Putting My Face On – Weston Jolly Ep.82

[00:51]

Why Is It We Put on Different Faces?

Putting my face on. If you’re a woman, you know exactly what this means. However, if you’re a man, you might not realize that “putting my face on” refers to applying makeup. Isn’t it fascinating that putting on a face is something we all do? Not necessarily makeup, but a face. Everyone wants to put their best face forward. The young want to appear mature; the old want to look young. We are obsessed with looking good. It’s obvious, but you might be too close to the situation to notice. Let me illustrate. Imagine you’re on vacation, out to dinner with family or friends. I’m your waiter, and someone hands me a phone, asking if I’ll take your picture. I gather everyone, compose the shot with attention to lighting and background, making sure everyone looks their best, and take the photo. Then I say, “I’ve got it,” and hand the camera back. What’s the first thing you do? You can’t help yourself.

[02:24]

Saving Face At The Car Wash

You’re staring at yourself, checking if your eyes are open or closed, if there’s spinach stuck in your teeth, or if you look silly. Maybe you’re worried your neck looks like a turkey. The list goes on. It can be hard to see your inner uniqueness if you’re used to putting on a face. Let me share a personal story. Last Sunday, I asked my wife if I could take her car to get it washed. I thought it was a nice gesture, though I admit I’m obsessed with her car being clean. I took her car to the car wash—she has a membership—so I went into the “members only” lane. There were only a couple of cars ahead, and some behind. I’m familiar with her car, which has an automatic windshield wiper feature: when the windshield gets wet, the wipers come on automatically.

[03:46]

When Putting Your Face On Goes Bad

I knew this, but I felt a bit nervous as I waited my turn as the next car to enter the car wash. I couldn’t quite remember how to turn off the automatic windshield wipers. The car wash attendant, clearly familiar with this feature, sprayed my windshield first. As soon as he did, my wipers, as I feared, automatically engaged. Instinctively, I put my foot on the brake —remember, we’re on a moving track— as I tried twisting and turning the right-hand knob to turn off the automatic wipers. The attendant kept spraying the windshield while I desperately fiddled with the controls, trying to stop the wipers. I felt stressed and anxious, but nothing worked. With no other option, the attendant pressed a red button to stop the car wash, setting off a loud buzzer that alerted everyone in the area that the car wash was down.

[05:08]

What’s the Real Problem?

It was my fault. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw a long line of cars behind me. I tried even harder to turn off the wipers, but with no luck. Finally, as I was about to enter the car wash, another attendant motioned for me to roll down my window and said, “Turn off your automatic windshield wipers.” I won’t repeat what I was thinking in that moment. I replied, “I’m trying, but I don’t know how!” as he continued spraying the windshield and the wipers kept going. Then he suggested I lift the lever up a notch. I did, and the problem was solved. Looking in the mirror, I saw the line was even longer. I was nervous but relieved the issue was fixed. The car wash alarm sounded again, letting everyone know the wash was about to start.

[06:36]

Trying to Save Face After the Incident

As my car was pulled into the first stage of the car wash, I couldn’t believe how anxious I felt about causing such a commotion. I glanced in the rearview mirror again to see how many people were behind me, telling myself it didn’t matter what others thought. Hidden in the car wash, I was overwhelmed with embarrassment. When I reached the end, hearing the air blow-drying the car, I felt some relief and reminded myself that I probably wasn’t the first to have this issue. Pulling out, I made a U-turn to find a stall to dry and vacuum the car, and I ending up parking right next to the front of the car wash —the very spot where my problems began. Now I could really see how backed up the line was because of me.

[07:50]

If I Didn’t Hear the Alarm the First Time I Did the Second

Trying not to attract any more attention, I grabbed my towels to dry the car. As I leaned down, over the front grill, to dry the front bumper, the key fob in my pocket got caught and set off the car’s emergency alarm, creating a loud beeping noise. I jumped, trying to figure out what happened, and then I realized the fob was in my pocket. With wet hands, I struggled to reach into my dry pockets and find the right button. The fob is square with tiny buttons, which are not much bigger than on an iPhone. The car alarm kept going, and I couldn’t tell which button would turn it off, so I pressed them all.

[08:49]

Reflections on Being Seen – Even When the Alarms Go Off

The same attendant who helped with my automatic wipers was standing six or eight feet away. The car alarm finally stopped, and I finished drying the car as quickly as possible. Everything I did was an attempt to save face, but it didn’t work. If you’re a woman, you might start your day by washing your face and putting on makeup. If you’re a man, you’re probably putting on a face too, just without makeup. We all do it, just like we look at ourselves in photos to make sure we look good. What I’m saying is, we all put on a face. Well, not everyone. When Susan Boyle first sang “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Misérables on Britain’s Got Talent, she didn’t put on a face. She came on stage, told everyone she was 47, unemployed, never married, and had never been kissed.

[10:13]

Susan Boyle and the Power of Not Wearing a Face

Then she sang. Twenty-six million people watched that audition. Her dream of becoming a singer came true with her first album selling ten million copies, and she recorded eight more albums. If you’re wondering how, Susan’s success came from not putting on a face. My car wash wake-up call made me look at myself differently. Metaphysically, something was going on. The car wash, the alarms, the horns, and the attention I drew —what is this message? It’s ironic, symbolic, and even humorous that it took a car wash for me to see myself more clearly. Maybe the car wash was helping me remove my makeup. I find words—and the energy behind them—fascinating. Right now, I’m thinking about the phrase “makeup.” This reminds me of another story from college. I missed a class and called a classmate from the lobby of a girls’ dorm to ask for her notes. We sat together every day in business school, but she wasn’t enthusiastic and sighed saying, “I just took off my makeup.”

[11:55]

Caught Looking at Only the makeup

I said, “I don’t care,” and I kept pleading for her notes for the next day’s test. She finally agreed as she said she’d be down in the lobby in a minute. I sat in the corner of the all-girl dormitory lobby, absent-mindedly watching people come and go. Then a girl walked up, handed me some papers, and said, “Here you go.” I didn’t recognize her and I finally said, “…Sheila?” She frowned, turned around, and walked away in a huff. I begged for forgiveness, but it was clear I was like all the other guys who thought Sheila didn’t wear that much makeup. Nothing had really changed —she was still herself— but something had changed within me. I hadn’t taken the time to really see Sheila without her face on, and it was I who was embarrassed. After a few humble apologies, Sheila forgave me, and we became even better friends. Do we need to present ourselves in a made-up fashion? After my recent car wash fiasco, I decided to open up even more to what else I might be making up. So, I decided to channel about it.

[13:35]

Channeling:

As you look through a dark glass, your vision is obscured. Once the dark lens is removed, you can see clearly. There are many layers you use to protect your sense of self. For example, when you look in the mirror, you wonder, “Who am I?” But really, you’re thinking about how you want to present yourself. It may never occur to you that the reflection isn’t really you. The essence of who you are is found in your energy, your light, and your vibrations. To see yourself, you must look beyond the external mirror. Nothing is more beautiful than recognizing your true essence. Let it be shared this way: as you see yourself, so you are. When you truly desire to see, it’s not about your reflection —it’s about your essence. Recognizing your essence is a beautiful acknowledgment.

[15:15] A mirror, like an SLR camera, can only capture parts of your true self. To be seen, you must first recognize who you really are. This goes far beyond the external. Most people are raised to search for their abilities and to express such gifts, but these are just a part of who you are. Outward expressions give an incomplete view of your inner self. Yet, these reflections are magnified by how often you express your gifts. All of it is meant to reflect the Divine within, but everyone is too busy presenting themselves rather than seeing themselves as they truly are. External expression becomes a way of identifying with who you think you are. This isn’t wrong, but these manifestations are often out of proportion to the whole self. Remember: as you see yourself, so you are.

[16:54] A carpenter may see themself as valuable because of their ability to make beautiful things from wood. If you limit yourself to the external, you’re limited to the image in the mirror and you’ll miss your authentic being. To break free, you must recognize that you aren’t the mirror —the mirror is just a reflection of your true essence. When you see your shadow, you’re trying to recognize something, but what? Your shadow, the lake’s reflection, the reflection offered by a mirror, or within the sound of your voice… this is all represented by your temporary body. This is true when you write as well. Writing offers a reflection of who you are, but it’s only a reflection —it’s just a tiny piece of the real you. To see your True Self, you must go beyond these breadcrumb-like reflections. You must see the whole.

[18:21] Seeing your whole self isn’t limited to the positive image in a photo, which is created by the negative film. This duality is easy to get caught up in, but you need to go beyond it. Instead of seeing yourself as separate and alone, you must see beyond physical representations of your body, voice, and tangible being —and tap into your essence. As your essence is revealed, you are free to go beyond recreating these external things. Engage fully in reclaiming all that you are. We encourage this transformation.

“Putting My Face On,”

Is summary of Putting My Face On, consider these points:

1.) Understand the limits of perception and self-image: External focus obscures your deeper, more authentic essence.

2.) The distinction between external manifestations, appearances, talents and roles, and the inner essence of a person: The true self is found in the energy, Light, and vibrations that underlie our being, qualities that can’t captured by mirrors, reflections, or even outward expressions in totality.

3.) Identifying with achievements or social roles is limiting and incomplete: At best this is a small shadow of your True Self.

4.) Going beyond duality: Recognize the unity of the self with the greater whole. True self-knowledge can’t come from external validation or reflection, but it only can come from an inward discovery of one’s true essence.

5.) Transformation and authenticity: The ultimate invitation is to see and to accept oneself fully beyond physical and social constructs, and to reclaim the wholeness of one’s being. When you choose this, you are given a deeper knowledge of your True Self.

As you see yourself, so you are…

And so is your connection to the Divine.