Giving Yourself Permission to Shine Brightly
Somehow we've gotten in the habit of judging how brightly we shine based on how brightly others shine back at us. If we're warmly received, we share more; if we're coldly condemned, we shut off... But only if we're being conditional about when it's appropriate to shine.
Here's an alternative approach: just shine. Share your light with the world. Share like the sun is at your back and the more transparent you are, the more light freely shines through you.
Every time I feel bold enough to be completely transparent when it would be easier to hide or blend in, I feel this tremendous energy and warmth. I feel the sun at back. I feel the Universe standing behind me as I step into a bolder version of myself. And I feel the freedom that is my birthright teeming through my veins.
You don't have to be "good enough" to shine. All light is created equal. It is only the amount of light that you allow that determines how brightly you shine. And any degree of shining is infinitely brighter than deciding to hold back.
The more you let yourself shine, the brighter your light will be. And there's no better time to start shining than now. So sing it with me!
♫ This little moment of mine, I'm gonna let it shine! Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine! ♫
A Shining Reflection
I found the message of this post incredibly simplifying. You don't have to worry about any of the things that seem important, just let yourself shine. Just take this moment to set all that other stuff aside and shine as brightly and purely as your mood allows.
I often find writing overwhelming because I'm so keenly aware of what amazing writing looks like and can often notice a wide gap between my work in progress and the work of art I'm desiring to create. I felt that overwhelm while writing this piece, so I took several time outs to stop writing and simply focus on shining. Each time I immediately lit up inside and could feel the purity and effectiveness of the message I was looking to convey.
A Shining Reminder
You are more than you know. More than you ever could know. Because your potential is infinite, and infinity is not something we can grasp, it's something that simply comes to pass. Let those possibilities unfold with an eager expectation that whatever is occurring for you is serving you like nothing else could in its place.
Judgment will often make it seem like something else is better than what we’ve got. But that’s because judgment is the opposite of shining. It casts a shadow on whatever we view and makes it seem far less than what it really is. Let go of that habit. Let your mind unwind and your pure heart shine. Let the love that is yours cast out onto the world and give life to every organic being within reach. Be the shining beacon of love that you came here to be. The more you encompass with your glow, the more you will see past your shadows and realize that everything limiting is just an opportunity for love.
Remember, you are enough. There’s no need to prove your worth. You don't need to measure yourself by today's standards. You're here to create tomorrow's standards. Shine with every lumen in your heart, and you will leave the world a better place than you found at the start.
Thanks for reading!
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Such an inspiring post, thank you so much 🙏🏻 I regularly try to act against the cultivated habit of responding to a grim face with a grimmer one and smile open heartedly at strangers who don‘t look to be that happy about their day. I almost always receive at least a slight change in their expression, sometimes even a warm smile back ☺️
Yes! Your comment reminds me of the term "non-complementary behavior" that I learned from an episode of thr Invisibilia podcast called Flip the Script
You are totally doing that and making the world a slightly better place by doing so! Good job!
Sounds interesting and makes total sense! We can enhance our connections with other people, even strangers, one smile at a time ☺️
Very uplifting post. Many will find your words of encouragement very useful. It is true that we are so conscious of our behavior among people. We are careful what we say, how we say it, how we act or look. After many years of wearing different masks just so I can meet expectations of others, I realized that authenticity is the key to happiness. The moment when stop pretending and shine brightly as you wrote, that's the moment when we will feel the real freedom. There won't be a need to impress others, only yourself. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
This is a hard habit to break. I still have relationships with people where we just interact on a surface level and I hold back saying anything that would rock the boat. Maybe this is an opportunity to change that. Especially after reading your next point...
This is so true! And even though I've thought similar thoughts before, hearing you say it just now gave me an "aha!" moment! It helped me recognize all the ways where I'm still choosing other things over simply being authentic (like it's more important to be nice, or to fit in, etc.).
Really great reminders!!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Your post was selected to be included in my "Diamond in the Rough" series. It's goal is to promote high-quality posts made by new steemians (red fish and minnow) thereby helping them get the exposure they need to grow and thrive within the Steemitverse. You may check the related post Diamonds in the Rough @sandalphon.
Really cool initiative! Thanks so much for taking the time to bring overlooked posts to light! I will try to upvote your posts as often as I can to help support what you're doing!