April 30, 2022
“You are the light of the world. A
town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put
it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to
everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:14-16 NIV
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| Don't underestimate the the need of shining! |
When I started teaching, I was very intentional about sharing inspirational quotes to inspire my students to be great. One of the poems I used was Marianne Williamson’s "Our Deepest Fear." One of the parts I appreciate are the lines stating “You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the World. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won’t feel unsure around you.” Some people can't handle the greatness some people are bringing to the table. Those who cannot handle the greatness near them have often operated in mediocrity for so long, seeing/experiencing greatness is overwhelming. When I first started walking into my purpose, I would try to reduce the skills and vision I brought to my employment. I tried to stand out. I thought I was being helpful. Truth is, I was not helping anyone using this tactic. My Sunshine recently reminded me that's NOT what we do! She told me our family does not shy away from standing out. We let our lights shine!
If people can't handle your light, don't
shine less! Those haters just better get used to it! Dimming your light for
others is problematic. When we do, we are denying opportunities to thrive.
People who are great didn't start that way. They built on the good of their
talents until they became great. When we dim our light, we are denying
ourselves future opportunities. Protecting egos of your haters that you work
with does not help them learn how to remove Haterade from their diet. It also
doesn't help others who need your talents or get noticed by those who have the
willingness to help you develop your talents.
It's OK to recognize your place of work may
not be for you. You don't have to be the good soldier and endure indefinitely.
You don’t need to feel guilty if you have to find another place to shine, even
if it means creating the space so that the new place can exist. Some people
believe pandemic is waning in the United States. Even if that's true, we are
still experiencing side effects. One of the effects is the great resignation.
The great resignation refers to people in
various work industries who decided to retire and/or find a new (and
better) employment opportunity. The great resignation was a good wake-up call
for many people. It gave many people the green light to chuck the deuces to
their employers and embrace the idea their worth needs to be validated. And if
their current place of employment was going to recognize their greatness, then
some people found different employers. Others got really adventurous and
started their own businesses. What will you do with this wake-up
call?! jpg.jpg)
Sometimes you are the only light around.
My time is now! Your time is now! It’s not
time to stand down any longer. The world needs your greatness! Do not miss the
opportunity to stand out. Whatever option you pursue, ignore the haters, and
get ready to light up the world! It’s GO-TIME!!!
-Elgrie J
