“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. 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 were all meant to shine as children do. 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.”**
This quote has been like an old friend since I came across it. Someone who’s there to listen and offer a clear reflection, not judgment. Whenever I read this wisdom I feel better and back on track.
These past few days I feel like I’ve been trying to shine but have been running into a wall over and over again and smashing my headlight in the process. My head hurts from doing so. It’s an Aries thing so says Meg. Anyway I’ve been trying so hard to be that light, to shine in my interactions with my world. It’s been a struggle to not react to the situations that have been showing up in my life recently. It is mostly work related (ok all work related) but it is so hard to peel off the work veneer when I am running my own business and it consumes so much of my energy. Thank god for Bodhi. For a few minutes at lunch or at dinner I can connect with his world and his light and it’s truly freeing.
And even in the tremendous stress of the past week (ok months) there have been moments that have surprised me. Having a chance encounter with a client that our relationship ended badly (money owed/work incomplete with lawyers involved). Seeing him with his young son at the lumberyard and shaking his hand while agreeing that we wished things had gone differently and feeling no animosity at all. That was the light. Or having a client meeting with a couple who questioned a subcontractor’s bill and things had gotten very tense for the past month. In the meeting I was amazed at the level of honesty and responsibility that was communicated. I couldn’t help but feel encouraged by humanity through these encounters.
And yet it was the humanity within me that moved me most. The old me in the past would have harbored the “need to be right” or pent up anger and a sense of injustice. It’s so easy to be relaxed and confident when things are going well, when the economy is humming along and fear around money is less prevalent. What amazed me was the light that shined through those interactions reflected a place in me where I too can let go of anger or fear or judgment. Where I too can be powerful and not flee from that power. It’s like the power of a small child playing with their world with complete abandon and being totally present.
What I’ve been missing while ramming my head repeatedly into hard objects was the opportunity that exists in each moment. To let go of what happened an hour ago, or what will happen next week. To be present in each moment, in a way that feels good to me. To keep choosing to be in that light of the authenticity of who I really am. Of whom we all are. Right now’s the time, don’t you agree?
It’s crunch time.
Thanks for reading.
Getting that headlight repaired,
J
** This quote has been attributed to various people so I’d like to say thank you to whoever did first say it.
This quote has been like an old friend since I came across it. Someone who’s there to listen and offer a clear reflection, not judgment. Whenever I read this wisdom I feel better and back on track.
These past few days I feel like I’ve been trying to shine but have been running into a wall over and over again and smashing my headlight in the process. My head hurts from doing so. It’s an Aries thing so says Meg. Anyway I’ve been trying so hard to be that light, to shine in my interactions with my world. It’s been a struggle to not react to the situations that have been showing up in my life recently. It is mostly work related (ok all work related) but it is so hard to peel off the work veneer when I am running my own business and it consumes so much of my energy. Thank god for Bodhi. For a few minutes at lunch or at dinner I can connect with his world and his light and it’s truly freeing.
And even in the tremendous stress of the past week (ok months) there have been moments that have surprised me. Having a chance encounter with a client that our relationship ended badly (money owed/work incomplete with lawyers involved). Seeing him with his young son at the lumberyard and shaking his hand while agreeing that we wished things had gone differently and feeling no animosity at all. That was the light. Or having a client meeting with a couple who questioned a subcontractor’s bill and things had gotten very tense for the past month. In the meeting I was amazed at the level of honesty and responsibility that was communicated. I couldn’t help but feel encouraged by humanity through these encounters.
And yet it was the humanity within me that moved me most. The old me in the past would have harbored the “need to be right” or pent up anger and a sense of injustice. It’s so easy to be relaxed and confident when things are going well, when the economy is humming along and fear around money is less prevalent. What amazed me was the light that shined through those interactions reflected a place in me where I too can let go of anger or fear or judgment. Where I too can be powerful and not flee from that power. It’s like the power of a small child playing with their world with complete abandon and being totally present.
What I’ve been missing while ramming my head repeatedly into hard objects was the opportunity that exists in each moment. To let go of what happened an hour ago, or what will happen next week. To be present in each moment, in a way that feels good to me. To keep choosing to be in that light of the authenticity of who I really am. Of whom we all are. Right now’s the time, don’t you agree?
It’s crunch time.
Thanks for reading.
Getting that headlight repaired,
J
** This quote has been attributed to various people so I’d like to say thank you to whoever did first say it.
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