Not so long ago, I asked for advice from some friends about how to handle myself when I emcee'd an upcoming event. Over and over, I got the same response--just be yourself. That's just what I determined I would do--succeed or fail at this event, I'd be me. After all, it's a nice little mantra that we've all heard since we were three-years-old, right? Endless cartoons and after school specials tout the same message.
In the week leading up to the event, I found myself catching the subtle messages people around me were sending. "You need to be more assertive." "Are you always such a space cadet?" "Why can't you be more like so and so?"
It hit me later how ironic it was that we're always taught to be ourselves, yet, at the same time, we're told to be someone different. Talk about mixed messages. What's a girl to do?
I wrestled with the thought for awhile and then figured it out--I need to be me, just better.
No, that didn't sound quite right.
Okay, I need to be me, just me at my best. That made more sense, right?
I emceed the event and I just acted like plain old bubbly Christy. And you know what? It went just fine, even with a few non-assertive space cadet moments. What they say is true: be who God created you to be and ignore all of those other voices.
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Christy Barritt is the author of HAZARDOUS DUTY and SUSPICIOUS MINDS, chick-lit mysteries about a flip-flop wearing, music-quoting crime scene cleaner who sticks her nose into police investigations. For more information, visit: www.christybarritt.com.
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