Music Mondays: Whose Is It: Battling For The Power To Be You
If you were to take off all of your clothes and stand in front of a full-length mirror for ten minutes and could only pick five words to identify who you are, what words do you think you would choose? As you stare at yourself in your purest, most vulnerable form, would you instantly launch into titles of spouse, lover, mother, father, sister, brother, friend, occupation, etc.? Would you state your physical appearance, your current life situation, or the status of your health?
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Really? Is that all you see when you look at yourself?
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If it is, then that is a clear indication that you have relinquished all of the power you hold within to someone/something else. And without your power, you can never fully know who you are.
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What a shame, because that is definitely not how life is intended to be.
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It was never intended for your entire existence to be defined by a role or a title, or even a condition, a situation, or someone else’s opinions and definitions. Each of these have their own standards and lists of “do’s and don’ts” that are expected to be met. Those standards and lists can slowly pull your power to be you away from you over time. Before long, you are living and breathing in a space and existence that is not your own; totally at the hand of an outside force.
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Thus, you have lost yourself and have no idea how to be you. What’s worse is that you don’t even know it.
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The power to be you is a battle that must be fought every single day. Every minute of every hour, all of the time. Unfortunately, the society in which we live makes it that way. Because of this, your job is to know who owns your power to be you at all times—and make sure that person is you. If you have lost it, you must determine who (or what) has it and be brave enought to battle to get it back. If you have it, you must fight with everything within you to keep it, refusing to surrender to the hand that tries to take it away.
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For the remainder of this month, take some time to yourself and try doing the exercise above: it will help determine if your power to be you is yours, or if it belongs to someone/something else. If you are fully aware of who you are, or if you have some soul-searching to do.
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Remember: the only way to be a REAL “New You in the New Year” is if you are truly the one holding the power to do so.
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Enjoy this week’s Music Mondays selection, “Brand New Me” by Alicia Keys.
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Have a song that would be perfect for Music Mondays? Share with me below or tell me about it at: melisasource@yahoo.com.
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Why is it every time I see her lately, she looks like someone else. Hubbie and I argued for some time over Girl on Fire. I thought it was someone else, and he said no, it was Alicia Keys. Well, you already know the answer to that question. Guess she really did grow up.
Veronica
http://www.veronicalsingleton.com
Greetings Veronica! You are right– Alicia definitely has grown up. ~Thank you so much for sharing here with me! 🙂
Wow, this one really got my attention. First of all I cannot imagine standing in front of a mirror the way you are talking about and doing that self examination. However, your description of how that is a problem, and what a problem it is not to be able to do that. You really have given me a lot to think about, a lot to think about. I am going to have to put on my big girl panties and fake it until I make it dress and get to the kind of examination you are talking about.
Greetings Janeane! I am glad that this post touched you. ~Thank you so much for sharing here with me. 🙂
Great song! Even better post! Power and personhood are such important topics.
Greetings Jasmine! Thank you so much! ~I appreciate you sharing here with me! 🙂
Wow, we just talked about this in church. Defining ourselves through various roles and titles. Well, I’m on the path to not defining myself in that way. Thank you for this post to add to my toolbox!
Greetings Brandi! You’re very welcome! 🙂 ~Thank you so much for sharing here with me! 🙂
I just listened closely to Alicia’s song Brand New Me today and instantly loved it. In the last couple of years I have been on this journey. I discovered that if I be the me everyone thinks I should be, then I will never grow because people want you to be the me that suits them not you and then they don’t want you to change. That’s the thing, I make changes constantly in my life. You have to if yo are to grow. I have standards about me that stay constant like being kind, loving, caring and giving, but… Read more »
Greetings Caroll! I love what you said– it is so very true!! And I applaud you for staying true to you! ~Thank you so much for sharing here with me! 🙂
That was me about 8 years ago …where I wasn’t sure what I was anymore …and then I battled and won, and I’ll continue to fight everyday to keep her, to keep me! It’ll be interesting to see how it goes, once I get married and have kids, I’d love to hear how one does that with huge life changes. I know I’m being a little naive to think I won’t change. This is also a great exercise to do, what do we see when we look in the mirror. How can we get to finding ourselves. Love the song,… Read more »
Greetings Arelis! First congrats to you for winning your battle! You definitely have the right mindset! I’m so glad that you enjoyed this Music Mondays — Thank you for sharing here with me! 🙂
I feel like every 3 weeks a new challenge comes up and I have to reinvent myself. Feels like crap when you’re in the thick of it. But one day I’ll have a helluva story to tell.
Gosh! I’m so guilty of this. I can honestly say I get so bogged down in being wife, mother, worker, daughter, friend, whatever that I have to really think about who I truly am. Yes, all of those titles help shape me to be the person that I am but they don’t define me and aren’t the reason that I exist. Wonderful points that made me really do some self-checking!