Does Your Light Frighten You? by da-AL

da-AL Achievement, Activism, Blogging, Bravery, Celebration, Challenge, Common Good, Decision-making, Depression, Fear, Focus, Goal-Setting, Gratitude, Happiness, Help, Identity, Joy, Kindness, Mindfulness, Motivation, Nelson Mandela, Quotations, Remembering, Self Esteem, Teachers, Uncategorized

“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.”

Marianne Williamson, activist/author of, “A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A COURSE IN MIRACLES,”
Marianne Williamson, activist/author of “A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A COURSE IN MIRACLES”– Photo by Supearnesh – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

This famous quote — which surely Williamson is proud of however zillion times it’s attributed to Nelson Mandela — reminds me of how sneaky my fear of success can be. As a kid, I worried that setting myself apart would invite criticism, jealousy, and ostracism. My ultimate goal, I was firmly instructed when my imagination soared, was predetermined. Girls must be cute and sweet so they’d be attractive to boys. Women, I was told, were born to be wives and mothers.

Fears continue to gnaw at me. Now they’re sophisticated, requiring constant vigilance to upend them. Art begs an audience. When art is personal, it’s difficult to not give a damn what others might think, not to mention how wicked my own self-doubt can be. An hour after I was awarded an Emmy, a stranger asked me how the honor felt. My reply was blather. He reminded me that I had indeed won it…

Williamson is correct to point that that being our best benefits everyone. When I’m upset about my goals, I remind myself of her wise words.

Do you ever hold yourself back?

44 thoughts on “Does Your Light Frighten You? by da-AL”

  6. Thanks for sharing!!… I hold back long enough to make sure my words or deeds do not hurt or insult someone, then I let my fingers do the walking (typing) and my heart do the talking…. 🙂

    “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” – Michel Angelo

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  7. Such an inspiring post. I’ve listened to Marianne Williamson several times (TV shows) and am so impressed by her intelligence and her ideas for making this a better country.

    I’m mostly held back by procrastination, a terrible, life long habit I should have broken decades ago. The efforts and success of others motivates me, but I’m mostly motivated by my grandchildren – I’d like them to think of me as accomplished.

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  10. Those are definitely some wise words, thank you for sharing them. I think fear can be a barrier for a lot of us, and a lot of the time we’re probably not even aware of it. Tuning in to yourself and realising that it’s fear, whether that’s of success or setting yourself apart from the crowd, is a brilliant first step to figuring out how to move past it and challenge it on a regular basis  ♥
    Caz xx

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