Exposed

Today, in the interest of Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You, I chose to go to work without any makeup. For some women this is nothing. For others, it's a very big deal. I fall in the latter category. I don't necessarily wear a lot of makeup, but I almost always leave the house wearing some, even if that "some" is just (at least!) mascara.

And I have never gone to work without makeup. Part of it has to do with vanity/self-consciousness and part of it has to do with wanting to be taken seriously since everyone thinks I'm younger than my 30 years. 

But today, I felt the fear and did it anyway. I went to work - on a day full of care conferences - without a bit makeup.

I felt awful as I left the house, exposed as I entered my workplace, and self-conscious as talked with people. But as the day wore on, I a) began to forget I wasn't wearing any makeup, b) felt pretty much the same as when I do wear makeup, and c) really didn't even care! 

Feeling vulnerable and exposed isn't a bad thing. It pushes us and teaches us. And it doesn't have to be a big thing. We can start small and work our way up to bigger things. Every challenge in fear I face won't be put on this blog. Some are internal and others are external. Some are private and others are public. Some are small and others are big. But the ones that are worth sharing will be shared. And these mini-adventures have nothing to do with life after death... just LIFE.