“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Michelangelo

What can you chip away to reveal the true you?

I sometimes wonder what happened to the real true genuine authentic me; the me that is totally comfortable in my own skin, that does not question my thoughts or actions because it just knows that they are in line with the inner Geoff.

As we go through life we tend to accumulate beliefs and habits that surround us and cover us. They build up without us noticing, they dim our inner light, and we shine less.

Those beliefs and habits sometimes create a ‘mask’ that we project to the world. For example, the belief “Emotion has no role in the workplace” leads to hard-nosed hard-faced hard-acting managers, no matter how they behave privately (I used to know one of these!)

So,what mask do our colleagues and our friends see? (BTW – the “S” level question is “What mask do YOU see?”)

So here is this week’s challenge – Chip away what is not really you.

Chip away what is unimportant.

You do this through feelings, not thought. Oh yes, you start with thought, but your feelings let you know whether you are being authentic. Does what you have just done, or better still what you plan to do, feel right for you? Is there a little uneasiness somewhere inside? That’s the clue!

Chip away that which might cause someone to think you are less than authentic.

And your light will shine brighter.

Have you noticed that true leaders shine more brightly in some way? That is why they can lead.