and live in accordance with your heart. Wishing you all the courage to joyfully celebrate YOU! ~m)

Strange thing happened the other day…

I was called to recount my past life in detail. My corporate life. When thisSomeone else happened, I began to behave like the person I was back then. I got edgy, sharply strategic, unsettled.

I am not a corporate type. It’s not that I’m not smart enough, aware enough, creative enough…I can do those things. It’s my soul. My soul does not agree with the treatment I witnessed as an internal corporate employee. I’m an artist at heart. A writer, a coach and communicator. I appreciate pure intention, honesty, flaws. The human aspect, with all its imperfections makes me joyful.

Do you remember who you really are? As a child you probably knew. You may still know. The point is, some of us lose ourselves while we’re busy being someone else. We become someone other people would approve of, someone manageable, someone neat, tidy and easy to understand. As you put yourself in that box, the real you may seep into the corners, away from your grasp. That’s NOT GOOD!

I pruned and trimmed my essential self to fit into the box of “acceptable.” Over the last year, I’ve been gathering the pieces and putting them together. This is work I’ve done with clients for years. I help people find themselves, create bullet proof game plans and execute those plans – showcasing their talents and brilliance. It is very rewarding work, because it honors the client’s authentic self as well as my own.

I’ve learned this….

Being someone else does the world no justice. It robs others of your true talents and robs you of a fully lived life. (click to Tweet). All the notions, all the stories around why you should be who you put in the box can be very convincing…and sometimes we need to really work at dismantling the stories. It can take boatloads of courage to get up, shake off the dust, gather up your pieces and bring them to the world! It’s the way it was supposed to be!

Shine your Light!

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Writer, Artist, CoachMichelle Andres is a writer and artist who cultivates her own Well Writer, Artist, CoachLived Life by drinking in the beauty around her, following her passion, respecting others and doing her best to own her own dookie.
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