Well, hello, my friends, and welcome to Monday and Morning Motivation with John O'Leary.

We record these each and every week to begin our days and these weeks in awe and on fire with a burst of

inspiration a day before Halloween kicks off and some of you began probably in earnest over the

weekend I do have a question for you remember those masks we used to wear in Halloween do you remember

those no not not the modern mask my children grew up wearing.

I'm referring to the old school far cheaper, far more dangerous ones.

The ones that scratched our faces with dangerously jagged edges,

had eye cutouts that never actually matched up with her eyes, remember those,

had rubber bands so cheaply fastened to the best that after maybe two or

three houses, the band would break and we'd spend the rest of the night holding a bag of candy

in one hand and our mask in the other. Do you remember those masks? This time of year, masks are

mainstream for adults and kids alike. Halloween gives us an excuse

to lean into our child like playfulness, get dressed up for a night out, and maybe be someone

radically different than we typically are. I love Halloween, and I love getting dressed up for it.

If you don't believe me, you can go to our social media feeds and check out some recent Halloween

costumes O'Leary has put on.

Here's the thing.

For many of us, masking our true selves isn't reserved for a once-in-a-year type thing.

For many of us, Halloween occurs all the time. We wear masks and

seeking approval from others. We may mold our words, our opinions, and even our appearance to

fit in with whatever room we find ourselves hanging out in. And in trying to fit in, here's the

thing, in trying to fit in, we may go along with things

...