Do you ever find yourself telling someone else that you love a certain band, movie, or adventurous activity only to find the person saying “You like that? I would have never expected that!”

That person placed you into a certain role and when you showed them that your true self was a little off from that role they flipped.

I invite you to be fearless of being yourself. Your true, authentic, no agenda making, no approval seeking, self.  I encourage you to be the person that you are at home, when no one is watching, in public. Now this may seem a bit challenging so we can break this down. For this week select one day, hour, two minutes, you name it, where you are uninhibited. Whatever your inner self really wants, acknowledge it, nurture it and don’t hold back.

One of the best things about traveling is going to a place where you don’t know anyone. Why? Because it’s your chance to break away from the roles that you have been filling and create space to discover who you are without feeling obligated to step into those roles. Yes, roles can be awesome and give you a sense of purpose, but just understand that you are already incredible just by being you.

This exercise came from when I first arrived in Australia. I was new, I was free, I didn’t know a darn soul! I could do, say, and be whatever I wanted and so I thought why not take this opportunity to be my authentic self that has been yearning to surface?

For the first six months I danced when I wanted to, said what I wanted to, and approached any person that I wanted to with love. Why the difference? It’s not like I switched personalities with someone else. I was still the same 5 foot 3 energetic American chick bursting at the seams to explore the world. The shift wasn’t me. It was me letting go of the barriers between my true self and I. I gave myself permission to break away from the roles that I had created and fulfilled.

When you’re around the same people, the same places and fulfilling the same roles for so long, you will still internally grow but there’s often a disconnection between your internal growth and your external showcase of your new-found radness.

The roles that we set up for ourselves within our family, friendships, community, you name it… can be hard to step out of. It is that change of location, a change of scenerary and shift in energy that allows space for you to let your authentic self come to the surface

While I may have unblocked the barriers to my authentic self by moving half way around the world, I realised that this shift can happen by just taking a trip with yourself to even the next suburb over. Last week I was feeling a bit restless and wanted to be more present with myself and in my relationships. I needed an outlet. I needed to feel that sense of freedom again.

After attending the Live Aspire Blog event, I hopped on the bus to go back home to then have my inner guide tell me get off at the next stop. I got off and walked to my favourite macaroon shop  in the world. Unlike Bondi, where I could walk around and see a familiar face just about anywhere I went, which can be really comforting at times, I recognised no one.

I was only one suburb over and I suddenly had an overwhelming sense of freedom to do whatever I wanted. I decided to embrace this freedom by walking over to the nearest park, spreading out my goodies from Live Aspire Blog and sitting down to mediate.

That’s right. I sat down and mediated in the middle of a public park. There’s something a bit unnatural about closing your eyes in public. The American in me initially kept opening my eyes to check to make sure that my bag was still next to me, but after a few deep breaths I felt freer than I had in awhile. I was doing exactly what I wanted to do, in public, without fear of judgement. Judgement from others, and judgement from myself.  

 Permission to be you

1.  I invite all of you aspiring bliss followers to visit a place you rarely go to. Even if it’s a coffee shop ten minutes away from your house that isn’t the normal, “I’ll take the usual please,” stop. Just go.

2.  Ask yourself what’s one thing that you love to do that you would never do in public? Then go do it. For example, if your passion is to play the guitar but you’ve always been too afraid to play in public, go play at a coffee shop in the next town over.

3.  Relish in that freedom, take in all of our surroundings and feel how awesome it is to be free of the roles that you have been playing.

4.  Once you feel comfortable enough (it’s ok to not feel totally at ease) do this in a place where you are bound to see someone that you know. Go to that usual coffee shop and play your guitar, go to the local gym and work out next to your peers, and feel the authentic you doing your thing while shining your light.