Tue. November 6, 2007
By Bill Pritchard
In ones desire to Make A Difference we shouldn't forget or ignore the needs in our own lives that may prevent or get in the way of that desire. Some folks choose to close their eyes to items in their lives. One such item I've seen in a lot of people is being genuine.
I relate to this a lot! I can't tell you how many times I am accused of "not being myself". There are some who wonder who the real Bill Pritchard is. I guess I can see how they would wonder that. I have always been a public person. I do however pride myself on being transparent (real) in that arena. Some think that I am putting on a show to hide my true self. To be clear I don't feel like I am! I figure you'd have to ask my friends that question. This brings up a good thought though! Are you being real to yourself and those around you? Is what we see, what you are?
Don't let issues of poor self esteem get in the way! Let's face it all of us have those moments where we just don't feel good about ourselves. I hear so often from people that they hate the way they look or they wish they had this or that in their lives. I think those moments are somewhat natural to experience. What I don't think is a healthy situation is when our poor esteem blocks who we really are.
In the LGBT community, many of us spend so much time and energy to hide who we really are that it becomes almost second nature to us later in our closet free years. If you have a bad self esteem then perhaps it's time to get some help. That's not a bad thing! I've had great experiences doing counseling. I guess there are still some stigmas attached to counseling that people find hard to shake. Truthfully I see only good coming out of it. May I suggest you check out my friend John D. Moore here on ChicagoPride.com! John is a licensed psychotherapist and certified addictions counselor in the state of Illinois. If he can't help you he knows who can. Going to John and/or people like him is like going to a friend who just happens to understand the human brain better than most!
Stand up for what you are passionate about! What is it that you believe in!? If I were to sit next to you at the coffee shop and strike a conversation about you, what would I learn from you? My friend Mike Rippe is passionate about horses. Clydee adores musicals. Isaiah loves fashion. Brian Douglass is committed to areas of health. If you talked with any of these guys, you would hear about these things within the first 5 minutes. What are you driven about? What mission wakes you up in the middle of the night? We can find out about the real you by the real focus you have. I encourage you to show people what you're passionate about!
What you see is what you get. When I met Kathy Griffin a few months ago I was so happy to see that what I've seen on her t.v. show and other works is really her; a very transparent person. Could that be said about you? I think we can strive to "be" that transparent! What have we got to loose? Of course we all make assumptions about others but people are going to do that any way. How about being you for YOUR sake?
May I suggest that you take a few moments and ask yourself:
Am I being transparent with others?
Is a poor self esteem to blame for my not being real with people?
Depending on the answers to those questions, you may want to think about getting some professional help. It can only be of benefit to you!
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