Let your light shine!

My dear friend Linda shared this with me today. A good thing for all of us to ponder:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light 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 is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

-Marianne Williamson

Have you ever heard that before--"fear of success"? It's a hard thing to stand out. Often when others do not feel strong, they want to knock down those who do. You do, in fact, risk becoming a target when you step out of the shadows. That vulnerability can frighten us away from manifesting our best selves. How do we overcome it? The first step--and one you may have to practice repeatedly--is to simply tell yourself "Stop it!" and substitute positive thoughts for negative self talk.

If you're looking for more inspiration, check out this great About.com site full of quotations from Marianne Williamson and lots of other women.