Permission To Shine

#permissiontoshine, as Instagrammed by the amazing Hilary Rushford, has to be one of my favorite things the interwebz.

It's a phrase that I keep coming back to when I'm needing a little more motivation. As the school year is finishing up, I'm thinking more about this next part of my life. I have definite goals and clear 'first-steps' to get me there, but there are SO many parts that are still hazy. Cheesy as it sounds, in my heart I know that I need to do what I'm setting out to do. I am passionate about the things I want to pursue. I'm willing to work my butt off for them. And isn't that what really matters?

But, honestly, there's so much doubt. I've complained before about how much getting flak from people bugs me. Lately, the flak I get has just been bringing up my own insecurities. Huh, this thing I wanna do is gonna be really hard plus there's probably a low success rate? Wow! Never thought of that, before! Thanks for the heads up, people!

Here's the thing though: it's not their fault. It's mine. End of the day, no one (and no amount of flak) is holding me back. And it's immature and ignorant to make that my excuse for not trying my hardest. Instead, I have to look doubt in the face and tell myself, "you have permission to chase this and do your best and take a risk and see what happens."

And to me, that's what #permissiontoshine is all about. It's we as individuals giving ourselves permission to be our best selves. So often we hold ourselves back. Maybe we think it's too risky, or too weird, or too hard, or simply that we're not good enough. "Who are we", we say, "to do something different? Make something great? We're NORMAL."

Just know this: you are NOT normal. Normal is mediocre and boring and easy (but not worth it).

Instead, you are great. Strong. Powerful. Smart. You've got a heart of gold, killer style, gut instincts worth trusting and a quick-to-learn brain. You are artsy and inspiring and you're very own self to the core. And you must give yourself the permission to:

Try.
Risk.
Fail.

Try again.
Work crazy hours.
Push yourself to your limits.
Be out of the box.

Keep going even when the world calls you crazy.
Believe in yourself with a fiery passion.
Take a mental health day when you need it.
Jump on opportunities.
Follow your heart.
Trust your gut.

I believe that we all have the capacity to do something great (in a big or small way) and make some contribution to the world. But I also believe only a handful of us tap that potential. For me, giving myself the Permission To Shine means allowing myself to always give my all, on the chance that I have something important to give.

Faith is not an easy thing to keep. That surprised me, even though it shouldn't have. But while I've learned faith is sometimes hard to have, I've also learned it's vital. We must have faith in God. In hard work. In love. In truth and the power of doing what's right.

And....in ourselves. We must believe that there's something for us to do here. And then make the decision to chase it, believe it, live it. I don't know about you, but I think our futures look bright.

Happy Weekend! xoxo