Just be YOU

By Dr. Dina Evan

Can you feel it? The world is rapidly changing, and we have no idea where we will end up in that transformation. It feels as if nothing is permanent, written in stone or reliable enough to count on— except one thing. It’s time to be who we came here to be and do what we came here to do. What does that mean? We didn’t come here just to accumulate more stuff. This moment is calling for more. It’s not time to just be broken, not broken, truthful, not truthful, or awake or sleeping….or in other words business as usual. Why?

Because we are at a turning point

Ecologically, environmentally, educationally, and spiritually we can’t be who we’ve been because that’s what brought us here. We need to unite our human family, regardless of gender, color or kind, it is the only thing that is going to change the future for us, our children, and generations to come. I know it sounds monumental and totally not doable. But the answer is simple. If we change, the world changes.

The world has taught us to compromise, pretend, or act as if, swallow our truths because we feel powerless, or our truth might hurt someone’s feelings or make someone uncomfortable or get us fired. However, look where that withhold has gotten us. We don’t know what or who to believe in anymore, and we know less about what we really feel and think. We have been doing that for so long that we really have begun to question who we are at our core.

How do we change this?

By being authentic and compassionate. It’s okay to be broken and admit we’re not perfect.  It’s okay to be truthful, present, different, be in touch with our feelings, and honest. It’s okay to be YOU, exactly as you are. You may have lost your breath thinking OMG, I’ll lose so many friends and family members. Not so! But there is one tool you need more than any other and that is to forget the word “you.” No one else can do this for us.  We need to be our authentic selves and most of us do not even know who that is.

Here is an example. You are woman having lunch with a good friend and someone you both know walks by in a dress that is entirely too tight and not attractive in any way. You say hello, and because you have been taught to, you compliment her. Her friend walks up and as they are leaving to go to their table you notice your guest rolling her eyes and making a face of disapproval. Who will you be in that moment? You see yourself as a loving human being who accepts people as they are. After they are out of earshot your friend makes a disparaging comment. Will you join her in that criticism or respond differently? You might say “Gosh hope she is okay; she looks different than the last time I saw her. I’ll call her later and see how she is feeling.” That is a simple illustration. The job we have is much bigger. In fact, it is a life-or-death soul choice. The world as we know it can’t survive if we are not united in our choice to stop the judgment and separation — and work together.

We have been taught to literally berate and hate those who are not like us. Maybe they/we are handicapped, LGBTQIA+, overweight, a different gender, nationality, age or are differently abled, have a different economic status or live in a different country or part of your city. And people who feel powerless decided we need to make those who are different the enemy…and less than. There is no “other,” there is only one of us and we all have the same color blood and the same need to be accepted and loved.

Want to change the world? Be your authentic self and step up and do or say the loving and conscious thing to create goodwill and safety. The next time you want to lie, take a breath — tell the truth in a kind way. The next time you want to take control, ask yourself what is it you fear? The next time you put someone down, walk over to that person and say or do something kind — and mean it. It is a simple answer but it needs a whole-souled commitment. I trust us to know when we are being our real selves. I trust us to the change and now is the moment. Do a self-discovery inventory and then Be the Authentic Person You Are Inside.

Dr. Evan is a marriage, family, child therapist and consciousness counselor. She has presented nationwide seminars and workshops, written several books and created meditation CDs for couples, individual and mental health professionals. www.drdinaevan.com    602-571-8228.