Playing Small? Why?

Do you feel powerful?  If you did, what would that feel like?  What would you do differently? Do you know how powerful you actually are? First off, what do I mean by powerful? I believe that inherent in our being is a creator. We are the creator of our lives. We are at cause. We get to decide what we do, how we do it, where we do it and with whom. And if we end up in a situation that isn’t exactly what we planned or we aren’t happy with, we get to change it. That kind of Power.

You may wonder that if we created something how can we be unhappy with it? We did the best we could at the time with what we had to work with. Things change, we change, and what is important to us morphs over time. It’s ok to create something, realize that wasn’t exactly what we wanted, and change it. We get to create again.

Why are we not living the lives we envision for ourselves? The ones we allow ourselves to dream about in our safe places. Whatever that dream is to you, it is your dream. Honor that. I do. So, why don’t we allow ourselves to dream? I think it’s mostly because we don’t believe we have what we dream about. Because we limit ourselves with outside influencers such as money, time, other people, the economy, etc. Because there are internal influencers like lack of self worth, limited beliefs, all manner of stinkin’ thinkin’. Is it possible that deep down we could be afraid that we may actually get what we dream about? Then what?  

There’s a Marianne Williamson poem called ‘Our Greatest Fear’. The premise is that we are not afraid of our darkness, or that we are inadequate. Our greatest fear is that we are ‘powerful beyond measure’. That we are actually afraid of our power. Does that maybe answer the question that, if we are all that, why do we play small. Is it maybe to make those around us comfortable? We don’t want others to feel insecure!  Or are we just blaming them so we don’t have to work so hard.

I believe that if we’re trying to be something we’re not, we’re being inauthentic. In this case we’re playing small when we’ve got so much to offer.  It’s like jumping up in the air and trying not to let gravity pull you down.  It’s much more work to try to be something that we are not!

I admit, getting real with with this idea could be a tough one. But I encourage you to ask yourself the tough questions. Start with, do I have what I really want, and if not, why not. And just keep asking again and again until you hit a nerve. That’s the sign that you are facing your truth.  It could be the start of something slightly unnerving, a little scary, and ultimately amazingly beautiful and completely freeing.

Just sayin’