Power

In my Barcelona apartment, in the breakfast nook off the kitchen, I sat and started every day with coffee and contemplation. Before I took on this great Spanish city by sea, I’d look out the windows and think about my upcoming day, my upcoming life.

One morning as I sipped my coffee, a picture frame with a quote caught my attention. I’d been thinking about similar themes and messages in my own life since arriving in Europe, so reading the following quotation struck a serious nerve and has stayed with me since.

From a speech by Nelson Mandela, written by Marianne Williamson:

“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.”

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