We have been encouraged not to succeed — way too often — by our society, our peers, our parents and ourselves. The democratic template has cranked out a lot of same-think, an overage of standardized emoting, too many chain-restaurant personalities. Our own dear peers have themselves under-confimed us for fear that we would rise above them. Our own parents — those over-clapping, under-raving family fans — have pinned us to overly safe and sappy schemas of success. Even our faith has sometimes been a smack back with a rule sack and mega-moralized attack.
And then there are our own sad self-judgements, our own lists of our omissions, wantings, failures and weaknesses. The diaries of our dreams have too often gathered dust in boxes under our well-made beds. We have risen up; we have raised up, and we have grown up and sold our ourselves too short, crafted our psyches too small and made our images too tiny. We have miniaturized our souls by the habitual false humilities, proudful self-negations and insecure self-critiques. “I feel there is something special in me, but I am so …” and then follow the piled layers of self-criticism, the suffrocating toppings of self-doubt, the backward, crab-like scuttlings of self-hatred and self-assassination.
We need a dose of Marianne Williamson:
it is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
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 and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
And “playing small” doesn’t serve you or God well either. Wise, happy, godly living is found in being all that we really are, perfect and not perfect. It is our mandate to be as light and big and bright and powerful and fun and creative and free and happy and successful at life and love and doing good as God planned us to be — planned for us even before the creation of the stars, our sun and our lovely planet. We were meant to be, all that, whether other people confirm or compliment of encourage that or not.
I beg you all, for everyone’s sake, for God sake, for your sake and for the sake of all the people who need you, walk out more, step out of your fearful self, be who you were made to be — shine, laugh, jump around, dance, throw up your hands, toss your personality into the air, release your gifts into the sky and watch the world sparkle as good rains down though the sun-lit present on you and all you love.
Thrive! 