Not much has changed, has it?
It’s the time of year in North America when costumes, candy, and pretending to be someone else are trending. Funny enough, I’ve spent most of my life figuring out how to do the opposite.
Now I never had Halloween growing up. In Australia, knocking on strangers’ doors after dark in silly costumes to demand sugar wasn’t really our thing.
But even though I didn’t even know what Halloween was back then, that didn’t stop me from dressing up.
I had a trunk full of my mum and dad’s old clothes — ties, beads, scarves, and just enough crushed velvet to raise a few eyebrows. Many days I looked like Steven Tyler’s understudy, waiting for my big break.
I dusted off some old photo albums recently (remember those?) and found a few photos of some costumes that still make me smile.
The first is a purple pin-stripped suit that I scored for just $2. I was the house captain at my high school in Australia, and our house was purple (funny how that’s also my favourite colour).
The other one … I’m not entirely sure why I dressed up as a 17th-century French Renaissance man. Sometimes you just want to feel a little fabulous and well … different.
That impulse to dress up hasn’t gone away.
Truth be told, half the things I do are just an excuse to get into a fancy outfit.
Whether it be a silk robe, a purple tie (as seen in last week’s webinar), or a custom suit … I’ve come to realize that dressing up isn’t about pretending to be someone you’re not. It’s revealing the best version of yourself and turning up the volume on the part that’s already true.
Now, of course you don’t need sequins or velvet to show up as your full self, if that doesn’t feel right for you. Maybe it’s a lucky pair of socks. Or an heirloom watch. Or a favourite haircut.
And maybe it’s not visual at all. It could be a mantra or a favourite question or a grounding practice that gets you to the you-est you.
The point isn’t what you wear. It’s what you let yourself show. Feels like a big existential thing, doesn’t it?
So rather than asking, Who do I want to become?, maybe ask, Who am I already that I can more fully show up as? And if you want to dig a little deeper, What helps me do that?
