“Don't be afraid to shine. The world needs your light.”

― Timi Nadela

Are you hiding your light under that proverbial bushel? Are you afraid to be seen? Do you want to be invisible?

I’m not talking about a desire to be alone to recharge or enjoy your own company. I’m not talking about having no interest in being a public speaker or the life of the party. I’m not talking about being modest about your accomplishments or gifts. 

I’m talking about deliberately “hiding your light.”

If you’re making yourself small by shrinking into the background so others won’t see you, it’s got nothing to do with them at all. More often than not, it’s about wanting to hide from yourself. That desire to withdraw is caused by longstanding emotional pain, issues that create insecurities, a lack of confidence, or less-than-stellar self-esteem.

When you come from that place, you don’t want to see yourself because you don’t like yourself. And you can’t imagine that anyone else likes you either.

So you do your best to hide who you believe you are.

Sometimes, even if you’ve been a confident person and enjoyed a good sense of self-worth and self-esteem, you can be knocked sideways by the challenges of life. Off balance and still reeling, it can take a while to regain that former inner strength and self-assurance. You might find yourself wanting to disappear into the woodwork, hiding away while you lick your wounds and try to regain some sense of who you are again.

People might call you introverted or a loner, both of which are fine, neither of which is the reason for your hiding. As you try to be inconspicuous, you become more noticeable because your silence and unwillingness to open up are so obvious. When you’re too quiet, some people don’t know what to make of you. They might wonder if you have a problem with them or think you don’t like them. 

They find it disconcerting not to know what you’re thinking, which keeps them off balance. It creates distance, a separateness that is certainly not helpful in forming relationships. That, of course, is the whole point; there is some version of “If they knew me, they wouldn’t like me” going on.

The truth is, the more you try to hide from others, the more you are seen. You attract the very thing you fear — being pushed to come out of hiding. 

All of us are flawed and imperfect and each of us has a unique beauty that is meant to be shared. Your human imperfections are no worse than those of anyone else. It is only when you see yourself as equal to others that you can begin to feel comfortable in letting your light shine for all the world to see.

If you allow others to be imperfect; why do you not allow it in yourself, too? You must treat yourself the way you treat others. If you enjoy their light, you must allow them to enjoy yours, too.

Come out from hiding. Smile at your imperfections and if they are aspects of yourself that you can change or want to change, then change them. 

If not, accept them as a part of yourself, but don’t deprive the rest of us of seeing your beautiful spirit shining brightly as it is meant to do.

Spiritual Arts Mentor and Master Teacher, Liberty Forrest, guides you in discovering who you are, why you’re here, and how to follow that path.

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