Sunday, April 5, 2009

It Wasn't Really Nelson Mandela

The originator of this quote, that is. But he used it in his innagural speech. It's really from Marianne Williamson. Either way, this is one of my all time favorite quotes.

Go ahead. Read it.

“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.”
I love this quote. Especially the last part. It's so true.
I'm not feeling well tonight and thus, am really struggling to form fluent thoughts. Let me try to illustrate.
Sweet P is beautiful. She especially has these striking blue eyes. Everywhere we go people tell her how beautiful she is. Now, if a stranger walked up to me and told me I was beautiful, I would laugh awkwardly and mumble a 'thank you' as I walked away embarrassed. Sweet P's response? A huge smile and a proud "Thank you!" Sometimes she even says, "I know. This self-assuredness makes people smile, but no one is disapproving. I love it. I'm trying to figure out how to make it permanent. Because she is beautiful.
I think the best way to do that is to change myself. People also frequently comment that Sweet P looks exactly like me. So, the best way to teach her to continue to shine unabashedly is to do that myself.
Remember when we talked about receiving compliments? Even though my example is kind of along those lines, what I'm trying to say really goes beyond that. It's about believing in who you are--whether other people notice or not. If you truly know who you are and believe in your own worth, then joy will just come naturally.
Okay, maybe I will try to leave a comment with more succinct thoughts later in the week. I hope you get the idea. Basically, I just want to discuss this quote with you. Please share your thoughts and feelings about it. How do you think you can let your light shine? Have you ever known someone who does? Has that liberated you to do the same? How can you help the people around you to do so?

5 comments:

Kristen said...

I think if you are confident as a person and who you are then you bring a power to yourself. If you are always worried about what others think of you then sometimes I think you tend to live in the shadows and not enjoy life. Believe in yourself and be proud of who you are is the key.

Amy said...

I think about the whole world really living by this quote, and that would be amazing. Everyone would be so much happier, and more positive things would happen in the world. But then I think about myself living it and get really scared-even while at the same time I know it'd make me happier and be a better person.

Meg said...

You might want to change the "rally" in the title to "really". :) Also, I love this blog. It's so true. We just need to have positive beliefs about ourselves, and then it's easier to believe it when someone else says it. But the trick is REALLY believing it. :) Also, can I be a guest blogger next next week? I'll be busy doing a term paper until then, but after that I have something really good I want to share. I love you!

Cheryl said...

There's a new comment on "When Life Gives You Lemons".

Thanks for the insights! I've never thought about the whole world living this way. That WOULD be awesome!

Liz said...

I'm so glad I checked out this post today. Definitely something I needed to read. I think sometimes people are afraid to seem cocky but there is definitely a way to be confident and believing in yourself without being cocky. It's also so hard not to get wrapped up in the competitiveness of the world but if people would just believe in their own worth, they would be happy with themselves and not worry where they stand in the eyes of others. Also, it seems so many times people look for negatives in others to feel better about themselves. But that doesn't really work. It's so true what a difference it would make in the world if everyone saw the good in themselves because then they wouldn't feel the need to look for the negative in others.