“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.” – Marianne Williams, A Return to Love
- Do you worry you don’t know everything and therefore clients won’t hire you?
- Or worse, do you let self-doubt convince you clients shouldn’t hire you?
- Do you sometimes feel like a fraud, attributing your successes to luck?
If so, you probably think your fear of being inadequate is holding you back. But what if your fear of failing isn’t really the thing keeping you from stepping into your power?
What if your biggest fear isn’t what you think?
What if I told you stepping into your power has less to do with the things you lack and more about the things you’re great at? Seems backward, doesn’t it?
Believe it or not, your skills and talents might be the things keeping you from stepping into your power and moving beyond fear.
What if your thoughts of not being good enough were the “easier” fears to deal with? If there is such a thing as an easy fear.
When you view yourself as inadequate – you use some sort of societal measuring stick in your self-judgment. You think:
“I could never be as good as my boss or friend or personal hero.”
It becomes about them instead of you. It allows you to keep playing small. It diminishes your power.
You have dreams of greatness, but you make excuses for never having the courage to go big.
As long as you see yourself as not enough, you never have to grapple with those bigger questions like, How far could I really go if I fully embraced my unique talents?
When you embrace your power and strengths, the possibilities are endless and that can be overwhelming. Perhaps that’s the true reason you hold yourself back and keep yourself from stepping into your power.
If you‘re always comparing yourself to others, you never have to explore your own greatness.
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
The original author of this quote is unknown. It dates back to the late 1700s. But it became popular in the Spider-Man comics by Stan Lee.
This concept appears in most superhero movies. The main character discovers they have a secret power and struggles to learn how to use it. They’re awkward and uncoordinated at first. But then they get the hang of it, usually getting a bit carried away. In the movies, something usually gets blown up as they test their new limits.
And then comes the realization that they can use these powers for unimaginable good. They’re willing to be seen. To use their power to better humanity and finally embrace it beyond measure. And that’s when we see the inspiring results of them embracing their power.
What if you accepted that you have a superpower within you?
What if you recognized that this power was so unique to you that you couldn’t compare yourself to someone else?
Suddenly it would be pointless and ridiculous to compare yourself to anyone else because everyone has their own unique superpower.
And if you can come this far, what if you were willing to step into that power beyond measure? What might you embrace and bring forth in the world? And how might you encourage others to do the same?
What is your superpower? How might you grow it beyond measure? What does stepping into your power look like, and how can you take one step toward that path today?