Think back to a time you looked into a distorted mirror. It may have been at a carnival funhouse, or a glimpse in the reflection of a warped window.

Parts of you didn’t look quite right. The skewed image made you feel unbalanced, not quite yourself.

Good mirrors show people what they truly are in an undistorted, simple, and straightforward way. They allow us to notice our smiles, frowns, tears, laughter, confusion, and beauty. Their clarity gives us the chance to make needed adjustments.

Seeing Yourself Clearly

The great unmasking from the long COVID-19 era has begun. If you’re like most of my life coaching clients, you have had some periods of being inactive or isolated over the past year. Maybe you experienced low motivation and energy levels. Perhaps you kept a stiff upper lip when talking with others about how you were handling those dark days. For a time, we all had both literal and figurative “masks” on.

How are you showing up now as you emerge to days of connecting with family and friends, returning to the workplace, or engaging with people in restaurants, theatres, and sporting events? Are you presenting your true self, or are you trying to project an image of who you want to be? Who are you, now?

When I work with my life coaching clients in DC and beyond, I explain that my job is to be their sounding board, their partner in discovery, and their mirror. “Unmasking” figuratively and seeing ourselves clearly through that mirror of life coaching is part of the work we have always done.

Really seeing your true self, believing in your best parts, and then showing yourself to others isn’t always easy. But it can be transformative. It is a process and a journey that I take with my clients through coaching. I encourage them to put away the funhouse mirror and distorted views, and look into the good, true mirror of coaching. This allows them to center themselves with a clear message and a forward plan that comes from the heart. Through this process, they remind themselves of who they are inside – the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. They can acknowledge that the highs and lows of the past are now part of who they are.

I’ve noticed after the isolation of the past year, many of us are viewing ourselves in a distorted way. There are worries and a lack of confidence. Some people fear being criticized for their choices, or feel as though they don’t measure up. I’ve also found that examining and talking about our maskless selves in front of a good mirror is very grounding.

With your mask off, self-examination through life coaching is not only the best thing you can do for yourself, it is something you owe yourself.  Seeing your honest and authentic self can have an instant, positive impact on your life.

So take the unmasking as an opportunity to be the most, the best, the truest you have ever been. The mask is off, the mirror is there. What do you see?

A Life Coach to Help You Navigate the Changes