One of my observations about people in this life is that we all, without exception, have a light inside us. It is the divine spark of life in which we can express the best aspects of who we are, and through this light, we can find accomplishment and make a mark on the world in a profound way. In some, this light has been nurtured and protected, efficiently burning bright for all to see.

In others, life has given us situations where we have chosen to allow other obstacles to dim our light. Each decision we make, each thought we decide to pay attention to, and all of the time we choose to be unproductive in providing a slow, ever-darkening veil over our light, and for some people, that light is so far buried inside of our negative choices, we forget what it looked like in the first place.

But that light is still there, deep inside of you, and the veil of darkness covering it for years can be stripped away piece by piece, and that light can rise again when you remember who you are and what you are here to do in this world. Who knows why life provides us with all of the challenges we face? I think the value of something is much more when it is well earned, but the risk involved in living is that you will lose yourself and your light in the selfish chase of mindless pursuits. Your light is inside you, waiting for the chance to come out. The only thing that can stop it is you.

Forgotten

So what is the light inside of you? It is a specific thing for each person. We have a power that will give the world something it needs to function at its best. Ironically, it will allow you to be the best functioning individual you can be. It may be to run a business well, employing many and providing good jobs to people as you contribute to the world’s greater good through the positive decisions you make each day. You may be meant to entertain and bring positive energy into the lives of others through that venue. Maybe it is an art that will allow you to express your inner light to the world and send a message you need to speak, and someone else needs to hear.

Whatever your calling and they are as varied as the number of people in the world, you must keep pursuing them as that allows your light to grow. We start to forget ourselves when we listen to the stories, thoughts, and desires others have for us. The job we pursue is considered a promising career, even though it doesn’t resonate with us when we take advantage of a situation because it will give us short-term gain even though it is morally wrong and taken from someone else. The choices we make define who we are and stick with us. Your light will be dimmed each time you are dishonest, mean, selfish, unethical, jealous, envious, or focused on the negative. Sometimes fear makes us look at the world through such a negative frame we forget our goodness altogether, and our lights fade to the point we don’t even remember having one. Once failed, you need a catalyst to remind you, or you will never be who you are.

Remembering

Once we start believing our lives should be lived the way others see fit, we buy into that story and live it daily, never comprehending that our inner unhappiness stems from the fact we have forgotten our own story. Some people never remember and live their entire lives by the rules, expectations, and desires of others. Doing it all and doing it well and then realizing they are not happy or fulfilled in that life. At these moments, the Universe puts people in our lives to become catalysts to remember who we are. People living by their light and being true to themselves provide a very vivid comparison to the empty lives we are experiencing.

Once you look at your life by contributing to the world, you start to remember what you were meant to be. When you were young, before life piled on you, and before you had negative experiences of loss, challenge, or simply not being good enough, your light was bright and easy to see. Remember the innate goodness, kindness, and joy you lived every day. You can start wherever you are to begin to remember. One choice of service. One decision to focus on the positive. One moment of doing what is good for someone else rather than what you perceive as good for yourself. These things will bring your light back to life and allow you to get your power back to life.

Let No Person Dim Your Light

I have met many people in my life. Each of them has a light of its own, and I see it and appreciate it in everyone. Unfortunately, some have forgotten their light so much that seeing yours shine is a painful reminder of what they are missing. Misery loves company, and that is the case here. People have diminished, criticized, judged, and belittled me in my life recently for their reasons. Some don’t even know me, and I know it mirrors the emptiness of their life and the dimness of their light. If you let them, others will dim your ability to shine.

Don’t let them; each person is responsible for developing their talents and letting the light inside them show to the world. That goes for you and me. We can only do our best to be the most excellent version of ourselves. What others think, even those we love, doesn’t matter. You can choose how honest you are, how fair, how understanding, how kind, how giving, or how forgiving you are as a person. These choices in your life will be the definition of you as a person. It can be effortless to fall into the trap of fear. Yet, no matter how far you have lost, it is never too late to make new choices and move your life in a new, more positive direction. Move your life more to the light. Don’t let anyone else make choices for you that will dim your light in any way.

“Someday perhaps the inner light will shine forth from us, and then we’ll need no other light.”-Johann Wolfgang von Goeth.

“There is no death where the inner light shines, irradiating the fields of the within — the beyond — the unattainable attainment. You know where to find me.”- Elsa Barker

“Listen to the inner light;
It will guide you.
Listen to the inner Peace;
It will feed you.
Listen to the inner Love;
It will transform you,
It will divinize you,
It will immortalize you.”  -Sri Chinmoy

“There is no amount of darkness that can extinguish the inner light. The important thing is not to spend our lives trying to control the environment around us, and the task is to control the environment within us.” – Joan D. Chittister.