It's a gift to see no downside to being you

​A dear friend sent me a gift the other day. It was a hat from South Africa where she'd recently gone on a mission trip. I wanted to let her know how much I appreciated it, so I took a picture of me wearing it and sent it to her.

But you know, for a moment, before I sent it, I got caught up wrestling with the question - is this a good picture?

I got caught up wrestling with how I would be perceived more than what I wanted to express.

I wanted to express gratitude. I've come to know over the last several years, though, if we can't be totally grateful for who we are, we'll always fall just a little short of being totally grateful for anything else.

My wrestling was short-lived. I wanted her to see who I was in that hat only seconds after I opened it. So I sent it.

First take, no edits required.

I've said often that my writing has improved significantly over the last several years. The biggest improvement has come from focusing on what I want to express and not on how I want what I express to be perceived.

If you're reading this right now, I couldn't be more grateful that you are. But I couldn't care any less about what you think about the person who is writing it. What I care about is you knowing my heart and mind as real as I can express them, with some hopes they will reach the realest parts of your heart and mind. And maybe with some hopes you will become brave enough to share those parts of you with the people around you.

I've discovered that's a really likable place to be - where real meets real.

It was a great gift to finally start believing there truly is no down side to being me. There is no down side to how I look in this picture or how I sound in this conversation or how I show up for this meeting or when my kids show up to this dad.

This is me, and I wouldn't trade me for anyone.

Because I'm the greatest human in the world?

No. Not at all.

I wouldn't trade me for anyone else because it is truly life-sucking and destructive to long to be anyone but me. And, because when I truly start exploring the real value in me, the value I always coveted in others no longer seemed as valuable.

In this world, rapidly transitioning to more things artificial, it is brave to be the realest version of you. I for one am rooting for your bravery and hoping you'll discover that no artificial you will ever be better than the real you.

You'll be tempted today to pretend to be someone else. It's just the nature of the world to bombard us with that temptation.

Trade temptation for freedom, today.

The freedom to be the real you.