Which are you? If you claim you are beautiful wouldn’t that sound a little conceited? If you described yourself as average isn’t that just another pigeonhole with a different name?

I bring this up because I watched an experiment where different signs were put over the doors to an office building.

The sign over one door read, “Beautiful” and the sign over the other read “Average.” If you were confronted with those two choices which door would you use?

The Three Ways We See Ourselves

Psychologists would tell you we lead three lives. There is the person we show the public. Our politically correct, don’t rock the boat persona.

Next, is the one we show to our close friends. We would have no problem laughing at, or telling an off color or racial joke among this group, but never in the first group. Oh the condemnation we would display.

Last but not least, the person we never show to anyone. The real us. The hidden us.

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

Mind Reader?

After 30 years of marriage my wife and I claim to know what each other is thinking but there are other times when our planets are in different galaxies.

Can you imagine how different our lives would be if we could actually know what others are thinking about us?

You say if I loan you $20 you’ll pay me back on Tuesday? I don’t think so. You would know you are just out $20 bucks. No payback is planned or ever was.

Imagine the nightmare of being a politician. “I promise to reduce taxes!!” — NOT.

That would sure make voting easier.

Beautiful or Average

So which of your three persona's would walk through the “beautiful” door, or would you all choose the “average” door?

Would it be up to just you, or would you be concerned about the judgment of others as to which door you select?

“What’s she doing going through the beautiful door?” “Two words honey — Jenny Craig!!”

It sounds like the “average door” would be the safest. Few people would tell you it’s the wrong door unless you’re a Miss American contestant.

Some Final Thoughts

Some of us are driven by the approval of others while less are their own person. Why do we live that way? It must drive some people crazy always seeking the approval of others.

Aren’t we all beautiful in our own way? Isn’t that what our parents always told us? How special we are?

It seems like the “beautiful” door would be a no brainer for everyone. Yet, it seems so hard for us to justify who and what we are.

We can always find fault with something when we look in the mirror.

What if we added an “ugly” door?

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