Many of you may be familiar with this powerful quotation: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It’s one that has inspired me since the first time I heard it.

But have you ever read the extended version of this quotation? Better yet, have you ever heard it?

In the video above, you’ll hear the author Marianne Williamson herself read these moving words with the tone, inflection, emphasis and pauses as she originally intended them.

This can be a moving tool and I invite you to use it as a resource for reflection or meditation.

I highly encourage you to be still and quiet your thoughts as best you can for a few moments. Take a few deep, slow breaths. Play the video below and listen not just with your ears but also with your heart, mind and spirit. Close your eyes for a few minutes if you are comfortable doing so. Listen and hear how this message speaks to you today, wherever you are at this moment, wherever you are on your own personal journey.

For those of you who would like to read the text or keep a copy of it for your own reference, here is the full text of this important quotation:

“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.”

Marianne Williamson
A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

Yes, we are all meant to shine, but isn’t it true that we don’t always feel shiny? Perhaps you could benefit from an unbiased, professional partner in your own journey to help your light shine. If you think it might make sense for us to work together, please click here to schedule your complimentary 30-minute Getting Started Session.