Are You Still Wearing Your Medieval Armor?

Here we are again, ready to dig into the messy, beautiful work of becoming more ourselves. This week, we will start at the Outer Skin—that tough, often unsightly layer that's basically a suit of armor we've been wearing to a pillow fight. It’s the emotional equivalent of strapping on medieval chainmail just to grab coffee. Sure, it's overkill, but hey, it’s all I've known and lived with for this long, right?

Our Emotional Kevlar

Your outer skin developed with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker and the subtlety of a raging bull. Somewhere between your first school crush rejection (thanks, Elizabeth!), saying "orgasm" instead of "organism" in high school science class (true story!), and that one relative's "passive-aggressive" observations, your psyche decided it needed backup.

This isn't a character flaw—it's pure survival gangster. Your nervous system saw the world's input (critical parents, judgmental peers, some freaking strangers, that relative) and thought, "You know what? Let me build this thick-ass armor." You built it thick, sourced from every awkward interaction, every moment you felt "too much," "not enough," or worse, "not loved."

The Armor Collection: A Personal Museum of Self-Defense

We all curate our own private collection of protective gear. There's the Perfectionist's Breastplate (can't be criticized if nothing's imperfect!) – yeah, I still deal with that one. The Sarcasm Shield (deflecting vulnerability since forever) – man, did I live here. Still strong, just a little more calculated. And the classic People-Pleaser's Cloak of Invisibility (if everyone likes me, no one can hurt me, right?) – I was here for WAY too long.

My personal favorite? The "Busy Badge of Honor"—that frantic energy screaming, "I'm too important/overwhelmed/need to keep learning/make money, and I just can't stop and feel things right now." It's like emotional Teflon, paired with an epoxy complex that aims to fix it all.

Picture this: You're at a networking event, full emotional arsenal on. Someone approaches with genuine interest, and suddenly you're a medieval knight trying to sip your drink—it pours right through the chainmail. The armor meant to protect now blocks the human connection you actually need.

The Plot Twist: Your Armor Has an Expiration Date

Here's where it gets interesting —that protective skin that saved you from ridicule and helped you survive the social minefield of middle school, high school, your 20s, 30s, 40s, and even your 50s... is it still serving you today? It might be the very thing keeping you from the life you actually want now. It's like still using training wheels on a kid's bike at 35—it's rolling and those knees are high, but you can see you're limiting your range.

The peeling irony is that the armor we built to keep us safe often becomes the prison that keeps us small. We get so good at protecting ourselves that we forget what we were protecting in the first place.

The Dig: Excavating Your Protective Layers

Let's begin the deep peel. Grab a pen and paper or your notes (or just your thoughts) and prepare for some serious self-assessment on those layers.

The Protective Skin Inventory:

• Name Your Armor: What strategies do you deploy? (Class clown? Workaholic escape? Perpetual helper?)
• Identify Your Triggers: When does the armor come on strongest? (Family dinners? Reviews? Dating?)
• Acknowledge the Service: How has this protection helped you? (Because it has—give credit where it's due.)
• Imagine the Alternative: What might be possible if you loosened one buckle? What connections might deepen?

The Paradox of Protection

The most profound realization in this layer-peeling business is that true protection often comes from the courage to drop our guard and simply be real. When we stop performing invulnerability, we discover actual strength. When we quit trying to be perfect, we finally, comfortably, and without shame start being real, and it's such a relief.

It's not about stripping naked in a snowstorm. It's about becoming conscious of when you're suiting up and asking: "Is this armor serving the situation, or just reminding me I have armor on again?"

Your Weekly Assignment: Observe Your Armor (No Jousting Required)

This week's mission—Notice one protective pattern in action. Don't fix it—just observe it.

You can either approach it like a curious social media stalker examining their target, except the target is your own live avatar (yourself).

Or, you can simply notice that moment when you catch yourself thinking, "Fack! There I go again, deflecting with humor when asked how I'm really doing."

That tiny moment of awareness? Your first step to loosening the armor. No need to ditch the whole suit yet! Lift the visor, loosen a gauntlet. Open that chest plate and let that hairy chest breathe! Baby steps to being gloriously, imperfectly human.

Ready for your armor assessment? Dive into the Protective Skin Inventory above. Share insights with a trusted soul. Or forward this to someone ready for less clanking.

Next week, we dive deeper—it gets messier, and more beautiful. Seriously, what did I get myself into? These aren't easy. Until then, remember that armor was designed by a younger, vulnerable you, doing their best. Give them some grace.

"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." —Oscar Wilde

Being Coached Layers: The Quest for Your Authentic Core

This week, after I shared our deep dive into the armor we all wear, Dr. Goodman offered some profound insights. Here's his take on the journey to uncovering our true selves:

"This week, we're talking about the profound quest for authenticity – the challenge of deciding which authentic self you truly mean to be. Is it the school you, the work you, or the unvarnished you, right here, right now?

It's about taking the courageous risk to reveal your true self, not the carefully curated version. What happens when you peel back that outer layer and dare to be truly you?

The first thing you'll discover is, you didn't die! Then, you'll realize you can't 'get it wrong' because it's simply your authentic self. The paradox is that maintaining this authenticity takes practice; it's about continuously shedding layers of that protective armor, and yes, it's scary. You don't overcome the fear; you feel it and choose to act anyway. In doing so, you discover you have a fundamental choice: 'Flee Everything And Run,' or 'Face Everything And Rise' to the occasion."

Bookshelf Peeled - The Danger of Our Inner Fortresses

I read this a while ago, and I remembered a powerful concept from Robert Greene's "The 48 Laws of Power." A quick lookup confirmed it was Law 18: "Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself—Isolation Is Dangerous." This powerful lesson resonates deeply with the core of The Rebel Onion —just as an onion's tough outer skin protects but also conceals, our emotional armor, built for safety, can unwittingly become our prison. This seemingly impenetrable "outer skin" often pushes away the very connection and authentic growth we crave, keeping our true selves hidden. Don't let your fortress of defense isolate your vibrant core.

A short blurb blending the concepts: Much like an onion's tough outer skin, our emotional armor is often built for protection, yet it can unwittingly become a prison. This "outer skin," designed to shield, ultimately keeps our authentic core hidden, preventing the very connection and growth we crave.

Design Rebel: Your Weekly Dose of Visual Unlayering

This week's art piece, "Unlayering The Throne —Martin Snow Style," was inspired by prompting on Leonardo.ai, and after many trials, I liked this one. I edited it in Wondershare, added the effects, and did a funny rendition (or I just think I'm funny) in my own voice-over on "In a world..."—a voice inspired by my one of my favorite old-school comedians, Pablo Francisco. The voice says: "In a world armored with layers, one Rebel Onion cries... 'No more!' 'Tis time to peel to the core of who I truly am! The REBEL ONION! ONION! ONION! (echoes)." And damn, I did a good echo at the end.

Weekly Inspired Insights I liked this week:

My intrusive algorithm popped up this video. I'm a fan of a lot of Gary V's insight, and this was fitting for this week's theme. Some good nuggets in here.

P.S. If this resonates, you know what to do—share it with someone who might need permission to take off their armor for a moment. We're all in this beautifully messy experiment of being human together.