It's Time to SOAR!

My entire life I have been told to stop shining so brightly because my light made others appear dim in comparison. I was told to bring myself down, to allow others to look better. To dim my light to allow others to shine. It's literally been my entire life.

I've been told:

•    That I show too much emotion and I needed to hold in the feelings because it makes others uncomfortable
•    That my smile was too big and too broad
•    That I was too enthusiastic
•    That I was too outgoing
•    That I was too peppy
•    That I was too positive
•    That I was too friendly
•    That I was too happy
•    That I was too kind
•    That I was too "good" and therefore made others look mediocre or bad in comparison
•    That I was too smart and made others feel insecure
•    That I was too confident and made others feel uncomfortable
•    That I was too present and aware and it was unnerving
The list goes on and on.

I was told instead to:
•    Engage in gossip to "blend in" and talk badly about others
•    To pretend to be dumber than I am and hide my own intelligence, including in written and spoken word
•    To lie
•    To smile less
•    To drink more alcohol
•    To act meaner
•    To bring me down to their level so that others would have the opportunity to shine without feeling insecure
•    To hide my confidence
•    To act smaller
•    To hide my light!

And, after 20+ years of being told to make myself small, it is finally time to make myself BIG!!!!!

It is not my job to make someone else feel a certain way. If I make you insecure, that is ON YOU. If I make you uncomfortable, that is ON YOU. It is not my job to hide my light so that you can pretend that you are shining yours.

It is my job to be fully and authentically me. To bravely continue with confidence, with feeling, with sparkle. Because the world is full enough with smallness, falseness, pretend. And I do not want to add more fakeness to the world. I do not want to live my life wearing a mask of mediocrity.  I want to show what true vulnerability looks like. I want to show what true joy looks like. I want to show what true sorrow looks like. I want to show what true authenticity looks like. I want to show up and be real--with all that that entails in each and every single moment of my life.

So I'm writing this. To tell all of you. All of you who feel as though you've been told to act as though you are less than you are.

STOP LETTING SMALL PEOPLE KEEP YOU LOW.

Show up. Be brave. And keep on going.

If you're being told to change. To be smaller. To dim your light. That is a sign you need to keep going. To shine more brightly than ever before.

So I am going to smile. I'm going to be positive. I'm going to be enthusiastic. I'm going to be intelligent.  I'm going to show my feelings in the present moment. I'm going to be confidently M-E. I'm going to be better than "good." I'm going to be great. Because greatness takes courage. Greatness takes playing BIG. 

Don't let others keep you little. When you are told to go low, that is the moment when you need to decide to fly high.

Are you ready to soar with me?