Empowered Woman Magazine Second Issue May 2014 | Page 20

Just the Way You Are

By Kellie R. Stone

“The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice…it is conformity.”

~ Rollo May

It was two-thirty in the morning when she sent me the message. I could feel her stress and fear even though it was a digital communication. “I am tired of living a lie, a double life…I am gay,” she confessed. Her declaration did not move me, but her sadness and fear did. I felt sorry that she had not been able to truly be herself in this world without experiencing hate and ridicule from others. Individuality is at the core of our existence and the pursuit of it a path no other should ever block.

Millions of women, like Karin, are trapped in lives that are not their own. Whether it is to deny homosexuality or simply to hide a creative passion, too many of us wear social masks to conceal true identities and authentic life purpose. As a Journey to Purpose Coach and messenger to women, I see this identity thief steal power from not only the individual woman but that of a feminine collective in pursuit of veracity and empowerment. And though self-denial doesn’t just occur in homosexual women, their pain and concern is among the most poignant today.