Keep Your Light On
I caught up with an old friend a few weeks ago, and we were discussing what was new on our journeys. This friend was obviously feeling stressed about the things happening in their life. They complained, they almost cried, and they even got angry when speaking about different incidents. When it came time for me to update this friend on the great things happening in my life, I hesitated. I was reluctant to share my blessings because their life wasn’t going as they had planned, and I didn’t want to come across as bragging….especially when they felt like crap.
So after the friend calmed down, they asked me how my life was going. Instead of me saying, “Everything is beautiful, and even my so-called bad days are far from horrible.” I hit them with my generic one-liner, “Same old, same old….just grinding.” I dimmed my light so that this friend could feel comfortable in their dark moment. I walked away from that meeting mad….not at the friend, but at myself. I asked myself what made me not want to share my happiness with my friend. “Am I trying to protect their feelings? Am I scared they will envy me because of the good things happening in my life? Am I trying to fit in?” I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. All I knew was that I didn’t like the fact that I diminished myself so that another person could feel better. And in that moment of truth, I came to the conclusion that I’M TIRED OF HIDING MY BLESSINGS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS SO THAT OTHERS CAN FEEL COMFORTABLE ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR LIFE TRAJECTORY.
A few weeks ago, I was in a low creativity space so I met up with a young lady who’s a dynamic worker and as a result, a millionaire. She was talking about all the moves she was currently making, and here I was in a creative rut feeling like I was going no where….but that didn’t stop me from listening to her story and soaking up everything. After meeting with her, I called my mother to fill her in on the good time I had. I remember saying to my mother, “it felt good to just receive her energy….it motivated me to keep going.” Because this young lady didn’t hold back on sharing her blessings (even while I was in an obvious stressful state), I benefited and got the push I needed to carry on.
I truly believe that people need to see other people succeeding so that they will know it’s possible to do the same. Letting your light shine is your way of appreciating the blessings that have been given to you, and it’s also a way of encouraging others to stay the course because their time is coming as well.
Don’t ever turn your light off to match someone else’s darkness. Leave your light on because #1, you paid the bill and deserve for it to be shinning, and #2, your bright light will act as a guide….helping others to find their way back home.
