Sing it, Mavis! What?! You don't know who Mavis Staples is?! For shame! Well this is a great new rocking song to get you introduced to this famous long-time R&B and gospel singer and civil rights activist. Mmm! Love me some Mavis!

I looked in the mirror, and what did I see?
A brand new image of the same old me
Oh but now I wonder why should I be surprised

Chorus:
I like the things about me
I like the things about me
I like the things about me
I like the things about me that I once despised

There was a time I wished my hair was fine
And I can remember when I wished my lips were thin,
Oh but now I wonder why should I be surprised

Chorus

Makes no difference now ya'll how you may feel
I done reached the point where I wanna be real
I’m tired of living, living in disguise

Chorus 3x

Rock Therapy Lessons from This Song

Here's my take on the therapy part of this rocking tune:

Develop a kind friendship with you."I like the things about me I once despised." Folks, you're gonna spend more time with yourself than any other person on the planet—makes sense to not only make peace with yourself, but to develop a kickin' friendship with self.... Loving self is not the same as narcissism. It can be a humble, grateful appreciation for the wonder of you based on patient compassion for your weaknesses.

Compare not!"There was a time I wished..." Not only can you NOT be like someone else, you SHOULD NOT be like someone else. There is only one you in the entire history of this amazing world. Unique. Distinct. Comparing is just reverse judging, and it is just as bad. As Christ said, "Judge not." I add to that, "Compare not." Don't try to be more like someone else. Try to be more like you.

My favorite illustration of this is by Rabbi Zusya, an early Hasidic master, who had his own version of Shakespeare's "To thine own self be true." "When I die," he stated, "God will not inquire of me, 'Why were you not more like Moses?' But God will ask, 'Why were you not more like Zusya?'"

You be you. "I’m tired of living, living in disguise." One of the great thrills of my job is when I see the masks come off of my clients as they come into their own power. They used to think that the masks of false self, defense mechanisms, posturing, pretending, and hiding all somehow protected them—and they did, to a point. However, more often than not, those masks shackled them. To see a person, sadly sometimes through deep hardship, shed those false masks of "self" and come into their own to become as awesome as they are is an amazing and awe-inspiring privilege to be a part of.

Listen to more resiliency-based rock songs in the Rock Therapy section:

See more resiliency-based songs of all genres at my "Musical First Aid Kit" collection: