I’ve witnessed women tear each other apart emotionally in the name of “self-expression”.
Self-expression is a characteristic of “self-love” and I want everyone to experience it.
For most people, they’ve suppressed it for so long, that when it finally comes out it is jarring for everyone around them.
The pendulum swings and they could give 2 shits about how you feel about it. Self expression usually follows the deep realization that everyone is responsible for their own experience. And in that realization the person suppressing knows that they’re the one who is actually responsible for their life.
… and everyone else is responsible for theirs.
So in the vein of this partial reality, expression is unleashed on the world around them. They no longer are playing the “character” that everyone has been conditioned to know. In turn, their reality is challenged and their triggers surface.
The result? Hurt feelings, disagreement, and conflict.
It usually takes awhile for the newly self expressed to learn how to do it gracefully. And in truth, to learn how to authentically express their heart… and not their wounds.
That’s the key. In the beginning of perceived self expression, the person expressing themselves isn’t actually their SELF. It’s a wound. It’s BS.
This is why when I’m helping someone through this phase that we are becoming objective enough to see if it’s the heart or a wound.
Knowing this nuance will save everyone a lot of pain and suffering. The road to self expression doesn’t need to be littered with the hurt feelings. It can be done from a place of love. It can be done gracefully.
This is a mark of a good leader. Yes, authentic wounded-expression will likely get you a lot of attention, but it won’t be the attention you want in the long run.
We want to get attention through love.
Can you respect yourself by allowing self-expression while also respecting others?
We get into the nuances of this concept on today’s show of Monday Morning with Mike & Max.