"I had to be on all the time" said the business owner coming back from his team retreat.
"I was one person in the presentation, another with the senior team, and someone else during social time. Keeping track of what I was supposed to say was draining."
Sounds like a normal founder experience.
But it's hiding a bigger problem.
Most people hide behind masks. They have layers. They think they have to be someone different at work, at home, in the gym. They show different parts of themselves throughout the day. They hide what doesn't align.
What if that's making you tired?
Thinking before you speak becomes exhausting. Considering who you are before you show up takes mental energy.
Before you engage. Before you present. Thinking. Overthinking.
At some point, you need rest. "Butter stretched over too much bread," as Bilbo Baggins said. Unsustainable. Unfulfilling.
There's another way.
Remove the layers, take off the mask. Show up as the real you in every scenario. Full alignment. Being totally you.
No exceptions. No audience that could censor your realness.
Test it out, try it on. Say what you think, the moment it comes into your head. You might love this way of being. You might wonder why you didn't do it before.
Your team wants to see your personality. Your gym friends want to hear about your work. Don't change your colours for other people.
There is only one you.
Be more of it.
