Are you willing to claim your power and let your light shine?

One of the most compelling and empowering writings I’ve ever encountered is called “A Return to Love.”  While often attributed to the late Nelson Mandela, it was really Marianne Williamson, author of A Course in Miracles, who first challenged us to have the courage to step up to our true potential.  Here’s what she says:

 Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

 It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. 

We ask ourselves,

“Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” 

Actually, who are you not to be? 

You are a child of God. 

Your playing small does not serve the world. 

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that

other people won’t feel insecure around you. 

We are all meant to shine, as children do. 

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. 

It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. 

And as we let our own light shine,

 we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,

our presence automatically liberates others.

It takes courage to acknowledge and share your strengths.

I suspect that successful entrepreneurs have found a way to accept their power, their talents, even their brilliance…maybe not all the time, but more often than not.

Barely a week into a new year, many people who made New Year’s resolutions about things like eating better and exercising more have already fallen off the “live a healthier lifestyle” bandwagon, and that’s regrettable.  But perhaps even more regrettable is never having resolved to take a deep breath and claim your strengths, take the risk of letting your light blaze, and pursue success on your own terms.

It’s never too late to become the person you want to be.  Is 2014 the year you begin your transformation?

Thank you to the folks at Free HDR Photos, www.freestock.ca, for posting the sun-breaking-through image in the Creative Commons section of Flickr.

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