Happy Halloween! I was walking around our neighborhood, looking at all the Halloween decorations outside of the houses, and it got me thinking about October 31st and about how most kids and even some adults are going to dress up, and put on costumes. It made me wonder: Is Halloween the only day of the year that we put on a costume? Watch the following video or keep reading for more...

Last week's blog was the second and last part of the Anxiety Series, where I gave you tools to help you deal with anxiety. If you missed it, check it out HERE. Now, back to Halloween...

Most people (myself included!) are not always who they truly are when out in public, or around strangers, for example. Sometimes, we puff our chest up when we're in presence of people we want to impress, or we embellish the way things truly are when we post on social media, right? Or maybe we're trying to impress a potential client with a few lines here and there, just because we feel like if they were to find out that we're just who we are, they would never work with us.

That imposter syndrome, this habit that we have of thinking that nobody around us has flaws. Well, spoiler alert: Everyone does! So no, Halloween is not the only day we put on a costume, you probably guessed it by now. We're constantly putting on different hats. A parent hat, for example, pretending that everything is okay as you just came home from a huge challenge at work. Or a daughter/son hat, when you call your parents and they're worried about you, and you say: "Oh yeah, everything is good. Everything is fine."

At the end of the day, we could just simply be who we are, but how can you be yourself all the time?

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE LESS OF?

First, have a look at your life and ask yourself: "What would I like to be less of? What am I trying to hide when I put this costume on?" Then, start digging into this. Throughout the things that you're trying to hide, maybe there's something that you want to change about yourself. It is possible. It is not set in stone. If there's something you don't like about yourself, well, it's up to you.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE MORE OF?

Then, ask yourself: "What would I like to be more of? Who am I trying to be by putting this costume on?"  And start digging into that too. Who are you trying to be and what will it take for you to become that person? If you are trying to become a better speaker, then what would it take for you to become a better speaker? Do you have to learn from people that are more advanced in that area? Whatever it is that you are trying to achieve, or trying to be more of as you're putting on this costume, it can be done too.

Maybe you already are the thing that you believe that you are not, right? Very often, that is the case.

I'd like to end the blog today with a quote from Douglas Kaplan. He said: 

"If human beings had genuine courage,

they'd wear their costumes every day of the year,

not just on Halloween." 

Have a great week, everyone, and hopefully you dig a little further in the reflection questions and then you can really start being yourself.

NEED A LITTLE GUIDANCE?

Odds are, you already are the thing that you believe that you are not. This is where the Confidence Guide comes in!

Download your copy of the Confidence Guide to discover 15 Keys to Find Confidence and Unlock your Full Potential.

The Guide includes:

• The List of the 15 Keys to Confidence.
• Questions for You to Assess Your Current Situation.
• Questions for You to Take Action.

Check out some of my previous blog posts...