Remove The Mask

“The whole world changes when we can be who we truly are.” – Tamara Levitt

I’ve been using the Calm app for a few months now (kudos to Marcus Whitney) and have really been enjoying the journey through meditation and mindfulness. A past meditation session relates to a discussion I’ve had with my students this semester about living life on purpose.

Wearing the mask is hard for me. In many ways, I was socialized from childhood to blend in to a world that may not fully understand or accept me: a dark skinned boy that speaks proper English who identifies as Black with parents from Ghana. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve slowly dismantled what I was taught and have focused on being my pure self in every space I occupy. 

The most challenging part of this journey has been discovering myself without the burden of what others expect me to be. As an adult, my reputation precedes me and that often comes with expectations of who and what I am. At age 38, I’m very comfortable with challenging those expectations and letting my pure self be freely exposed, without limitations. 

Sometimes I still find myself reverting back to my old habits and putting on the mask for certain people and situations. However, I now understand that the truest forms of self care and self love are grounded in being yourself at all times. I encourage anyone reading this to acknowledge the mask(s) you wear and focus on being true to who you are, regardless of the consequences. What’s the point of living a life where your true self gets lost in the daily fight to be who others think you are?

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