“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?”
Does anyone else ask this question: “WHO AM I TO BE…? I mean, SHE is gorgeous and extremely talented. How could I ever fit into a group of such fabulous people?” I wish I could say I was completely past all of this type of thinking…truth is, that negative voice still exists in my mind. I have shared that dancing and wearing lipstick have moved me to a place where I can actually see beauty in myself, and still that snide “yeah, right…” remark is much stronger than I would like it to be… on many days, I still struggle with my selfie-confidence.
I am so inspired by the answer Marianne Williamson gives after she asks the question, “Who am I to be … gorgeous…?”
“Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.”
I believe this statement so much that it brings me to tears! I want more than anything for the belief to outshine the doubt, so the journey continues. To help me strengthen my belief, my coach, David TS Wood, came up with the “selfie challenge” as my next step. ‘Take a selfie every day for 30 days (or more, depending on the level of “selfie-confidence” at that time) and send it to me. No filter. Just you, falling madly in love with the camera and with yourself.”
I hate this challenge…which is why I know I must do it.
The thing I notice about the times when the insecurity becomes louder than my shaky new level of self-confidence is that it becomes the weakest when I begin to feel that “power beyond measure” rising up from within myself.
“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.”
So how do I become liberated from my own fear? Following my own “Five Fundamental Steps to Finding My Voice” has moved me further than anything else I have done:
V-finding Value in myself
O-being Open to learning and trying new things
I-setting an Intention to move forward and then acting on that intention
C–Clearing false beliefs and fears out of my subconsciousness by replacing them with new awareness
E-reinforce my new beliefs by Expressing them every day
All of these steps have been vital to owning and manifesting the power of God within me. Learning to Value who I am and having courage to Express myself with an audible voice are foundational cornerstones to the process. The keystone, however–the piece that fuels the fire and holds everything together is Acting with Intention! Accepting and being 100% committed to all of these silly challenges that I have been given are helping me to step out of fear and into greatness, and that is why I keep going.
SO! Back to the selfie challenge…some days it seems easy; other days I want to throw my phone across the room. Coach Wood says that’s sign that I’m getting closer and that I still have a ways to go. So, I will keep going.
It would be so much more fun, however, if others would join me!! Is anyone up for a selfie challenge? We could post them on my Facebook page– #selfieconfidence and #selfiechallenge.
What if we all start showing up with with greater confidence? Imagine the difference we could make!
