In my last post, I asked the question, “So, what is the risk in hiding?” The converse of this question is, “What are the benefits of being visible?” It’s an important question because it focuses us on the positive aspects of being visible, instead of only the negative aspects of hiding. As a life coach and a constantly evolving human being, I know that we are much more likely to live a fulfilled life when we not only recognize how punishing and crippling our decision to hide can be, but also how beautiful and life-affirming it is to experience visibility. And, although it is somewhat counter-intuitive, being visible is easier than hiding.

So, what are the benefits of being visible?

• When I am visible, I am much more likely to get my needs met. Having needs doesn’t mean that I become needy or demanding. It simply means that I am much less likely to ignore or set aside my needs. It shows self-compassion and self-love. In turn, by acknowledging and honoring my own needs, I am honoring being human, I am acknowledging my value in the world, and I am honoring my trust in others.

• When I am visible, I am much more likely to experience joy. Being visible means that I am open to experiencing the full throttle of life, a fuller array of possibilities and success, and the ability to make fully informed decisions. Visibility makes the experience of joy possible, whereas hiding makes joy less likely, or even impossible.

• When I am visible, I augment my value to others. By being visible, I am much more aware of my talents and strengths, and I can then choose to share them with the world. For example, when I realized my aptitude for life coaching and I was willing to embrace that, I sought out the training I needed to leverage my skills. In doing so, I can now help my clients see themselves differently and to enhance their lives. If it wasn’t for my willingness to be more visible in my own life, I wouldn’t have taken the steps to become a life coach. The process has changed my life and the lives of my clients.

There is so much more to say on this topic. Please add your Comments by completing this statement, “When I am visible…” in the Comments section.

I’m long overdue with a new article for Invisible Lives…and today I was inspired by an article I read on another website - The Power of Being Yourself on Urban Monk. I hope you’ll check out the article and really take it in. It’s well written and insightful. Simply put, the article asserts that hiding from ourselves and from others is riskier than really embracing our true selves.

So, what’s the risk in hiding? It sounds so safe, doesn’t it? Well, there is an array of risks that outshines the benefits. While the details differ from person to person, here are a few to get you thinking about it:

• When you hide, you imprison yourself within the walls of fear. You’ve lost your true freedom.

• When you hide, you create internal conflict, that can lead to discomfort and disease (think dis-ease).

• When you hide, you are giving control over to your inner critic, your saboteur, your gremlin - that inner voice that usually stems from childhood experiences of survival and is nurtured by the needy child within us who’s trying desperately to cope with the strains of adulthood. What worked to protect the child was probably an elaborate and brilliant set of defenses that no longer works in adulthood. Think about that one for a while.

• When you hide, you cheat others from getting to know you and to experience the real you.

There’s so much more to say. So, from your perspective, what are some other risks of hiding?

Check out the article, subscribe to Urban Monk, or check out the author’s own website Spiritual Blog.