DanaAtkin

A chameleon is recognised for it’s unique ability to blend into its surroundings. It is a natural survival skill of the creature. As human beings, we see this quality as a benefit. The ability to adapt to any environment and blend in can be useful in many situations but does it do more harm than good?

I personally have been a chameleon for most of my life, ever since I can remember I have blended into the crowd, taking on their qualities. A fun crowd? I’m a fun person. A quiet, subdued crowd? I’m a subdued person.

It was only recently that I discovered that what I thought was a great tool; a unique skill to have was in fact holding me back. It was keeping me invisible and It was helping me to play small. It was a disguise for fear.

If a chameleon changes it’s self to blend in for survival, then what am I trying to survive? What is the benefit of blending in? As it turns out, for me, this was about not being judged for being my true self. I had a limiting belief in my subconscious form early childhood that was on repeat in my mind when it came to crowds which said, “I can’t be myself and be accepted”. Whoa! So instead of being my authentic self, I would become someone else entirely just to be accepted. I was trying to survive judgment and non-acceptance.

As a Kinesiologist, I have had many sessions around the issue of judgment and I am always helping people to understand that it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about you. What they think about you is their own “stuff” coming out of them. It has nothing to do with you. So it was nice to understand what this feels like at a really deep level that actually spanned essentially my entire life!

Two points here:

We are all human. Even your practitioners are human – they have sore muscles, nutrition imbalances, out worn belief patterns to work through. No one is immune to upgrade.

Being our authentic self makes us more powerful within ourselves. It means we can work towards honoring our self, honoring what we desire, what we feel, what we value. And in doing so, we can let go of the “chameleon effect” because when we honor our authentic self, there’s no need to disguise because the power that comes from authenticity is second to none.

Ask yourself, where am I being a chameleon? What am I trying to survive in that space / situation? How can I be more myself and feel safe next time?

Find little ways to be more you. Add make up, add a piece of jewellery that says “this is who I am”, keep a crystal in your pocket as a reminder to be more open about who you really are. Little steps will add up and before you know it, you’ll have dropped that disguise and the chameleon effect.