When I was a kid, Halloween was a day. Just one day wearing costumes, running like demons through the neighborhood and staying out after dark. I would put on the camouflage and hunted for the house with the best treats. As an adult, I love an opportunity to slap on a costume and a fake tattoo and celebrate the Halloween “season” with my sons. Trips to the Detroit Zoo’s Zoo Boo, getting lost in corn mazes, my family and I hit “costume required” events as often as possible in October.
Here’s the thing, I know people who wear costumes every day. They put on a suit like a coat of armor, burying their true self deep under layers of worsted wool and tailored shirts and silk ties. They wrap themselves in layers of camouflage designed to distract and draw people away from who they truly are.
We all know these people, trapped by fear and convention into playing a game of pretend. The ones who think, “if the world knew who I am, they would never accept me.” Imagine the stress of living in a constant state of pretending. It’s fun for a while, but eventually, we are all just human beings with quirks and charm, moments of brilliance and brutality, hearts beating and thoughts racing, looking for the key to life. And I promise you, being yourself will unlock doors in unexpected places. It’s like having a master key to your own life.
Every day of my life I do my best to be myself. Jeans and t-shirt, suit and tie, fake tattoo and pirate hat, I am ME. I was speaking at an event recently when a man in the audience said, “what do you do when being who you are causes people to immediately stop listening to what you say?” I say, acknowledge it. Say, “this is who I am and my authenticity is the key to my success.”
Enjoy your Halloween. Dress up and have fun. But leave the costumes for Halloween and the camouflage for hunting. And never underestimate the power of being you.
