Masquerading as Yourself in Your Career
Saturday, October 31st, 2009
As kids, and sometimes still as adults, we dress up at Halloween in costumes and make believe we’re someone else – maybe a bold pirate, a spellbinding witch, an enchanting princess -whatever character we choose to portray, they usually have some kind of magic feel about them. We get to pretend that we’re stepping into the shoes of someone more capable or powerful than us, someone doing what we only fantasize about or enjoy play- acting like.
I remember dressing up for a school party as the Indian princess, Pocohantas, with some female traits of Hiawatha mixed in. I’d act strong and sure of myself, imagining my important job to help my people to make needed changes while having my own family.
Truth is we play many parts, including someone who regularly conjures up new connections and opportunities. Even when we’ve got the training or experience needed in our career, it sometimes seems surreal that we’re in charge of a major project, handling important responsibilities, or performing in ways that set us apart and cause others to relate to us as experts and masters in our field. Isn’t this a shared similarity with our courageously competent, imaginary selves?
Another Halloween is here, the time for acting out our childlike behavior in ways that scare us and others. But Halloween isn’t the only time we seek spine-tingling thrills. In 2008, scary films grossed $294,256,870 according to the-numbers.com. Frightening rides like rollercoasters and extreme sports are a few of the ways we scare the breath right out of ourselves. (Even yours truly foolishly accompanied my brother on his third ride on the very scary rollercoaster at California Adventure, because it was my older brother prodding me to accompany him, afterall). 
