Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate

Today I saw this inspiring video by Daily Mail shared on Facebook:

…and watching it actually brought tears to my eyes.

It’s way to easy too look down on either yourself or on others; this video (and the associated article) served as a great reminder to think different.

Watching the video also brought to my mind another topic -or actually a quote- that I’ve been meaning to write about for a while now. This quote is commonly misattributed to the late South African president Nelson Mandela though it’s actually a quote from Marianne Williamson’s book A Return to Love:

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 doesn’t serve the world. There’s 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’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

The quote has been used (with slight variations) for example in several movies, including Invictus (2009) and Coach Carter (2005), both of which I would warmly recommend.

So in summary, don’t let circumstances or preconceived notions of others dictate what you can do or who you can be. You’re awesome :)

Header photo: Jeff Krause (CC BY-NC-ND)