Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented and Fabulous

“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.”

― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”

What would our life, our world, our communities look like if we all took one step toward letting our brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous selves out into the world?

As 2022 opens us into a new year, many of us are setting goals and reflecting on the lives we had in 2021.  It’s easy to get into new year’s resolutions that are incremental thinking…I want to lose 10 pounds, connect with my friends more, call my parents weekly, spend better time with my kids, etc.  These are wonderful things to put out for ourselves.  Every step forward in our journey is valuable.

I went on a retreat right at the end of 2021.  One night, we had a speaker who helped me reframe my resolutions for this year. He reminded me of the quote above.  He posed a question that I have often considered, but somehow in the context of a new year, it hit me a little differently:

                      “If you knew you only had one year to live, what would you do?”

Pause for a minute.  Don’t answer until you are really sure of your answer.  For me, things fly through my mind…it’s a long list.  Sometimes something essential comes through.  A signal in the noise.  Write that down.

Look at this truth.  What is ONE THING you can do this year toward making this vision a reality?  One step.  It doesn’t need to be the really big one.  But it must be on the path.  Promise it to yourself, deeply.

For me, following this path means letting my ideas and vision out in a more intentional, consistent, and meaningful way.  Having a clear focus on my “mission”. I’ve held so much back for years, waiting for it all to come together in some sort of unified, coherent form.  I don’t know if my ideas will help people, but I don’t want to hold them in anymore because I am afraid they might be small.  I’m even more afraid they might be BIG.  So, you get this blog post.  And, you’ll probably get quite a few more. I want to let my whole self out.

Here’s to all of us playing a little bigger in 2022…and, as importantly, here’s to encouraging more of the brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous potential in each other!