Your Big Reveal

I'm a sucker for makeovers.  I love looking at 'Before' and 'After' pictures, whether they're haircuts, or kitchens, or wardrobes, or landscaping -- I get giddy whenever I see that "big reveal" of the beauty that lies beneath people, places, or things.

Don't judge me, but two of my favorite TV shows are "Dancing with the Stars" and "The Biggest Loser".  Nothing captivates me more than seeing the transformation that people go through, from beginning to end, that I (from the comfort of my couch) vicariously experience with them.  To me, shedding a significant amount of pounds on "The Biggest Loser" actually is about melting layers of guilt, shame, abuse or something else. On "Dancing With The Stars," the contestants get the chance to develop an otherwise untapped ability that they never knew their bodies could achieve, not to mention the special bond they develop with their professional instructors because of the trust and vulnerability they literally need to put in their hands.

These are just a few examples of a beautiful, though often intense and gut-wrenching, experience of self transformation and discovery.  There are many more.

I heard somewhere that Michelangelo was asked how he was able to create such beautiful sculptures from marble, and he said he believed the sculpture already existed inside the marble, and that it was simply his job to chip away at the excess.

God, I love that!  And I truly believe that to live authentically, it's important to believe that we, too, have magnificent sculptures within us. 

If you were to just pick one area of your life that you knew needed some "trimming" or other radical transformation, what would it be?  Freeing yourself from whatever "weight" you might have -- whether it's body fat, an abusive relationship, a dead-end career, or harbored anger toward anyone -- will take time, commitment, and determination.  The same goes for learning something new and pushing yourself to undiscovered limits.  But most of all, it will take a great deal of self love, because this type of sculpting requires you to value and love your life enough to reveal its true essence.  

Ask yourself, "Is THIS is sculpture I want to present to the world?"  What new perspectives, abilities, beauty, or uncharted experiences do you want to reveal not just to the world but to yourself?  What is it....what beauty lies beneath all that has buried you?