This Little Light of Mine, in 2016

I'm gonna let it shine.

♥

There's a song we used to sing in Sunday school when we were kids. It's a catchy little tune, and one that has stayed with me through the years and I sing it softly to myself from time to time. It might seem odd, but until recently, I hadn't recognized the depth of its meaning for me.

Last year during a yoga workshop, my teacher mentioned this song and how as humans we tend to keep our light dim. We turn our volume down. We mute ourselves. We don't mean to, really. It's just that allowing our light to shine brightly - allowing ourselves to really be seen and heard - wreaks of vulnerability and let's face it, that can be really scary for some of us.

When we allow our light to shine, we invite vulnerability into the mix. When we make ourselves more visible, we invite others to take a good look and - here's where it gets tricky for me - we become a prime target for others to judge our intentions.

What will people think of me? Am I worthy? What if they don't like me? What if I say the wrong thing? Where's that damn dimmer switch?

Maybe it's my generation - plus many generations of women before me - who were raised with our dimmer switch dialed down just a bit. You know the one? The one that teaches us to "Be seen, not heard," "Don't stand out," "Good girls are humble and sweet and quiet and accommodating," "Good girls don't..."

You get the idea. Dim that light, little sister!

Over the past couple of years as I have moved through yoga teacher training, I have been pushed out of my dim little corner (read: comfort zone!!!) many, many times. Funny that for years I had imagined myself leading yoga classes, but when it came down to actually standing up in front of people and doing just that? Scary!!!

But you see, that's the trade off. Dimming my light no longer serves me because if I keep it undercover, it limits my ability to share the benefits of yoga with others. Keeping yoga all to myself is not an option now. I want to shout from the mountaintops how amazing it is!!!

Whoa.

Hold on there... From a mountaintop?!?! That would make me a giant beacon of light and I'm only just now learning how to light up a room. ~sigh~ See there? I almost accidentally shined super bright and then out of habit, I dimmed by the time I typed the next paragraph!

Shining our light is an ongoing process. It's a process of knowing how to shine brightly without blinding others. It's a process of coming to terms with vulnerability and the fact that we will never have control over what others think. It's a process of leading with our hearts and believing that there is value in what we have to share. It's coming to terms with knowing that others might misunderstand us from time to time - that we are human and will trip at times and feel uncomfortably vulnerable. It's a process of striking a match again and again after the winds of vulnerability snuff out our flame. Shining is an ongoing process.

And so in this new year I have chosen SHINE as my word of focus. I'll let my light shine with the deep understanding that it's what I am meant to do in this lifetime. Keeping the dimmer switch dialed down no longer serves me because...

"As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence actually liberates others." ~ Marianne Williamson

This little light of mine. I'm gonna shine.

Let it shine.

Let it shine.

Let it shine.

♥