Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.
I think it’s MY holiday.
I cook up a storm.  I clean for a week and cook 17 dishes.
And I naively think that Thanksgiving will not become commercialized.
I hope.
But even if they do find a way to commercialize it, there are priceless benefits to simply and genuinely giving thanks.

Did you know that your brain can’t feel fear and gratitude at the same time?

The trick is to really feel what you are grateful for… down to your bones.  Don’t just remember what you are thankful for, feel it deeply until you feel the sensation in your body.  To get me rolling, I start by remembering times of extreme gratitude.

For example, I feel extreme gratitude when I think about the moment when the surgeon came out of surgery and told me he had to scrape off Bryton’s organs from his lungs down to his pelvis bones to get the toxic debris from his burst appendix. And he got it all.
I felt extreme gratitude towards the woman who took such meaningful care of my Dad and my Mom when Dad was at the Cypress the last six months of his life.  I thought I would give my first-born to Q, the nurse who stayed with me the 12 hours I was in labor with Bayla. She made everything seem safe and normal… even when they had me sign my consent for emergency surgery.  It wasn’t until the next day we realized the gravity.   Luckily Q let us keep her.  And we didn’t name her Quendeline (Q), but probably would have if she hadn’t stopped us.
After I think of these big dramatic experiences of extreme gratitude, it is easy to segue into thanks for the little things that aren’t so dramatic. But these little things are the ones I will cherish my whole life.
How Whitney takes off my shoes each night.
How my mother is always there for me. Always
.How my daughter can be in a real pickle and she is the one to comfort me and say, “Mom, it’s going to be alright.”
Most of the things holding you back in life are based on an underlying fear. So give thanks on Thursday and every other day you want to live without fear, be true to yourself, and live a life you truly love.

The only thing that wearing a disguise will bring you is something that is not right for you.

We all do it… wear disguises.

Think about when you meet someone you are interested in. It’s not like you’re a total fraud.
You don’t change who you are on purpose, but you dazzle them with only your best self. You are endlessly witty. You primp if you think you are going to see them when you go out. You point out the things you have in common, but not how you are different.

This is natural.

Facebook is a perfect example. I can’t tell you how many clients I have that avoid going on Facebook because it sounds like everyone is doing better than they are.

People don’t post their boring days or their big mistakes on Facebook.

I like seeing the good and the bad.  It’s boring without the depth.

So here’s my thought. Keep Throwback Thursday BUT ALSO HAVE Unfortunate-Incident Wednesday.

I think this could catch on. I could tell all about how my skirt fell off in the middle of Church Street. I could share how my bikini top shot off like a rubber band on a sailing trip. (Hmmm. These could actually be some good blog topics.)

Enough with disguises. Show the best AND the worst.

Now, I’m not encouraging you to meet someone and tell them which STDs you have while shaking their hand. But I am suggesting you let the real you hang out.

If a new friend or love interest wants you to go camping, then go camping. But don’t pretend it’s your favorite if it’s not. Don’t hide the fact that you can’t stand digging a latrine. That will only get you invited on more camping trips in the sticks.

Don’t wear a disguise to get other people’s approval. That only works for the short-term.

And the person you put on the biggest disguise for?

Yourself.

And you don’t even know it.

“I’m okay.”
“Things will get better if I just hang in there.”
“I’m not really tired, I just need a cup of coffee to get going.”

Take off your disguise and start your reinvention.

It’s only through the clarity of knowing who you are and showing the real you that you attract your tribe.

Wearing a disguise takes sooo much energy.

Be brave.

Take off your disguise and the people who think you are a rock star… the people who will be your raving fans… will be able to find you.