Trick or Treat

Trick or Treat. Dressing up as something other than yourself and wandering in the dark for treats or mischief — this is Halloween, and tonight it’s normal. Try the same thing in July or January, and you’ll likely have the police called or at least get some concerned, confused looks.

While it seems strange to dress up as someone else and knock on doors for reactions and treats, it’s not so different from what we do the other 364 days of the year — leap year notwithstanding (I haven’t forgotten about you, Hyper-Rationals and Sticklers).

Every day we move through life wearing masks of our own. In line at the store, behind the wheel, sending emails, taking calls, arguing, reacting — we slip into roles and personas that fit the moment. We’re easily ourselves around friends and loved ones when times are good. We’re who we say we are when there’s no friction, no resistance. But what happens when life throws an obstacle, when things don’t go your way, when ideas are challenged — when you are challenged? Who are you then?

A person’s mettle is revealed when heat and pressure are applied. In those moments — obstacles, setbacks, confrontations — we see the depth of Self-Mastery. Do the masks come out? Do the characters emerge from the dark? Or do you notice and course-correct, putting the costumes back on the shelf?

The more Self-Mastery we have, the more command we hold over our emotions — and the more pressure it takes to shake that control.

We all have masks on standby, different ones for different situations. The greater the resistance, the uglier the mask. Most of us slip in and out of these roles unconsciously, almost as if watching from outside ourselves — unable to stop the words, the tone, the reaction. Then afterward, we replay it, not to reflect, but to rewrite it — imagining the perfect retort, the final word that silences the other person and wins the battle.

At what cost?

If you’ve run this program and now practice Self-Mastery, you know the masks by name. You hear their voices and know their intent. You see the damage they cause to those closest to you and in everyday life. You know the stress they create, the time they waste, and the energy they drain. You can feel what it’s doing to you now — and what it will cost over time. You also know there’s another, better way, and the place that path leads instead.

Put on the mask… or don’t.

Trick or Treat.