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And I am not living small, and I don’t want you to live small.My friend D pointed something very courageous out to me the other day: When we spend time with people who minimize us, or treat us poorly, or kill our dreams of living big, we will work subconsciously to live down to their expectations of us if we love/respect them, or even spend time with them (or have been married ot them, ahem…).
Isn’t that crazy?
Think about it- we will actually let them determine what we can accomplish. If parents tell us we don’t need a house, shouldn’t buy one, and really cannot afford the risk, we will believe them. If the friend pokes our belly and asks about the weight we gained this summer, we will feel shamed. If the brother blows us off for Thanksgiving, we will wonder if we deserve to be around family for the holidays, or to celebrate the holidays with all the gusto available. When people are gossiping about you, behind your back or in front of you, as if you don’t count- how does that make you feel? Think about it. Where is someone treating you small?
We really need to block that relationship and what we let it send to us if it makes us feel small, otherwise we will never live up to our potential.
Live large.
That is what God wants, and that is what the world needs from us. Believe in you, your capabilities, and what you can accomplish, no matter what the circumstances are today. You are the only one of you, you are your only. This is it. Be the light.
“You’ve only got one tiny moment in time for life, to shine- shine. Burn away the darkness. I will be light”
3-Legged Table: Reframing Our Beautiful Chaos 
I hope this post wasn’t inspired by some recent problem, but simply stems from a burst of bundled motivation and reflection?
That is so kind of you to wonder, bc as you know, there are these hidden land mines that we step on to that can set us back…WAY back. This post was inspired by lots of things I think- my friend D giving her “friend” a dropkick, SG’s sadness, me getting a lecture from my lawyer to stop allowing my ex to walk all over me financially, and, most exciting of all- I am in the process of buying a house for my kids and I!! 7 years ago when I divorced and had devastated my finances and credit and self-worth, I never ever thought this would be possible. My parents have also discouraged me from it. So I decided to do it, and just not tell them until moving day -if I happen to talk to them, :).
Who was it who said, “When you choose your advisor, you choose your advice”?? Good stuff, that. This is one of the reasons why we have to have expectations of our kids- and they need to fail. Sometimes, people need a little push to realize their potential- or to *start* realizing their potential.
Live large- and BE the example. 🙂
Yes, TikkTok! No matter how hard it gets, we need to show our kids and the world that we aren’t small, and BE the light of love, BE the light of trust, BE the light kindness, BE the light courage, BE the light of work ethic, etc. As adults, pushing ourselves to live up to our own potential is just as tricky as pushing our kids to do it.
You are so right!! Proud of you! 🙂
Thanks Mark. You have been an awesome supporter!