Who Am I to Be Brilliant...
This is one of my most favourite quotes ever by @mariannewilliamson. “Who am I to be brilliant, talented, gorgeous, fabulous?” Why are we so afraid of our brilliance? Of letting our gifts and our light shine? It’s so easy to stay small and safe and comfortable but what are we leaving on the table when we don’t live to our full potential no matter what age we are.
Our culture has very prescribed notions of age and what is acceptable for midlife and beyond. Even though we often see our brilliance and we know what we are capable of, all too often these limiting cultural beliefs are playing on a subconscious loop in the back of our minds. And without even knowing it we buy in and hold ourselves back. I just recently became aware of some places in my own life where I have been holding back and buying into preconceived limitations of age. Here’s an example. I have always been a pretty active and athletic person. I love intense physical activities - boxing, sprints, lifting heavy weights etc. About 2 years ago I had to take a fairly long hiatus from my favourite physical activities due to an illness and some physical set backs. I have recently started back on some of these activities and I have to say that it’s been a real struggle. Although I knew it was going to require effort to get back to my former glory it’s so much harder than I anticipated. This week, on a particularly difficult day I found myself saying...”You’re 52, you can’t expect to do everything you used to. Maybe you need to find something a little less challenging.” And then it hit me. Doing something “a little less challenging” is not what I want, nor is it what I believe I am capable of. What it is, is a limiting thought about what’s doable or more appropriate for a 52 year old woman. Ugh!!!! Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s going to take hard work and a bit more time to get back to where I want to be but there is absolutely no reason why I can’t do it.
That got me thinking about other places in my life where I may be holding back because of some limiting subconscious belief about my age, my stage or other things. Am I too old to change careers? Can I still learn to ride a motor cycle? Can I start a new life in a different part of the world?
Where are you letting limiting beliefs about age or life stage stop you? Where are the places that you are not shining your light? Are there things you’ve wanted for your life that you’re holding yourself back from? Whatever little light you have flickering inside you, let it shine. Let it be big and bright.... no matter how old you are!