People don’t normally see the color of our underwear. It’s usually hidden. So we could be wearing rocket ship, space pirate, underwear and no one would know. We could also be wearing old ratty torn underwear and no one would know this either.
Like our underwear, there are often other things that we keep hidden about ourselves. We believe that people don’t want to see certain aspects of our lives. We also believe that if we share the wrong things, we won’t be accepted by other people. So we have a public persona and a private life that are different.
For a great number of years, I’ve kept a lot of myself hidden. I felt that if I shared emotion, then I would be perceived as weak. If I shared my struggles with people, I would get labeled as a bozo. I would need to present myself as having the answers, being confident, and having it together. I felt that if I wasn’t those things, then people would reject me, and I would be all alone.
I would pretend I knew things I didn’t. I would act like nothing bothered me. When asked, I would give the “right” answer. And any uncertainties, wrestling, and doubts all happened in private.
As I look around, I don’t think I’m unique in hiding my “imperfections.” I’m guessing that you probably can relate.
The reality, however, is that there is tremendous power in our hidden things. Superheroes wear their underwear on the outside. The things we usually keep hidden hold a power to transform lives when used the right way.
When we reveal that we’ve felt powerless, that we were so angry we could spit, that we cried ourself to sleep at night, or that we were terrified of what might happen, other people will relate to this. And when we show what we learned and how we grew from the experience, it gives people hope.
Sure we can keep our secret things hidden. When we do this, others will experience a sanitized version of us. It won’t inspire. I won’t give hope. And people will often feel like it doesn’t relate to them.
To increase our life’s impact – to bring transformation that lasts a life time, we can take a risk and share the hidden things. We will let people see the color of our underwear, so to speak.
What experiences have you gone through that can be used to transform lives? Are you willing to be vulnerable and share these experiences, inspire us, and give us hope?
What color is your underwear?
