Don't Hide Your Light

[Lin Neiswender]

From the Daily Om, www.dailyom.com, words of wisdom concerning the gifts that we all possess...


July 27, 2009
Seeing Your Perfection
Letting Your Light Shine

We are each born into this world with unique gifts. Within us is a glimmer of the divine, a light that can potentially make the world a more beautiful place. But in many, that light lies dormant, snuffed out by fears and feelings of inadequacy. To spark it is to attract attention, face the possibility of rejection or the responsibility of success, and risk being labeled immodest. Yet when we undermine the light by hiding our aptitudes and quashing our dreams, we deny ourselves and others a wealth of experiences. Your abilities are a part of who you are and when you take pride in them, you affirm the love, esteem, and trust with which you view yourself. Moreover, as you express the light within, you grant others permission to do the same, freeing them to explore their own talents.

For some, we are taught to hide our light from the world since childhood. Relatives caution us that the professions associated with our aptitudes are unattainable. Our peers may be envious of our skills and thus overly critical of the activities we instinctively enjoy. And authority figures admonish us to be humble and avoid showing off. But there is a vast chasm that separates those who let their light shine and those who seek only to draw attention to themselves. When you dare to share your light with the world, the beauty and perfection of your soul become clearly visible. You become a whole being—the literal embodiment of your vast potential. Whether you are a wonderful dancer, a first-rate cook, quick with numbers, or a natural negotiator, you’ll come to understand that you do the world no favors when you hold yourself back.

If you have hidden your light for so long that it has shrunk to an ember, make a list of everything you do well, however impractical, silly, or seemingly inconsequential. Then ask yourself how you can positively utilize those abilities in your daily life. The gifts you were born with were not granted to you arbitrarily. While you may never discover what impact your light has had on others, you can be certain that when you embrace your talents and share them with others, you will spread illumination in the world.

[Francine]

Thanks Lin. I love the "Daily OM' but haven't been receiving it lately.. THis is a good reminder to all of us, as we do those daily mondane things. Its important to be true to self, and be who we are... Its a challenge for sure, after being told all our lives to "tone it down".. or "don't share that, they will think you are odd"... or " why would you say that...don't you just think you're all that"... There are so many times we're told to 'settle down' and not be ourselves, and yet, what this world really neds is exactly that...that we be 'all' of it...not just little parts at different times.

[Lin Neiswender]

Thanks for sharing that Francine. It's a good reminder for us to be ourselves and share that with the world- it makes the world a richer place!

[Jean]

Beautiful, Lin! Thank you so much for sharing this! I was one of those who was brought up to be seen and not heard, so I've really had to work at "letting my light shine." Your reading reminds me of the quote by Marianne Williamson, from her book A Return to Love:

“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.”

Yea! for all of us who are shining our light and being exactly who we were created to be!!!

[Lin Neiswender]

Wonderful quote Jean! Goes right along with the article. Shine on!

[Ang Monsoon]

hi all,

I watched a tv programme on Lord Byron, the poet, last night (bit of an eye-opener for me) as I didn't know much about him or his poems. Anyhows, it was mentioned that the character of Byron appears in Tennessee Williams' play "Camino Real" and in it he has the lines:

"Make journeys. Attempt them. There's nothing else."

I scribbled it down as I liked it....and I thought you might like it too...so here it is.

The tv programme was: "The Scandalous Adventures of Lord Byron" - part 1, part 2 not yet shown. I've no idea whether you can access British tv programmes.

[Lin Neiswender]

Kewl Angie. Always thought Byron was an interesting character, rather full of himself though.