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.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you.
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
We heard this poem from a basketball movie. A coach says it to his players. My son always remembers it.
I love it, and yet, I am not sure I understand it.
I feel it. Not that I am "powerful beyond measure" but that I have so much that I want to offer, and I feel an urgency, and possibly a fear, of not delivering on my potential, on my promise.
I have always felt that if anything, I am afraid of failure, not success. And, that still feels more accurate.
And, as I watch my life, I see myself also shy away from my strengths. I want to constantly underplay the things that go well. I want to understate the things that work.
I do that because I embrace that "success" and life itself happens in moments, and I don't want to take credit for a sustained success that hasn't happened...
And yet, I see my life, and I am proud of it... if I allow myself to reflect and own it.
I am proud of all of it... not that I would do it all the same, because I know better now, but I accept that I did what I could, with what I had and who I was at the time.
I don't know if I buy into that my greatest fear is my light...
And, yet, I don't know...
But, I like to think about, "what if it is?" "What if I accept that as the truth for a moment, and chose not to be afraid of my own light, my own power?"
"How would I show up differently in the world?"
Maybe fear is fear... and it doesn't matter where it comes from, when you operate with fear it slows you down, it makes you cautious in ways you should not be...
Maybe fear itself keeps us from being the ultimate version of ourselves.
... of that I am convinced...
So maybe whether it's fear of our own light, or of darkness, the resulting behavior is the same.
In any case... I love the sentiment, and I deeply believe that we are ALL powerful beyond measure. I believe in the truth that we all are blessed with AMAZING light.
True to me, I love what this poem says to the WHOLE WORLD. And, I believe it for the world. I see GREATNESS in everyone, tucked under our insecurities, our fears, our shields.
I see the LIGHT in everyone, shining like the sun behind a closed door... and I try, all the time... or at least I think I do, to open the door... to let the light shine as bright as possible...
What is your deepest fear?
Is your door open?
Is your light blazing through?
stop resisting...
stop holding back...
unleash the GIANT within you...
in harmony,
Nestor