It was late. Too late. And even later than that on our body clocks. And in a room full of 9 other exhausted, poured-out people, things began to get really honest.

We talked about how strange this industry can be sometimes, and how often people can start to resonate with an idea and then lay some kind of strange claim to it – like they loved those thoughts or her words or his branding so much that they absorbed it by osmosis. And it’s bizzare… but more than that… it points to something bigger.

It points to the quandary of uniqueness. It points to the fact that being who you were created to be is hard work. It doesn’t always come naturally. In a World where the goal is to be seen and be same, being yourself is a daily effort and process. But then… good gracious… ARTICULATING that; putting words and punctuation to your very own discovering-it-as-you-go story – that’s damn near impossible. It takes courage and honesty and soooooooo much time. It takes grit and sticktoitiveness; a willingness to strip yourself bare and stare into yourself – to get to know that person underneath all the hashtags and the posts and the stuff – underneath all of the distractions.

And here is what I learned in that room full of friends – when it was much too late and we were all completely poured out:

There is absolutely nothing wrong with finding glimpses and reflections of ourselves in other people.

That is a natural thing. That is how we connect.

But, at the end of that day, we cannot risk only knowing ourselves as a reflection that we see in others. We cannot risk being content with glimpses.

Your story is YOURS. Its not a piece or a part of someone else’s. And it is worth it – absolutely worth it – to step out onto the fault lines of your own story and see what’s left when all the shaking stops; to see who you truly are when you are brave enough to look deeper and do the hard work of becoming.

You were created for a purpose. Don’t waste your own gifts trying to blend in when you were born to stand out. The World needs the real you and all of the beautiful giftedness that comes with it.

A huge thank you to Kristy for these images of me and my main squeeze!