Like many people growing up, I played the hide and seek game. I can remember watching my friend close her eyes and start counting out loud as we all scattered, hoping to find that one place where, no matter how hard the seeker looked, we would not be found.
We would peek out of our hiding place every now and then, just to see if the seeker was getting closer. If so, we hunched down more, hold our breath, we make sure that while they may get close, we would never be seen.
As adults, I think some of us are still playing that childhood game.
Just about everyone has heard the quote by Marianne Williamson, later repeated by Nelson Mandela:
Our deepest 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.
This quote is all about coming out of hiding.
But many of us are still playing small. We are hiding behind our fears, frustrations, past hurts, and unfulfilled hopes and dreams. Some are hiding behind their careers, while others are hiding in relationships that no longer serve them. Still, some of us are hiding behind the “talk” of achieving certain goals, but ultimately having no action to go along with the words.
We hide because we are afraid of being “found out”. What if I am not good enough? What if I fail? What will people think? What if it doesn’t work out?
We roll these questions around in our head over and over again, shrinking further and further into ourselves – making it harder and harder for the “seeker” to find us.
But what if we are good enough. What if we don’t fail? What if it works out? What if, by stepping out of our hiding place, we change the world?
The biggest travesty in that is that the “seeker” desperately needs you. You were designed to help, empower, influence, support and lead them. The seekers are searching for you….waiting for you…needing you…to come out of hiding so that they, and the world , can experience your gifts and talents.
Today is the day to allow yourself to come out of hiding. Show the world your greatness and amaze us with your gifts.
| RADICAL Success Coach Doreen Rainey helps her clients define success for themselves and then get the guts to go after it. For information on a unique, structured coaching program with training, Q&A, masterminds, and retreats, visit her RADICAL Success Coaching Programs page. |
About Doreen
I would also add that many times we simply want to stay in our comfort zone. Its more comfortable to stay in the job you know inside and out instead of branching out to enhance your skills by doing something different, it is more comfortable to sleep in until your normal wake up time instead of getting up an hour earlier and getting to the gym, its more comfortable to do what we are used to doing instead of stepping out into the unknown. It takes courage, discipline and perseverance! Nice post!