“You put your whole Self in, you put your whole Self out, you put your whole Self in, and you shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey, and you turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about.”
Do any of you recall this tune? As a teenager, I roller skated competitively, spending a lot of time at the rink. The Hokey Pokey was one of those classic songs where upon hearing it, all the skaters immediately stopped, and we couldn’t help but perform our best rendition of the song.
Years ago, writing for a local monthly women’s magazine, this song popped into my head, and I decided to write an article featuring the whole SELF with The Hokey Pokey as the backdrop. Looking back, I find it fascinating how the word SELF was cemented into my mind even back then, and now the name of my company: The Inner Self Experience, formerly The Self Consultancy.
So I dusted off the article, tweaked it a bit, and here it is:
The Hokey Pokey’s lyrics, begin with “You put your whole self in”. I thought, well, what does that mean? To me, it means being all of who you are and not being influenced by what others think – in other words, you don’t dwarf who you are. You don’t shrink back, and you don’t play small, when you have the opportunity to play big. You aren’t influenced by other opinions of what you should do or who you should be. You turn to that “inner guidance system” we all possess and call your shots from there.
When do we actually put our whole selves in life?
I have been in situations where my “whole self” was there and shouldn’t have been. I have also played it safe and only put my “safe self” in. Isn’t life sometimes just like this tune? We put our whole self in and then something happens not to our liking, and we think (uh-oh that doesn’t feel good) so we take our whole self out again (better play it safe). We get confused and feel like our emotions are “shaking us all about”, and then we “turn ourselves around” and start it all over again.
So, what’s the message here? Our security lies within us. That means having the confidence to put your whole self in and take a risk – knowing that you will also have the confidence to leave when it no longer serves you being there.
Here’s one of my favorite sayings by Kenny Rogers: “You’ll know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.” In my own life, I’ve learned to pay attention to the clues. That’s one of the reasons why I write I my journal. I read back and see the clues. Clues to stay and clues to leave. Or clues to ride it out. Going within is where the power is. I recall a friend telling me about a bumper sticker that said: “The truth will set you free. But first it will tick you off!” Learning about yourself will allow you to be truthful to YOU.
To close with the last stanza in The Hokey Pokey…that’s what it’s all about!