by MichaelaChung | May 9, 2014 | Authenticity, Blog, Nonconformity
Your shadow self is comprised of all the aspects of your personality that you’ve been hiding. You hide these parts because someone has told you that they are shameful, inappropriate or “not nice”. For women, this can mean diluting our power because we don’t want to come off as a “bad girl”. To be good is to be polite, selfless, modest and sometimes invisible. Acceptance hinges on our ability to fit into a narrow definition of what is considered normal. Any part of our personality that seems strange or different gets stomped down and tossed aside – exiled indefinitely to the dark realm of shadows. But wait a second. Did you know that the dark realm of our shadow side isn’t so dark after all? There are some benefits to embracing our shadows. 1. You have golden shadows “The brightest flame casts the darkest shadow.” ~George R.R. Martin People often think of their shadows as only the dark, hideous aspects of their personality. It is true that some of our shadows should stay hidden. What we don’t realize is that we also have golden shadows. Our shadow self can be an infinite source of creativity and strength. Unfortunately, we often cast our greatest strengths into the dark. We do this to be modest and polite. We don’t want others to think of us as arrogant or rude. As a result, we trade stubbornness for passivity, boldness for indifference and strength for “sugar and spice and everything nice”. In short, we let our greatness drag along behind us, holding us back instead of propelling us forward. 2. Denying your shadows...
