Recently, I was talking to someone, and I found myself adapting to where they are on their journey by very subtly omitting certain things from my story and highlighting others. I instantly heard Marianne Williamson whisper into my ear: “Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.” I still play small, I still shrink in order not to loose friends and alienate people. But it doesn’t feel good anymore. There has to be a middle way that honors everyone involved.
The time has come to let go of my past, to stop referring to it. As much as it has made me into who I am today, it is irrelevant to my becoming. Once I stop mentioning it, it can no longer serve as a shield, as an excuse. On the love ladder there is no room for anything that isn’t rooted in love. If I want to go up, I have to let go of lack and limitation. The method I will use is the simplest I can think of, and a very effective one at that. I used it to radically alter my thinking and my self-talk. Anything I say has to be in the direction of my becoming. If I cannot think of anything that expresses love, abundance, or potential, I will choose to respond neutrally or not. I will become conscious of what is going on on the inside, and address that instead of giving advice or sharing my expertise. I will become aware of the fear-based habits and reactions that emerge, and let them go instead of expressing them. I choose to be focused in the NOW, to be all that I AM, in this moment and every moment on.
Picture by Felipe Daniel Reis