“Don’t be afraid to show your light. If it ends up being too much for people, tell them to wear sunglasses!” Gabrielle Roth
Has anyone ever accused you of being too intense, too sensitive, too dramatic? How about too sassy? Did you know that such judgments say more about the person saying them than about you? Something in them shuts down in the face of your expression of you, and it is not your problem.
I love this quote by Howard Thurman, the African-American author, philosopher, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Indeed, the world needs more and more fully alive and awake human beings who are willing to allow the creative impulse in them to express itself fully.
What stops us? My grandson who is almost 3 doesn’t hold back. One of my sisters who is intellectually challenged doesn’t hold back. There is no self-consciousness yet! There is still innocence and the ability to extend pure aliveness into the each moment.
The definition of self-consciousness is when a person is overly concerned about his own actions and appearance and with what others think of him. Being self-conscious totally limits your ability to be fully present and enjoy the moment, or to be attuned to others, as you are caught up in an auto-drama that projects your own critical feelings about yourself onto others, and then reacts to what you have imagined as judgment and disdain. 
The opposite of innocence isn’t maturity, but bitterness – no longer seeing with fresh eyes, but through the lens of fear and disappointment—fear of being fully yourself, while at the same time feeling disappointment that you don’t have the courage to be your true self. We can be mature and innocent at the same time, combining wisdom and joy in all we do.
May I surrender self-consciousness to become conscious of the beauty and power of my true Self.
May I have the courage to be fully lit.
May I feel the joy of sharing my light with others.
