The Transcript Of The Video Is Below

Hi, it’s Shelly Lefkoe, co-founder of the Lefkoe Institute. Last night, I was thinking about something, talking to a friend. When I came back from Russia, I gave a talk on parenting and I had a translator and it was a great honor and privilege to get to do that. At the end of the talk, I remember people coming up to me, one after another and saying, I never saw anybody express themselves the way you did on that stage.

I want that.

“I was raised to not express myself, and I want that for my kids.”

“I want my kids to be able to express themselves. What can I do?”

I thought about it, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

How many of you, if you really look at your lives, express yourselves fully?

Wear the clothes that you want to wear, tell a friend what you really think or feel, tell a client what you really think or feel, sing in the shower or at a party, just really full out express you? Think about it.

In my experience of working with people for 30 years and looking at whether or not people live true to themselves, most people say, I don’t. I hold back. I don’t say what I think, or I don’t say what I feel, or I don’t wear what I want to wear, or I don’t invite people to dinner because I’m afraid it won’t be good enough.

Underlying this pattern, just like every other pattern, are our beliefs. Our beliefs: what we think is the truth, which is what a belief is, keeps us from fully expressing ourselves.

I know that one of the greatest gifts in life is when you can fully express your truth, there’s a freedom in that, but there’s also a knowing that you can contribute, that you can make a difference in people’s lives in so many ways because if you’re expressing yourself, like in Russia, people were inspired and they want to be able to do that too, so you’re a role model.

If you express yourself, you can contribute to another human being by telling a friend they did something that hurt your feelings, or that you love them and think they’re the most wonderful people in the world, or you can dress the way you want and walk into a room and have everybody say, wow, look at that. If she can do it, I can do it.

So you create a space, not only for yourself to be free, but for others to be free, so take stock, take a look, what do I believe about myself or life that would have me not express myself?

Is it, it’s dangerous to express yourself?

Is it, the belief that I had, what makes me good enough is having other people think well of me, so you can’t express yourself, because you’re worried about what other people will think?

What are they going to think of that outfit? Or what are they going to think about what I just said? Is it your fundamental, I’m not good enough? Is it, I don’t matter? Is it, people are unsafe?

Think about what beliefs you have that are in the way, and then see if you can get rid of those beliefs. One of the ways of course is through our natural confidence program, and you can go to recreateyourlife.com and eliminate a belief for free, and see how you can get rid of the beliefs that keep you from expressing your authentic self.

See you next time.