Shine A Light

In order to live a fulfilling life, we must make time to do the things that light us up, that make us feel alive, and that help us to grow our own happiness. In my life, I call these things “Fireflies“. These are the things- big or small- that grow the glow from within. These are the things that make us feel truly alive.

I have found, through working with coaching clients as well as patients in the mental health world, that people simply lose touch with what they love and what they can do to feel good.  We get so caught up in the programmed thinking patterns of lack and not being ‘good enough’ that we, in the end, just stop taking time for ourselves. I see people who focus only on making others happy, people concerned only with achieving that next goal in order to be happy, and people who just give up on happiness and slog through their life like it is something they must merely endure.

Hear me when I say this:

You were not born to endure your life.  You were not born to numbly coast, to suffer every day, or to just “get through”.

But, this is something that, when we get caught up in the day to day stress of life, we often forget. We say, “One of these days I will…” or “Someday, I am going to…”, putting off our happiness until that far off, magical day.

But, what if someday turned out to be today? What if you took just 10 minutes today to do something for yourself? How could you change your day, your relationships, your ability to handle stress, or your perspective if you made it a habit to do things that you enjoy? I promise that you can make the time in your schedule to do something for yourself. Start small- a few minutes- to begin to kindle that fire within. One firefly is small- maybe it is just a moment of focusing on something you love- and then the fireflies start to multiply as we begin to see how healthy it is for us to tap into our passions. We feel more alive and begin to spend more time on what we love and our inner light begins to grow.

Marianne Williamson talks about “plugging in” and being a lamp- allowing our light to shine forth to others to light their way. She says that as we shine our light out into the world, we give others permission to shine their lights as well.

Have you ever seen the magical beauty of a field alight with fireflies? Take a moment to imagine how our world would be different if everyone was tapped in to passion and love and light.

You want to do something to help others? Then truly live. Become alive. Shine your light. Help yourself and you will be helping those around you. Only you can give yourself the opportunity to turn on that light and shine from the inside out. Only you can do these things routinely so that they become a part of your life. Only you can make changes that will grow your health and happiness. Only you can shine your unique light. The thought of looking back at the end of my life with regret of the things I did not do scares me more than the thought of how others will react when I take the time and effort to tap in to my fireflies.

You have unique qualities and contributions to the world that no one else has or can make. Tapping in to those things that light you up will grow the good in you and in the world.

So, how do you plug in? What are you passionate about? What lights you up?

I am taking some time today to shine my light. I hope you will too.

Chat again soon,

k