Exposing Yourself

Friends often tell me that what I’ve been writing on this blog is too “personal”, that it would be better not to say certain things and that what I say could get me into trouble.

We are taught to be private, not to discuss our feelings in public and to hold back if our views could collide with the opinions of somebody else.

I had a lot of help overcoming these ideas. The many years I spent on the couch doing group therapy taught me to say what I have to say, not to be ashamed and how good it feels to be honest. Many times I talked about very personal things “in public” even if that only meant having one other person in the group. I learned to be straightforward in public, to cry in public and to be vulnerable in public.

How can we as the human species develop if we can’t be honest to each other? How can we grow if we are afraid to express what we have to say? How will anything ever change if we don’t expose who we really are? Has hiding and holding back ever changed anything?

I was hiding and holding back for most of my life. During that time nothing changed. I had a hard time making money, did not date, had very little fun and was not doing what I came here to do, take pictures and be creative.

Today I am exposing who I am. I do it very publicly on the World Wide Web. Being honest about myself has made my life a more full experience, has taken care of most of my problems and draws people to me who love and respect me for who I am.

I believe firmly that this is possible for anybody who chooses to do the same.

"Exposing Yourself" Manhattan/New York City/Time Warner Building 07-19-08 at 04:32 PM

Please check out my website at carstenfleck.com