Couldn’t be better.

Good.

Fantastic.

Fine.

Wonderful.

These and more are the responses you’ll get most often when you ask the question, How’s it going?

Welcome to the masquerade party.

The party where so many are wearing masks because they fear being vulnerable. They fear being judged or ridiculed. They fear what you might think of them.

So, how do you get past the mask to the real person?

You take off your own mask.

You share what you’re going through. You share your hardships, your struggles, your story, and you reveal your humanity. You expose your own vulnerabilities.

This doesn’t mean you walk around sharing and telling all your deepest darkest fears and secrets to everyone, but it does mean that when appropriate, you share.

The more you interact with people, the more you’ll realize that so many lives are being held together with duct tape and prayers. And behind the thin veneer of the, I’m fine and things are good responses, people are experiencing some of the same concerns as you, and much more.

Masquerade parties can be fun, but after some time, all the masks and not knowing who’s behind them get old and tiring. Eventually, you’re ready to take off your mask and see who’s behind all the other masks, but no one wants to go first. No one wants to be the first one not wearing a mask.

The same holds true in life. If you don’t occasionally take off your mask, you won’t create a safe space for the other person to take off their mask either, thereby limiting the opportunity for you both to form a meaningful connection.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, don’t keep it secret – share it with one person you love