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 frightens us.
“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 frightens us.”
This quote by Marianne Williamson is so powerful to me. I spent the past weekend at an Expo promoting and selling my program, One Neigh at a Time. The easy part was talking about the amazing healing power that the horses give us. The hard part was selling me. To stand in my power, as a coach, and believe in the fact that I, Kathy O’Connor, can help others become aware of their power. When I did stand in my power, the “selling me” disappeared and I fully engaged with people about the healing power experienced in the coaching partnership of the horses and me.
I can list my credentials. I am a certified Equine Gestalt Coach. I am certified in the CCAR (Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery). I have a certificate from the CPR (Crisis Prevention Response) program that Recovery Allies of West Michigan (www.mirecovery.info) teaches in the Grand Rapids Area. I am in recovery, sober 5 years, and I am a mother of an alcoholic who is also in recovery. Now, I have to stand tall and shine my light, frightened.
“It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us.” It’s easy to hide in the dark. It’s easy to stay out of the limelight and blend into a crowd. At least it is for me. When I allow myself to blend in, I know that I’m giving into the fear of success.
When I was in my addiction, drinking, I was so fearful of living without alcohol that I continued to be sick. How would I ever survive without it? Everything I did was centered around drinking. If I took the drink away, how would I ever have fun, cope, relax, escape, or hide? I was afraid of succeeding then, too, because succeeding meant that I had to live so differently, face life in a new way, and not have my crutch to rely on. I thought I was shining when I was drinking, because I was louder, but really I was hiding behind my bottle.
Living life in recovery, I can see now how drinking kept me in the dark. Having a dream, or a vision that includes helping others find their dreams means that I need to step into the light and shine for others to see that they can do the same. The brighter I shine, the more people can find their light. My dream is that I will have a recovery retreat center where others can heal while being surrounded by healing animals. Where they can face their fears and learn how to shine. So they can pass the healing light on to more and more people who are living in the darkness, hiding behind their addiction.
I’ll be shining my light this week as I contact the women who gave me their information this past weekend at the Expo. I’ll be talking with people excited to learn more about all that my program offers. I know I’ll get some who have no interest and may even hang up on me. In those moments I will dig deep and stop myself from shrinking in the knowledge that those people may simply need more time to live in the darkness.
I love what I do and I am honored that I get to introduce others to the healing power of the horses. It dishonors them to hide my light. The end of Marianne Williamson’s quote says, “As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” I ask that we all shine brightly so others can follow our light. Pass it on, healing one soul at a time, One Neigh at a Time.
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