Finding Light in the Shadows: Remembering Your Extraordinary Value
Darkness is just the backdrop for your brilliance.
Monday morning, I woke up in a funk. It was both MLK Day and the Inauguration. While I wanted to honor the legacy of Dr. King, my thoughts kept drifting to the events unfolding in Washington—a reminder of the shadow cast over our democracy.
Since Monday, when I log into Hulu to watch The Rookie, my latest binge, I’ve been met with a screen showing The Second Inauguration of Donald J. Trump – an ABC News Special. As quickly as I can, I click the three dots to indicate I dislike their recommendation. To which Hulu displays a pop-up saying “We won’t recommend this to you anymore, and we’ll use this to improve your recommendations.”
Great, I don’t want to see this recommendation!
But I’ve been greeted three more times with that same recommendation.
On Monday, I let the organizers of three different meetings know that I was in a funk. They offered sympathies and similar feelings. I don’t know anyone, in my circle of friends, who watched the Inauguration. The one friend who did turn in said she could only endure it for two minutes before looking elsewhere.
See the Stars
The thing that shifted my energy from a heavy darkness to a more hopeful, slight optimism, was remembering how in the darkest days of my life, I have been able to look into the skies and see the stars. The goodness.
It was in my darkest days that I first began to allow my creative expression to unfold. It was in my darkest days, that I began to tune into my wellbeing -- both in checking in with myself regularly and engaging in daily activities like yoga and daily walks.
It was because I sought the light. When things are dark outside, the light, even the feeble, far-off light of distant stars are visible. By moving closer to that light, the light grows brighter.
I’m not the only one turning elsewhere.
By Thursday November 7, 2024, the social media app, Bluesky, was up to 24.3 million users, an increase of approximately 10 million users in the two days since the election. Boosting it to the #1 app in Apple’s App Store. (Connect with me.)
Jennifer Rubin left the Washington Post on January 13th, hardly a week ago, with this announcement on her Substack, The Contrarian:
“Jeff Bezos and his fellow billionaires accommodate and enable the most acute threat to American democracy—Donald Trump—at a time when a vibrant free press is more essential than ever to our democracy’s survival and capacity to thrive.“I therefore have resigned from The Post, effective today.”
The Contrarian now has 328,000 subscribers!
Meanwhile, organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign is seeing a record number – an outstanding 1,449 companies actively participating – in its annual Corporate Equality Index.
Even as some companies – Ford, Molson Coors, Tractor Supply Co., John Deere, Lowe’s, Harley-Davidson and Brown-Forman – pull back from their participation in the index.
And Donald Trump “moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off.”
Let Your Light Shine
In this era of increasing vitriol and diminishing rights, you have the opportunity to let your light shine!
When oligarchs and autocrats are taking up more airwaves and being given a stronger presence, it is even more important for your counterbalancing light to shine.
When the once-esteemed New York Times leads with the headline, “For Trump, a Vindication for the Man and His Movement,” you have the opportunity to let your voice stand in contrast.
What is the light you want to be?
For me, it's centered around the phrase, "Remember your extraordinary value!"
At a time, when it is easier to feel the weight of oppression and discord, it's even more important to remember your extraordinary value. While that includes a financial sense, the larger meaning has to do with the difference you're making in the world.
When all is said and done, and you're on the other side of the veil, the tombstone, mortality, what is the legacy you want to leave behind. What is the message you want to deliver? Who are the people you want to touch? Who is it you want to be? What is the work you want to have done?
Crossroads—whether at the end of a year or the start of a new administration—offer clarity. They’re a time to reflect on the past and envision the future, just as dark days often lead to the brightest light.
The greatest stories are an interplay of light and dark, ups and downs, tragedies and triumphs. By getting clear on what your light is, the difference you make becomes even stronger, like a laser beam.
As venerable institutions we once relied on, such as The Washington Post, continue to let us down. you have the opportunity, as soulpreneurs, to hold your light high. To raise your voice and let your values and intentions show.
Ask yourself:
What light do you bring to the world?
How will you remind yourself and others of your extraordinary value today?
Your light matters! Shine brightly!
Thanks for reading Rousing Prosperity! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
What light would you like to shine in 2025? Let me know in the comments!
Share this with a friend!
Beautifully said! Thanks for shining your light and finding your own extraordinary value.