Yesterday, I talked about CLAIMING YOUR PASSION and doing what you love BECAUSE YOU LOVE IT.
I talked about feeling the freedom to try anything, and asked WHY NOT start doing the things that bring you the MOST JOY, SATISFACTION, and FULFILLMENT?
And these ideas brought to mind a few quotes I wanted to offer you for consideration. Well, apparently the quotes open a small can of worms regarding what actually was said, and who said it. Which distracts from my point, anyway, so I’m just striding forward, hoping you will dig my intent.
The first quote is by Marianne Williamson—“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 doesn’t serve the world. There’s 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’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
The second quote is often attributed to Gandhi, but apparently there’s debate whether he said this exact statement—“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Setting aside any debate over who said what, I wonder if these ideas hit you like they do me. These statements ring of deep truth to me—that we have power, ownership, leadership, and responsibility.
And, I see these truths dovetailing with the realization that we are ABLE to do THE THING THAT WE ARE CALLED TO DO.
To me, these truths take my inquiry, “…Why not start?” and raise the stakes, amplify the call to—how can you NOT fulfill your purpose?
There’s another reason I wished to share these quotes with you, though. These quotes are well known, and they’ve inspired many people, myself included.
As I share them with you today, I want to draw your attention to what these statements do NOT say.
At least as I see it, nowhere do these statements claim that you have to do this work—SHINING YOUR LIGHT and BEING THE CHANGE—all by yourself.
In fact, I would argue that it is part of your power, ownership, leadership, and responsibility to do ALL that you need to do to ANSWER YOUR CALL.
Because, how’s it going to settle for you at the end of things, if your answer for whether you did everything you could to SHINE YOUR LIGHT and BE THE CHANGE is, “Well, I couldn’t figure out how to do it on my own, and I didn’t dare ask for help”?
This frame of mind brings me to a final quote, attributed to Margaret Mead but also disputed—“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Doing anything and everything to FULFILL YOUR PURPOSE means EVERYTHING. And, if part of your purpose is to help elevate and heal the world, and I believe it is, EVERYTHING includes reaching outside your ego and your comfort zone to connect with others, to participate in community, and to REACH YOUR GREATEST POTENTIAL.
Are you trying EVERYTHING? Are you READY?
Recent Comments