For most of my life,
I played small.
Not because I lacked potential,
Or I didn't believe in myself,
Because I was scared of being seen.
Hey there,
Friend.
Thanks for hitting play today.
If you're ever worried about what others might think,
About looking like an imposter,
Or about not being good enough to simply take up space,
This is for you.
You see,
Playing small isn't humility.
It's self-protection.
It's how our nervous system avoids risk.
Rejection and expansion.
But the truth is,
The world doesn't benefit from you shrinking.
It doesn't benefit from you playing small.
It doesn't benefit from you not being seen.
It benefits when you shine.
So why do we do this?
Why do we play small?
What does it cost us?
And how can we start expanding again,
Without forcing it,
Without faking confidence,
And from a place of realness and authenticity?
The first insight that came to me recently is that fear often disguises itself as modesty.
We tell ourselves we're being humble,
But we're often just hiding.
Fear kind of dresses up as modesty to keep us safe,
To keep us in our comfort zone,
Safe from judgment,
Safe from failure,
Safe from falling on our faces,
But really safe from our own greatness.
It's quite paradoxical.
And I want you to think about that.
You know your gifts.
I firmly believe you know what your gifts are.
Where are you downplaying them?
Under the disguise of modesty.
Where do you downplay and dim your light under the label of being realistic?
Let's face it.
How many times have you told yourself when it comes to a goal,
Or taking a chance,
Or stepping up,
I can't do that.
That's not realistic.
Or maybe someone else told you once,
You need to be realistic.
But what is realistic?
What does that actually even mean to be realistic?
You ask me,
That's just a story.
What we define as realistic is just a story we tell ourselves.
And maybe that story was modeled to us maybe that story is an unconscious programming.
Or again,
Maybe that's just an excuse covering up that fear of being seen.
And that's the next insight I wanted to share.
We don't realize it,
But all of this points to we are fighting for our limitations.
Unconsciously.
We get so used to playing small,
We just keep sticking to the same script.
But when you defend your excuses,
You get to keep them.
I'm not ready.
It's not the right time.
I'm just not that type of person.
Every defense you make is a declaration of identity.
Every time you defend,
You are cementing more of the person you're being.
Really what it comes down to.
I did a video recently about how we are so prone to arguing for our old self.
For the self we're ready to outgrow.
For the self we've been ready to leave behind.
Yet we still find ourselves defending that old self.
Protecting it.
Arguing for it.
But the moment you stop arguing for your limits,
Life can finally show you a bigger version of yourself.
Sometimes we just need to get out of our own way and simply let go of the stories.
And not do anything else really.
What if you don't really have to make any significant changes to your life or who you are except letting go of the stories so life can show you something different?
Because if you keep replaying that same story over and over again about your limitations,
You're going to get more of the same.
You're going to keep playing small.
You're going to keep shrinking.
You're going to keep hiding yourself.
You're going to keep downplaying your gifts and your greatness.
That's just what you're going to experience in life.
And this is not just some law of attraction thing.
It's really the basics of reality.
Of perception.
You get a reflection of who you are being in reality,
In life.
How you experience reality is based on your level of consciousness.
Reality is a mirror.
And the universe doesn't really play favorites.
And this leads to the last insight I wanted to share.
Perhaps the universe,
Maybe that divine intelligence,
Maybe the universe wants you to be expanded.
Maybe the universe wants you to thrive.
Maybe the universe has your back.
Maybe it wants you to shine your light,
Not just for you,
But for everyone and everything you'll touch.
Because when you shine,
You activate permission in others.
You inspire other people.
You light up their gifts.
So playing small isn't just self-denial or a way of sabotaging yourself.
It's also withholding your medicine from the world.
Think about it.
The world does need more people to share their gifts,
To share their light.
The world needs more conscious people to go big,
To step up,
To raise the consciousness of others,
To help awaken more people on this planet.
So if it's safe to do so right now,
I invite you to close your eyes for a few seconds and ask,
Where in my life am I still playing small?
Where in my life am I dimming my light?
What would it feel like to expand,
Even by just one percent?
What if I did that today?
What is one tiny step,
One tiny choice you can make to expand by one percent today?
Breathe into that space and anchor this in.
You don't need the perfect plan.
You just need to make a choice.
You need the intention.
Because the universe responds to intention,
Not perfection.
It responds to those who want to play bigger.
So as I close out on this message,
I want to share with you one of my favorite sayings from the great mystic poet Rumi.
Stop acting so small.
You are the universe in ecstatic motion.
Much love.
I'll talk to you soon.
