In Part I of Fear At First Sight, I talked about how we shy away from showing our authentic selves for fear of not being loved. It's ironic because most of us live in this pain, while believing that no one else does. We accept the thought that we are somehow so different, so other, from everyone else that we dare not show who we really are, for fear of being discovered for the hideous creatures we are. Yet if so many of us think this way, doesn't that make us more alike than different? Doesn't that give someone else the opportunity to relate and see themselves in us? Doesn't it show that we are in not in fact hideous creatures, but simply human?
The truth is that yes, some people will reject us, dislike us, or judge us when we show our true selves. There are countless reasons for this. Maybe they think we're too optimistic. Maybe they see a piece of themselves they don't like reflected back to them. Maybe we remind them of someone or something that causes them pain. The important thing to remember about this, is that you are not responsible for those judgments. You being who you really are is what you are responsible for. How others respond to you doing that, however, is not up to you, and not up to you to change.
You don't need to fight for someone's approval or love. You are enough as you are. You are enough for yourself, and you are enough for everyone else. Not everyone will accept or appreciate it, but there will be people who do. And those people will continue to love and support you as you continue to grow and show your authentic self.