It’s one of those moments you’ll always remember…

And one you may also want to forget.

There may have been one person with you…perhaps two, three, and possibly more…even a crowd.

In fact, it is possible that you may have been the only person there.

Also involved during this moment is how you felt, and also includes what others felt and most likely said about you…

Because what they’re all seeing is something that is both sacred and profane about you.

And this all has to do with getting naked.

More specifically…

The first time you got naked.

Now of course this can certainly be the first time you actually took your clothes off in front of someone.

But what I’m talking about here is something that can and is quite often even more terrifying than that…

Revealing the truth

…the truth of who you are, why you’re here, along with the truth you discover about others.

Because it’s in discovering the truth about others and the different situations you come across in life that leads to a greater understanding (and the truth) of who you are.

Now whether we’re talking about that moment the first time you took off your clothes in front of someone and/or you discovered the truth in some way…it still involved getting naked.

So the question is…

“What really happened the first time you got naked?”

1. Bare essentials

Naturally there are different ways that someone can feel naked. At first most people think of the obvious, but interestingly it’s the non-obvious that for some is even more terrifying.

One of these is worrying about what others think about you. Far too many people worry so much about what others think of them that it’s running their lives in every which way.

This can range from worrying about what people think about how they look, to how they express themselves to someone, to their mannerisms, and everything else in between.

It also includes the mindset of, “”What would people think about me if I said what I really wanted to do in life. What would people think if I speak my mind and show who I really am?”

And it’s that last part, “What if I showed who I really am” that to many people is more terrifying than taking off their clothes in front of a crowd of people.

Now of course this will be different for you than it is for someone else…

But in either case it still leaves you feeling naked.

And the root cause of it all…revealing the bare essentials of who you really are.

One of the ways you can tell if this is going on in your life is to look and see if you’re “should’ing all over yourself.

Meaning…

Do you find yourself saying, “I should”, “I have to”, “I’m supposed to”, “I’ve got to”, and “I must” when it comes to the different things you do throughout your life?

Because if you do, not only is this a projection from someone else (a parent, loved one, friend) of something they said you “should” be doing (that more than likely is something you don’t want to be doing), but it also puts you in a situation of feeling naked at the mere thought of speaking up and saying what you want.

Along with this comes the mindset of trying to be a one-sided person in a two-sided world.

For example…

Are you trying to be more happy than sad, more nice than mean, more kind than cruel to other people and even yourself?

For most people this mindset puts them in a position of, “I’m supposed to be more happy, nice, and kind, but what would happen if they see when I’m sad, mean, and cruel…what would they think of me?”

And it’s this thinking that has people feeling naked at the mere thought of showing both sides…which ALL humans do during their lives. And this is healthy and natural because it’s what makes you authentic.

This for some people can be even more terrifying than taking off their clothes in front of a crowd of people.

What’s ironic in all of this…

An overwhelming majority of people are so worried about what others think about them, that they’re not even thinking about you.

In other words…

If you’re worried about what other people will think about you…those people are so worried about what others think about them…that they’re not even thinking about you at all.

Now obviously there are exceptions to this. However, most of the time people are so concerned about what’s going on in their own lives that they’re not thinking about the things you feel they’re falsely thinking about you.

And even if they are…most people forget about it a few minutes later and get back on with their own lives.

Again, they’ll be some exceptions to this…but for the most part people are worrying about their own lives not yours.

Even with this going on, there’s still something else happening pretty much all the time when dealing with people (and even when you’re by yourself) that can and quite often does have you feeling naked.

2. The X-ray phenomena

I’m sure you already know what happens when you go and get an X-ray for a particular part of your body. It allows the medical practitioner to in a sense “see through” and inside of the part of your body being X-rayed.

Well the same type of thing goes on during human interactions in the form of being able to “see through” people…and some people are exceptional at it and others not so much.

Think of a situation you’ve been in while talking with someone face to face and you in some way sensed that they were literally seeing through you…especially with something you were trying to hide from them.

Naturally this works the other way as well…

Think of a situation when you were able to “see through” someone else and a façade you just knew they were putting up.

In both cases the person who was “being seen through” in a sense had that “intrusive feeling”…one that can (for many people) easily feel similar to having someone look at them with their clothes off.

Let’s take this even further…

How about the way someone would feel if the person they were talking with was able to see through them in such a way that reveals what they do “behind closed doors?”

And along the same lines as this…

How about when someone is putting up a one-sided façade that they’re always (or most of the time) happy, nice, kind, and peaceful…yet behind closed doors they get sad, mean, cruel, and have moments of inner turmoil.

This too can have someone feeling naked…especially at the mere thought of “Well what would happen if people saw my not so great moments. I see others who always seem to be happy, nice, kind, and at peace…what would they think if they saw I wasn’t all the time?”

What happens here is…the person tries to live a one-sided life but at the same time has the other side (the sadness, being mean, cruel, and having inner turmoil) just as ALL humans do.

The ones who appear to be one-sided and claim they’re that way most of the time are the ones who will feel most uncomfortable if people really knew they had the other side.

These are the people who are afraid to “get naked” and in the process are living a lie rather than living in truth…the truth of who they are, why they’re here, and their purpose in life.

And for some people this is even more terrifying than taking their clothes off in front of someone…because it’s the revealing of their true self which has been covered up for years (possibly even a lifetime). And the other scary part…most people aren’t aware of it and those who are…won’t even admit it at first.

Despite this there is a way out…

And it involves getting truly naked for the first time.

3. Liberation…celebration

You’re a human being. So am I. And let’s face it, as human beings we have a wide variety of challenges that come up during the course of our lives. Some of these moments (and points in time) are more challenging than others, even to the point of wanting to throw your hands in the air and give up.

And interestingly…

Many of these challenges involves what people feel others would say about them if they found out what was going on in their lives.

Think about your own life and the different moments when you either avoided people or getting into too much of a discussion about what was going on in your life at the time.

Regardless of what it was, in some way it involved not wanting to reveal “everything”…to include certain things about you.

However…

This can be (and is) one of the best times to “strip down” and “take it all off”, especially when it involves you and is something you’ve been hiding throughout your life…

Because this in different ways involves the revealing of who you are, why you’re here, and what your purpose is in life.

And it’s this “revealing” is when you truly get naked for the first time.

So the question is…

What really happened during this “sacred moment” in your life? Who was there (if anyone)? What did others say about you? How did you react?

And…

How did you feel?

Naturally I can’t answer these questions for you because this moment is unique (and sacred) based on your own experiences.

However…

What I can say is that it was a liberating feeling for you. It was a celebration of your life.

No more trying to please others at the expense of who you are…

No more trying to be someone you’re not…

No more worrying about what other people will say and think about you.

Instead…

Now your life has greater meaning…

Now you feel “worth it” for all you do…

Now you feel like you do matter…

And you can do it in a way that is “right” for you…it’s your “Life’s Celebration.”

Also part of your “Life’s Celebration” is feeling respected, appreciated, and recognized for who you are and all you do.

This along with living a life of truth is what makes it worthwhile to “take it all off” and get naked…

And not only this one time but continually moving forward in your life.

Because it’s a daily reminder of what makes you the special person you are…

A person that deserves to be alive…that deserves to be an important part of the world…

And a person who is “worth it” to those who know you and the world.

Make it a fulfilling and inspiring day
Chaney