They may sound like fun, fun, fun, but bubbles, baubles and pink ponies are like Trojan Horses. Protect your authenticity from all that’s fancy, flashy and formidable.
Nothing against paste jewelry or even the real deal. Who doesn’t love ponies of all colors! And blowing bubbles is good clean fun. So why go all Greek tragedy?
When distractions look like gifts
Each of us has a built-in authenticity meter. When we’re healthy, we are able to accurately gauge what aligns with our true nature. When our meter shouts “Danger, Danger,” we walk (or run) away.
When we’re feeling less than healthy – physically, emotionally or spiritually – our authenticity meter can malfunction, or worse, become dis-abled. We can mistake challenges for opportunities. We may enter unhealthy partnerships. When our capability to see and express our authenticity is damaged or derailed, distractions can look life gifts.
A few examples:
You’re in a soul-sucking job and every corpuscle of your being tells you to move forward. Instead of tendering your resignation and moving toward your right livelihood, you accept the company’s big stay-on bonus and trade your soul for a bigger bank account. You just chose what I call a Pink Pony: it looks pretty but it’s like a bad carnival prize.
You’re in an abusive relationship but instead of punches he pummels you with nouns, verbs and adjectives. You know you need to leave the relationship but the Oyster Pearl Rolex with the diamond bezel was such a sweet gift. You try to convince yourself that he has a good side. You’ve traded your soul (and your safety) for a bauble.
Bubbles are a bit more benign. Temporary ephemera – like hours on your social media outlet drug of choice. Or a weekend of binge-watching the last three seasons of your episodic drug of choice. A bubble or two floating by is ok, but remember pushing through a sea of bubbles in your childhood? One can easily get distracted or lost.
Authenticity disruptors
In science, disrupters are substances that in large doses interfere with body systems. In our bodies, hormone disrupters can cause tumors, birth defects and worse. Watchdogs and government agencies try to protect us from the toxic substances that disrupt the normal functioning of our endocrine system. (It’s why you can now buy BPA-free plastic bottles for water and why you can’t buy jammies for your child made with hazardous flame retardants.)
I think of bubbles, baubles and pink ponies as “authenticity disrupters” – they interfere with the proper functioning of your authenticity system. These disrupters mimic the feelings that come when you are aligned with your authentic self.
Just as we need to limit our exposure to the toxic chemicals that can throw our bodily systems dangerously out of whack, we must gain awareness of these authenticity disrupters in our own lives – and remove them from our personal environments.
Gifts for waking up
Disrupters of all kinds are a burden. Authenticity disrupters keep you from being who you truly are and living in alignment with your truth.
But what if you’ve discovered that all your life you’ve chosen bubbles, baubles and pink ponies?
The good news is that these Trojan Horses are gifts. Now you know. You get to choose again for your authenticity. It’s not about judging yourself. It’s about developing awareness. Ask yourself:
What can I do to become more aware of my core values, my truth — my authentic self?
How will I know when I’m out of alignment with who I truly am?
When you reset your authenticity and recalibrate your meter, you will be better able to spot the authenticity disrupters in your life, and move more fully into your Self and a life of radical authenticity. That, my friend, is a great gift.
