Not all that long ago, I would never have dreamed of posting a photo of myself here in some off-the-wall rainbow colored wig.
(Hey, I’m a life coach – and that’s SERIOUS business, right?)
But here’s the true untold Hollywood story…
Humor, for me, has been a life-line that has gotten me through countless hardships in my life, like: childhood trauma, divorce, financial fall-outs, career disappointments, and illness. (In fact, one of my best friend refers to my sense of humor as my “superpower.â€)
But some years ago, when I was just getting my coaching practice off the ground, I innocently shared a funny story (relevant to my business) with a room full of women who were in a business program with me, led by a very successful business coach.
When I told my story, every woman in the room busted out laughing.
That was, every woman – but the business coach.
I’ll spare you the gory details. But the business coach essentially scolded me in front of the entire room of women, claiming, “CINDY, WHEN YOU’RE FUNNY, YOU GIVE YOUR POWER AWAY.”
What?
Mind you, I was a comedic actress here in L.A. for many years, and I’d had the fortune to work with some pretty funny people, like for instance, Jim Carrey. (And HE’S not powerful? Hello!!!)
The rest of what unfolded in that exchange with the coach left me feeling like a shamed eight year old, and it hurt – A LOT.
I was in a very vulnerable place at the time — struggling with an illness, stressed to the max in a job that was the wrong fit, and ultimately feeling ginormously unhappy in my life.
Assuming the business coach knew what she was talking about, I took her words to heart and made the decision…
I CAN’T KEEP MY SENSE OF HUMOR IF I’M GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL AS A LIFE COACH.
In that moment, not only did I give my power away to HER, I LET HER STEAL MY IDENTITY!
From then on, everything in life became serious business. ?
And it got me thinking…
At some point, we’ve all felt the sting that occurs when something about us is disapproved of by someone, haven’t we? It’s especially easy to take it to heart when the criticism comes from someone we consider to be of authority, like: a parent, a caretaker, a teacher, a friend, a sibling, a co-worker, or an employer, etc. (And hey, let’s be honest here, we all like being liked, don’t we?) So, sometimes, without even knowing it, we twist ourselves into something we’re not, or (as in my case) hide an essential part ourselves from the world in order to experience the comfort of feeling accepted and to get approval.
But here’s the truth: no matter how much you hide who you are or pretend to be something you’re not, somebody somewhere is going to disapprove.
So, you might as well be yourself, right?
My sweet friend, today, I’m inviting you to be a YOU-nicorn!
In recent weeks, I’ve been sprinkling humor, lightness, and playfulness EVERYWHERE I go. See, I’m uncovering my own YOU-ni-corn-ish-ness again. As a result, EVERYTHING in my life, from my coaching practice to my relationship is now taking off in new and wonderful directions. I feel like I’ve been FREED. And because this is possible for me, it means it’s possible for you too.
If you resonate with this, believe me, the world is waiting for you. Trust me. You are be-YOU-ti-ful.
Go, BE YOU!
Question: Have you ever let anyone steal YOUR identity. If you were to get your YOU-ni-corn-ish-ness on, who would you be and what would you do?
Love you,
Cindy xoxo
PS: I now have a coach who LOVES my sense of humor. See, everybody has their opinions. And it’s just THEIR opinion. YOU BE YOU!
