Session Twelve Worksheet:
Getting Un-Thrust

Objective:
Unlearn binary indoctrination that breeds conformity.

Pivot toward Real.

Rethink It:
Move from Binary to Real

We’re all riders on the storm, thrust into this world with a matrix in our hands. Our identities are complex, but we’re heaped into either/or binary categories. We’re forced to cram our real selves into the footnotes of our lives, instead of allowing our many dimensions to be integrated fully within our stories. There’s little air to breathe in closets, and our best move is to rethink real and break free from forced “becomings” that aren’t honest.

Conformity Check

• What has been expected of me just because of social norms?
• What tends to surprise people once they get to know me?
• What aspects of my identity do I want to be recognized?
• What parts of outward appearance frustrate me or create false impressions?
• How much do I conform to social norms and roles?
• What types of positives and negatives result?

Rethink It:
Move from Conformity to Real

Do we really want to live our lives hiding our footnotes in the margins of our lives, instead of allowing us our rightful place to be the main characters in our own stories? Will we spend our time editing ourselves to make for a more polished version of the story, or will we allow ourselves the lead roles in our lives, our full selves, within our rightful places front and center?

Action Steps: Pinpoint Opportunities for
Getting Unthrust and Breaking Out

1. Begin a new role. Pretend you just swallowed an honest pill—one that makes you very direct. What would you say to your partner? Your boss? Yourself? Friends? Family? What are your hidden truths? What causes you to keep them in the footnotes of your story, instead of fully stepping into the main character role in your life?

2. Check out your birthday. What did your birthday map consist of? What expectations, because of sex, family status, or other circumstances, were thrust upon you? What choices were you given? Since then, what have you held on to, and what have you changed?

3. Listen. Play Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” What does it bring to mind? Do you feel the sense of empowerment she emanates? What steps have you taken to embrace your varied sides? What needs to happen next?

4. Find fellow nonconformists. Breaking out is hard to do. With whom can you link arms in your journey of unbecoming and finding the real? What people have shown unconditional love and support of your variances, rather than criticizing them? Do you need the anchor of additional people to help you become more unthrust? Text or call someone today to set up a time to unpack some of what you have learned from this session.