Are you sparkling?

I recently started a new job that has little to do with teaching and everything to do with speed and skills I don't yet possess. I have been working nine hour days non-stop and coming home exhausted. So when they announced a late night staff meeting I was less than pleased. But I am incredibly grateful that I went.

Before this meeting I was unfamiliar with the book The Big Moo by Seth Godin. The speaker summarized it and introduced the basic idea of recognizing what makes yourself remarkable and striving to become something more than average. He said that everyone these days has settled for cynicism, criticism, and sarcasm. You are not expected to be happy, or even allowed to be happy without having to explain yourself to someone else.

The man spoke of a lamp, you know one of those old ones that has three settings; dim, light, and bright. My grandmother used to have one of these lamps in her TV room and I remember playing with it often as a child.

He asked us to think of this lamp and judge for ourself at what level we were currently shinning. Were we dim, light, or bright?  Take a second and think to yourself. 

Are you shining your brightest?

He then asked us to explain why we were not shinning our brightest everyday.

Exhaustion was brought up and quickly dismissed. The more you serve others and shine the happier you become. (This is where I thought of the old adage "Fake it till you make it.")  

Guilt came up next. "I don't shine because I don't want others to be upset." I have done this before. I have dimmed myself down to the level my friends. The speaker said that this is not acceptable. You must avoid the joy suckers. 

Worry and fear came up last. I am one of the biggest worry warts you will ever meet in your life. I am constantly worrying about what other people will do or say. It is a stressful existence. He challenged me and everyone at the meeting to let go of fear and use this time to practice on all the people who come into our establishment. He challenged us to shine and bring others higher.

I have been trying to shine for the past couple of days. It has been a little difficult. Especially with the migraines I keep getting. But I have also seen a difference in myself and in the people around me. An older gentleman said I sparkled! I joked with the people around me and I enjoyed my work.

This quote keeps repeating itself in my head:

"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." - Marianne Williamson

If you are interested in a free poster of this quote I made a couple to share. It is very simple. Print it on yellow paper and you are good to go. :) Or splurge and print one of the colored versions.

Just click HERE.

PS Have I told you how much I love Dropbox?