Keith Bray

ACTING ON LIFE'S STAGE!

With the fullness of time and the wisdom of hindsight, I now realize clearly that I spent much of my life playing a "character" that would please others. How many, upon reflection, know this to be true about themselves.

How do you play your roles?

"What concerns me is not the way things are, but rather the way people think things are." -- Epicetus. This was likely the approach I took to my existence. The way things are (reality) became something I consciously was in denial about; I cared truly about what you thought.

When we are basically unconscious, we live according to social roles. We perform as sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, employers and employees, as society expects us to.

As we grow in awareness, we gain the freedom to bring our own unique perspectives to these roles. We can express ourselves authentically and creatively, without letting our roles dictate how we should behave.

Those roles, the things I am in life, did not change. Son, father, grandfather, friend, husband, confidant and more, all remained. With the process of co-creative life recovery, how I played those roles (authentically) changed and changes for the better as the journey continues. I enjoy a new freedom today, a freedom based on accepting being the best me I can be is just fine and my perspectives have value and are OK. I live in truth with myself and the higher power I have frequent conscious contact with today.

We all are actors on life's stage. I have gone through a transformation that allows me to play the role of authentic Keith, and I no longer have to act a false role as well as produce and direct my life. Relief with a new found peace and serenity and a strong sense of hope.

I would love to read your thoughts about this here or at www.hopeserenity.ca,

"Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinion of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth." -- Katherine Mansfield