Permission

You don’t need someone else’s. You have yours, right?

Get your hand out of the air and onto whatever wonderful creation you’re thinking about. Maybe it won’t work. Maybe nobody will like it. So what? Maybe it will be the most incredible thing you’ve ever seen. Most likely it will at least be a great first step toward something even better. How will you ever know if you don’t do it?

I have a hard time with this one sometimes. Giving myself permission. I’m pretty good at a lot of creative-type things, and yet it’s SO HARD to just smile and take a compliment. I have a great horror of the thought that people might think I’m stuck-up. And I’m afraid to stand up and shine because other people might feel bad if they’re not being as shiny at the moment.

I cringe at how incredibly silly and self-absorbed that sounds. I don’t feel bad when other people are awesome. I feel pretty great about it, actually. And I don’t think people are conceited just because they know what they’re good at. Actually, it’s WAY MORE CONCEITED to hold yourself down for fear of outshining other people. Why not give everyone else the same credit? We all get to be shiny. We’re all good at different things, and we are ALL powerfully creative even if some of us don’t always realize it. The more we let ourselves shine, grow, and excel, the happier the world becomes.

So say it with me, my lovely: Today, I am allowed to shine. Today, if someone compliments something I’ve done, I’ll share in the delight. With a huge, goofy grin on my face, I’ll hug her and say “I know, right?”  Today, nobody needs me to be small.