Beautiful soul, do you play small?

Playing small is a coping mechanism, a tool that we use, consciously or unconsciously. It Is a tool used to fit in, to be one of the crowd, and personally I am familiar with playing small to fit in, it was part of my behaviour for such a long time...

I can only teach my journey, my truth, my lens of perception, and this is what I have learned.

In my teen years, like all teens, I wanted to be part of the tribe, didn’t want to be singled out or different. When I was starting to look at going to university, I played small because I didn’t want those who weren't to feel bad, I didn’t want to be seen as bragging about my achievements and desires.  It was all ego. I didn’t want to be seen, I didn’t want to be noticed and I didn’t feel enough. It was imposter syndrome.

"When we step into our power and be ourselves unapologetically, we can be the light for others. "

There is an analogy that perfectly describes the desire to fit in and be one of the crowd, and that’s the tall poppy analogy. When the grass is cut, any poppy that stands above the grass will have its head chopped off. In this situation, only the grass survives and does well. When we have a poppy emerging, when we see someone doing well, we cut them down.

Power and success scares people. Getting slightly political here, but there is enough wealth, enough money, enough resources to allow everyone to thrive and be successful, it’s the delegation of those resources that creates a lack and the system is in desperate need of reform.

In truth there should be no scarcity, but the systems and distribution of wealth have created it, Worldwide. The people in power teach the fear that if others are abundant, then others will suffer as a consequence. This is not true, but this scarcity mindset is taught to us, and is used to keep us small. This is why we play things down. As we become the tall poppies, and develop and own our talents, grow and change, fear keeps in ... play small.

As we grow it is common for those around us to feel triggered, losing  friends is a common part of the growth process. We all grow at different paces and being triggered might be the catalyst. Many people have a talent or a dream that they want to pursue, but for the fear of being cut down, losing friends, fear of judgement and failure, they never explore that.

By ignoring our light, we make the world a darker place. When we honor, accept, and acknowledge taking pride in our light, our skills, and strengths, we provide more light and that is what the world needs right now. Imagine If all the beautiful poppies rose up together, it would only take one. When you really step into your truth, it is life changing.

When we shine, grow, and heal, when we stop playing US down and step into who we are unapologetically, we can be a light that inspires others, we create space for other souls to start their journey of growth, and then it ripples out.

A common theme over the past few blogs and podcasts that I have created, is that everything we do ripples out. If we continue to hide away and play it down, others will follow, and if we rise up and step into our light, we pave the way for others to do so too.

It is not selfish to grow, it is selfish to stay stagnant. 

This is all something that I've had to work on, I hid for so many years, because of all the reasons that you probably do, if you're still in the hiding phase or the reasons, some of the reasons that I've mentioned. Take a risk, stop caring what people think, and watch yourself grow, you deserve to live in full expression.

When you release the fear of rejection and of what people think of you, their opinion matters less and less to you, and you are no longer limited by their expectations or opinions. This will allow you to flourish and grow.

Are you ready to stop playing small? I am ready to see you shine.

Sending love,

Karen