Congruence

Definition: the quality or state of agreeing or corresponding

In the past 15 years or so of my life, I've learned a lot about this concept of congruence. Through my own experiences and through watching the journeys of those around me, I've been made very aware of the deep human need to live in congruence with oneself. To find and operate in that space where brain, talents, heart and soul align and every day you wake up feeling everything inside you rejoicing at being free to be what you were born to be.

We are such a performance-based culture that even the word "be" brings to mind the career or job we've chosen or fallen into, but I'm talking about simply the state of being what we were created to be and pursuing the best possible version of that.

I've watched myself and so many others try to force themselves to "be" things like outgoing, strategic, optimistic, grown up, corporate, etc. Why? I think there are many reasons out there, but one I've seen repeatedly is that we think we are "supposed" to be something someone else wants us or needs us to be. Some people spend their whole lives trying to live up to what other people think life should mean instead of figuring out who they themselves are and living up to that.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. 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

A dear friend framed this for me as a gift about three years ago, and it sits on my desk to remind me every day that the best thing I can do for God, for the world around me, for myself, for my daughters, is to continue discovering who God made me and then to do everything in my power to live in congruence with that. And by doing that, I give others permission to do the same.

This is the biggest reason I uprooted my life and took the risk of moving here. Not for a job, but for a purpose. My purpose. To make manifest the glory of God within me. To give Poppy Anne and Erin permission to shine their own light as brightly and purely as they possibly can - without shame or apology. To give my team the same permission and encouragement. And to keep having the courage every day to choose brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous, when it would be so much easier to just settle for safe mediocrity.

Here's to playing small no longer...