I’m not completely sure why but Halloween is my least favorite holiday. I could argue that I’m just not one for the scary, spooky things. But, deep down, I know it’s more than that. 

I invite you to sit back for a moment and imagine thousands of people dressing up as something they are not. There are people who literally spend hours on a costume. For 4-6 hours, we become a different character and then we take off the costume and we are back to who we were. It creates a few questions in my mind. 

• Why isn’t the way we are good enough?
• What is it about becoming another character that is so intriguing?
• When we become another character, are we more likely to “be bold” or step into a larger role?

What if we took that concept and unmasked our own brilliance? 

Please stay with me on this one. I’m voting that the majority of us are wearing masks all the time. We put on these different masks fueled by belief systems of how we “should be” or what people would like us to be. Think about your interactions over the past week. How many of them were you being authentically you. We often hide and don’t bring all of ourselves into the world. I am raising my hand here. The truth is, it’s exhausting. I’m constantly “holding back” because I’m afraid it’s too much for someone else or I don’t want someone to feel a certain way (notice a little caretaking of emotions here).

Truth bomb time. YOU ARE BRILLIANT. The majority of people are hiding this brilliance behind a mask, costume, or variation of the two. Deep down, I don’t think this is something the audience is applauding. In fact, my vote is that the audience wants more of YOU-all of YOU, in your boldness, in who you were created to be, living your life’s purpose. 

I put together a few components of what it means to UNMASK. As you go through the list, I invite you to take paper and a writing utensil. Jot down what comes up for you in each of these areas. 

U-Understand who you are at your core and how you are showing up in the world. Are your core values aligned?

N-Notice when the mask goes on. Is it in response to situations, belief systems, or something else? Also notice if there are different masks for specific things.

M-Milestones. Celebrate milestones on your brilliance journey. When you see yourself taking off a mask and showing up as YOU, celebrate! This is a big deal-especially if you’ve been carrying multiple masks for a long time.

A-Accept yourself in your glorious brilliance. This is not a time for comparison. Accepting ourselves gives us an opportunity to see ourselves in full 360. 

S-Seek others who see your brilliance and support you on life’s journey. These are your cheerleaders, confidants, trusted souls, spiritual directors, and more.

K-Kindness. Be kind to yourself. Part of your brilliance is seeing that life isn’t always at the 100% mark. Our brilliance lets us navigate those times. Practicing self-compassion is a major act of kindness.

It’s time to unmask and unleash your brilliance even more! I want to see you shining in your brilliance.