Problem of Hiding Your ‘Green Face'

Do you sometimes feel different—and therefore alone?

Do you try to blend in and hide your differences, your “green face”?

If so, you might be making the same mistake I once made: trying to gain acceptance by pretending to be like everybody else.

Back in 2010, I saw the musical Wicked Broadway in New York, and it left a lasting impression on me. The main character has a green face. Unsurprisingly, she stands out, feels different, and doesn’t quite belong. Without giving away the plot (there’s a movie adaptation coming), she eventually realises that instead of hiding her differences, she must bravely show who she really is.

I think this is a powerful metaphor for many of our lives—and for a mistake many of us (myself included) make.

My own “green face” at work was my enthusiasm and passion. In the early years of my career, I tried to hide it and fit in. It didn’t work. I felt different, alone, and honestly like the only one—the only crazy person. That’s truly how it felt.

But then I realised something important:

How could I ever find others with a green face if I didn’t dare to show mine?

And how could they find me?

Everything changed in 2012, when I made a simple but brave decision: just be Cami. I chose to embrace my enthusiasm instead of hiding it. And then—almost magically—things started to shift. Other “green-faced” people began to appear in my life. Opportunities showed up that were a perfect fit for me, precisely because I was being myself.

I wasn’t alone. And I definitely wasn’t the only crazy one.

I had just been hiding—and that’s why I couldn’t find my people, and they couldn’t find me.

So here’s my wish for you:

Don’t hide your true colours. Show them—and see where life takes you.

Over the past 12 years, I’ve found truly amazing, like-minded people who resonate deeply with this message. I’m profoundly grateful for every single one of them.