I recently heard a speaker talk about how many people are “walking asleep”. It reminded me of Marianne Williamson’s famous quote is about being afraid of our own brilliance:

“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.”

I think it has been especially hard for so many women to honor their light and not to worry about outshining someone else.

Here are some thoughts on how you can let your brilliance shine:

1. Accept it. Accept your greatness. Accept that you are unique, with a special talent and greatness. Name your brilliance.

As women, we have often dimmed our light, afraid to outshine someone else. But it’s not really about outshining or appearing “better than” someone else. It’s about being real and authentic and trusting that. As we allow our brilliance to shine, other people are encouraged to allow their brilliance to shine, too.

Years ago I had a dream about streetlights and how repairing them was my calling. And then I realized that streetlights do not shine alone. They are connected in networks of light. That is what happens when we let our own light shine. It ripples out and lights other lights until the whole network is brilliantly lit.

Who, if you were to allow your brilliance to shine fully, would you be lighting the path for?

2. Love it.

Remember how as a little girl you had little treasures you loved and they made you feel warm and happy inside? What if you loved the treasure that is you the same way?

You know how easy it is to fall in love with other people? (Well, some of them, anyway!). What if you loved yourself and appreciated yourself the same way? What if you embraced and cherished your gifts as the treasures they really are?

3. Play with it. Paint your life with it. You are the artist!

If you are like me, you may have had trouble setting boundaries in the past. Or you may have been afraid that you would be criticised for what you really wanted to do. And so, sometimes you got burned out or wanted to hold back.

But now there’s a better way. You are the artist, and you can play only with things you want to say YES! to.

What fun things could you do with the gifts you have been given? How do you choose to play with your brilliance?

Do you ever get writer’s block? You know, you have all these beautiful, creative, juicy ideas in your mind and as soon as you pick up your pen, they all dry up and your mind goes blank.

Have you ever noticed that some people seem to have Dreamer’s block?

Sometimes those creative, delightful, inspiring, juicy, exhilarating Dreams of youth dry up in the face of life’s obligations and “have to’s”.

And so we’ve spent too many years trying to force our big, bold, beautiful rainbow-colored Dreams into tiny, hard, drab boxes of practicality. Sometimes we forget that what the world needs is more rainbows, more greatness, more boldness and enthusiasm and Red Hot passion and laughter… and fewer (far, far fewer) little tiny dark boxes.

Those Dreams are still there! Sure, you’ve reached some already, or are well on your way. But do you have some that are still buried - buried so deep you’ve almost forgotten them? Maybe you stuck them back on the shelf, waiting for a better time.

Well, now is the time to pull them out, or maybe it’s time for NEW bold & exciting Dreams. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are, what gender or national origin. What matters is that you honor your Dreams and fan them with the flames of passion & faith.

One of my favorite stories is of a woman who, after hearing Wally “Famous Amos” speak, commented that, “If I go to law school at my age, I will be 55 when I graduate.” To which he replied, “How old will you be if you don’t go?”

On the other hand, I’ve heard of women who went to college in their 70’s and 80’s. Way to go, Red Hot Mamas!

We live in a world of tremendous possibilities. And, with the internet, it is possible to build a Dream Team with like-minded people all around the world. Love and support are there for the asking.

And so I ask you, what is your Bold Outrageous Dream? Is it big and bold and juicy enough to inspire you for the next 50 years?

Dream Big! Dream Bold! Dream Red Hot Dreams! And may all your Dreams come true, or something even better.