Recently, as I found myself sitting in front of my laptop, tapping away at the final touches of my book proposal, I've drifted away from my usual writer's bliss and instead have been, oh you know, totally freaking out! You see, the deadline to submit the proposal to my dream publisher, Hay House, as part of the contest they're holding for participants of last April's "Writing from Your Soul" conference is quickly approaching. And, wouldn't you know, all of a sudden, my ego is totally tripping out on me! "Who would even want to read my book" "What are the odds of getting picked with over 500 others in attendance?" "I bet there are some pretty amazing book ideas out there?" As I've allowed these thoughts to creep into my brain, they have literally taken over, sucking the creativity and joy out what is usually one of my most favorite activities, writing! I even started creeping into the "Why bother?" territory. Yikes!
With just a little over a month away to finish up, fine-tune, and put my best step forward, I didn't have time for this self-sabotage crapola and needed to snap out of it, stat! Through all of my spiritual work, deep down, I know that this is just the fearful illusion of my ego, trying to keep me "safe." In reality, don't truly believe this crazy-talk deep inside. At first I thought it was fear or failure or fear of rejection. Then, I realized that it was a much deeper fear. All of a sudden, I had an a-ha moment as I heard Marianne Willamson's voice in my head with her world famous quote:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness 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's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Yes, this absolutely rings true! I was on the brink of psyching myself out into playing small. We all do this. It really is our own light that frightens us the most.
You see, all I've ever wanted to do is be a writer. When deciding what to major in college, I shied away from pursuing writing as a career because I didn't see how I could make a living at it. I chose a different path to pay my bills. But, in more recent years, I have been strongly guided towards it again. It truly feel it is my calling. I've amassed a lot of experiences and wisdom through the years in my entrepreneurial and life adventures and through my spiritual studies, which has all helped me tremendously with my own personal growth and transformation. I feel like it is my duty to share this information as I know it can help so many others as well. And, through my blogging, I've made so many beautiful connections with readers and affirmed this truth. So, I had to give myself a little Marianne Williamson-esque, "Who are you not to be a writer?"
I share this story with you because I want you to be aware of your own potential greatness! But, also to be aware of your own negative self-talk that will try so hard to snuff out your fire. You are meant to shine, baby! We all are. And by shining your light, you are helping others to do the same.
Try these four steps that I used to put a muzzle on my own negative chatter:
- Be the observer. Instead of owning these thoughts as if they came from you -- "I won't win," "I can't do it" -- take on the role of observer, as if somebody else is saying them to you. This is called separating yourself from your ego. While the ego may have good intentions of keeping us safe, instead it keeps us living in fear and not taking chances or reaching our full potential. That voice is not who we really are!
Finally, after doing all of the above, I sat down with more focus and clarity then I have had in a long time. The words just flowed out of me. I reconnected with my purpose. I might not be good at a lot of things, but writing is definitely my calling.
And, of course, this does not mean I am a shoe-in for the Hay House prize by any means. But, winning or losing this contest is not what matters most. It's about pushing through personal boundaries. And, at the end of next month, I will have a completed book proposal. Woohoo! That is a big deal for me, regardless of the outcome. I will continue to push towards my dreams, silencing my own negative chatter along the way.
What about you? Can you think of a time when you were talking yourself out of your own greatness? How did you get back on track? Have you ever missed out on an opportunity because of your own inner-critic? We can all learn from each other and would love to hear from you in the comments below!
(As originally posted on www.dawngluskin.com . For more from Dawn, please join her inspiring Facebook community and sign up for weekly love letters.)
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