The Jane Effect

Someone once told me, “Never hide your green hair – they can see it anyway.”

Worthless feelings arise when we believe, however briefly, that who we are is not enough.

From the agonies of kindergarten when we were first teased or made fun of in the midst of all our innocence, we have struggled in one way or another with hiding what is obvious about us. This is an inevitable and hurtful passage from knowing only ourselves to knowing the world. The tragedy is that many of us never talk about it, or never get told that our “green hair” is beautiful, or that we don’t need to hide, no matter what anyone says on the way to lunch. And so, we often conclude that to know the world we must hide ourselves.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. You are a unique human being who has much value to bring to others. You are enough just the way you are.