I was talking to a friend this morning and we were discussing our insecurities about being the center of attention and having others put us there - makes us very uncomfortable! Why is that? Well, I think Marianne Williamson said it best and I want to share that insight with you...
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
When I was a child I was taught not to 'toot my own horn' as people would not like it. As a child I was told to 'be seen and not heard'. As a child I believed I was supposed to be 'humble'. Now, as an adult, I am dealing with all those 'pearls of wisdom' from my parents. 'How can I be brilliant, talented and fabulous' without offending and making everyone around me feel insecure, but most of all, 'How do I do this without those old adages playing in my head on a consistent and repetitive basis? How do I liberate myself from my own fear of being great? Byron Katie would be asking 'Who would I be without this story'? Who would I be? I would be a child of God - made in his own image and meant to shine! We were not made in the image of Jesus, Buddha or Mohammad - we were made in the image of God! What a concept - now I have to think about that on a minute by minute basis - drop the old story and replace it with new thoughts.
I copied the quote from Marianne Williamson and have placed it in front of my computer so I can read it a couple of times a day.....Change your thinking - change your life. I will work on this.
Thank you for sharing your time with me. You are appreciated.
From Me 2 You Online
Laurie
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
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This is so right on!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, Laurie. I am recalling a time in my past when I used to get so embarassed every time my Mom would meet somebody new. She always had to toot her own horn about all of her educational accomplishments. I saw it as "bragging" and I just wanted to run and hide. In retrospect, I can see that she was simply letting her "light shine". And why not? She had a lot to be proud of. She started college when I was 6 years old and went to school while taking care of our family, and then my Dad when he was struggling with cancer, having surgeries and tre3atments for six years before he died, as well as getting me ready for college and making sure I had everything I needed. To this day, at 87 years old, she is STILL a remarkable woman. She has been and still IS my best cheereader, encouraging me and supporting emotionally over the past 30 years in all the decisions and frustrations in my life. She actually has been the impetus for ME to "keep going" when it seemed like I just wanted to throw in the towel. She never once made me feel small....I often did that to myself, because I didn't want to come off as "bragging" about myself when people asked "what do you do?" I must admit, that to this day, I am reticent about giving people "my story" for fear of looking "better than them"...what a crock! This article, Laurie, has really put things in front of my face and I thank you for that! I invite and encourae others to come forward and tell us how this article has brought things up for THEM...remember, you won't be judged and juried here...we are all ONE and learning from each other. Isn't retrospection and introspection great?!
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
LJF