This Little Light of Mine

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

What were the things you loved to do as a child?  What did you want to be when you grew up?  Are you still doing those things, and did you grow up to be that - whatever it was?

I used to love to sing.  My mother used to sing to me when I was little and I found her voice beautiful, although she'd grown up believing she had a tin ear.  She never sang in public except in church - and then, only very quietly.  I remember her "shush"ing me when I belted out "Onward Christian Soldiers."  We did not belt.

Some years ago, my family attended a camping party with lots of other families.  There was a fire and marshmallows - and singing.  As the evening wore on, the music became the focus of the party.  Children were put to bed, and gradually most of the adults wandered off to their tents, but six of us stayed up: three men playing stringed instruments and three women singing.  We were fantastic, in the truest sense of the word.  I ran into one of the guys a while back.  "Are you singing?" he asked me.  "You need to be singing."

I haven't been.  I will.

What does this have to do with business?  Well, Tim Sales defines a successful business as something that makes people's lives better.  Doing what brings us joy allows us to shine.  Shining is how we attract others, how we lift them up, how we allow them to shine - how we make their lives better. 

Tell me about your light. 

When I look at a mirror and into my eyes, I see the Light ... the Light that was planted within me by the Creator of all creation.  It is the same light that I see within all and though it may vary in brilliance, we all have that Light. - Al Diaz