Most of us guys have a hard time keeping it real with ourselves, let alone others. We put on these costumes of manhood and pound our chests and that’s supposedly our real self.
Rick Clemons, my mate from the States and I are calling bull shit and keeping it real. Its the only acronym you’ll need.
I was bullied in school. At 17, I was left at the crossroads of pursuing a career as a DJ or becoming a police officer, and for purely monetary reasons, I chose the uniform. Even with the uniform, the bullying continued, but I survived for 26 years in the line of duty working my way up the ladder, leading the status quo life, becoming “King of the S**t,” and then stepping up the ladder to consider becoming “S**t of the Kings!” Finally, the status quo of life sent me to the dark places of anxiety and depression.
I recently appeared on the ‘Life (Un)Closeted Podcast as a guest of Rick Clemons, Inspiring Speaker, Status Quo Disruptor and Bold Move Expert. Sharing my truth, my journey, and my ‘uncloseting’ from living a status quo life, even when others scratched their heads thinking, “What’s wrong with this bloke? His life looks pretty damn good to me!”
We must give in to our curiosity. Just like kids in playground having a ride on new swing for the first time or a puppy experiencing new surroundings. There is excitement, there is trepidation, but there is a willingness to be positive and to come out the other side, bigger, stronger, with greater confidence and feeling safe.
Opinions and Perspectives are simply that. Not fact and not truth. Given this presumption, though, society’s common thinking is that perception or perspective is truth. Is fact. Each and every one of our world’s views’ provides us with a frame of reference from which we develop these perceptions, these ‘truths’. What we see, hear, smell, touch, taste and feel (don’t forget the sixth sense) construct our own opinions and perceptions. They are our warm security blankets.
Think of it like this, Belonging and Rejection are the positive and negative poles of a magnet. Ultimately though, a magnet always attracts – it’s just a matter of positioning.
It is the shy kids who are easy to forget. They can be ushered into the corner by the teacher/director or the other actors/students and overlooked because they generally won’t complain. They will accept the status quo because they won’t want to rock the boat. Their creative skills enable them to show acceptance and contrition when faced with missing out on opportunities.
I often wonder whether I’m alone in my quandary. Each morning, I stand opposite the shirts in my wardrobe and struggle with the dilemma… What shirt do I wear? I know. ‘First world problem, right’. Too right! There are thousands of people throughout our world who would love to Read more…