Dimming your light...

On my way home from work one day while my son was away at college, I got the urge to give him a call. Now, there’s nothing unusual about this, I, from time to time, get these little urges and just happen to act on them. After the usual pleasantries, the conversation made the turn of me attempting to drop a little wisdom, to encourage him to continue seeking his dreams and to know everything happens for a reason and in its on time. During this “pep talk” about life, I made a statement that he asked me to repeat for him again. And that statement was, “never dim your light in order for someone else to feel comfortable in their own insecurities.” After about 10 more minutes of “teaching”, I’m finally let in on the fact that this whole conversation was being broadcasted over one of his live webcasts! After the conversation was over, I received accolades from as far as London! lol

Every now and again I get to thinking about that statement which seemed to have come from somewhere deep within me…”Never dim your light in order for someone else to feel comfortable in their own insecurities.” So many of us do this without even realizing it’s being done. How many times have you purposely faded into the background so someone else could have the spotlight? I’m not talking about giving someone else a chance to shine…I’m talking about purposely dimming or downplaying your strengths because someone else hasn’t done what they needed to do to be their best.

I’ve been in a position where I would dress down because I didn’t want the people I was going to be with to feel threatened by my “light”! Or while walking in a crowded area I’d purposely avoid looking at the male half of a couple because I didn’t want the female half to feel threatened. And I’m not even talking about staring or gawking, I’m talking about the simple act of taking in the scenery while walking amongst a crowd! Is it my fault if she’s so insecure in her relationship that I should alter the actions that give me pleasure, such as people watching? I think not.

Shifting your way of thinking on this subject will come with some fallout, trust me! Since I’ve learned to embrace and shine all the goodness and talents the good Lord has blessed me with, there has surely brought about some sourness from some of the folks who were just fine with me being their shadow…but one step towards the light of being an equal hero or, heaven forbids, the main attraction, and the hate comes out full force! But like I said earlier, everything happens for a reason and in its own time. This “coming out” is the perfect tool to use when deciding who to cut out of your life when you decide to start building a more positive alliance in your life.

When you surround yourself with people who are comfortable with themselves, who can shine their own light without fear or insecurity, then you can continue to shine unabatedly, thus allowing a sustained growth in your life and the purpose for which you were put here on this earth.

Shine on, I say! ...Shine on!!