Have you felt the mask snap back on your face? It makes your throat tight, your breath shallow, your voice shift.
Maybe you’ve felt it when you go home for a holiday to see your family. Or when you run into an old friend, a bully, or an ex. Or maybe you feel the snap of the mask every time you go to work.
The mask is a template. A fake version of yourself you created (consciously or unconsciously) to seek approval, keep the peace, chase prestige, etc.
The mask is your attempt to please others by debasing your character. When you’re wearing it, you’re living a lie. You’re compromising any relationship you’re trying to build, because you’re not who you’re pretending to be. People-pleasing bankrupts your soul.
So remember: When the mask is on, you’re suffocating.
“Those who do not have a clear sense of who they are and what they want to be tend to be captive to the expectations and opinions of others.”
~Ray Dalio, Principles (Book)
