Each day since the beginning of time, the sun has risen from the darkness to the highest point in the sky for all to see. This summer, the early morning rays of the dawn have been waking me up as the sun rises to brighten the day. It seems the beams are at peak brightness, waking me up and causing me to pay attention to them. The sun doesn’t care if you aren’t ready to wake up, or if you dislike the intensity – it keeps its brightness – it keeps shining – it wants to be seen! We can all learn a lot from this notion.

For a long time in my life, I had been afraid to be seen, so I was hiding my voice, my capabilities, and my dreams. I didn’t want to be judged; I thought others knew better than me. I avoided the attention and opportunities where I could showcase my potential. I spent most of my life seeing others and celebrating them, but I didn’t want them to look at me.  What if I wasn’t perfect? What if I made a mistake? What if they didn’t like what I had to say? I’d look ridiculous, or so I thought.  As a result, I dimmed my light.

I have learned that it is so important to shine your light and GO BE SEEN.

That statement has been coming to mind a lot recently, especially as I have been seeing many beautiful sunrises this summer. This notion has not only been in my thoughts and in my writing; I speak about it and encourage others to follow it too. 

Before, I believed that my talents, dreams, abilities, and beautiful self were unimportant; so I hid them and pretended I was invisible.  Yet, what kind of a life is that if you are always hiding? You may feel as if your presence doesn’t impact the world; so you just drift through life – like the early morning mist which can hide the dawn.

There is only one sun, as there is only one you! Dimming your light would be similar to the sun hiding for fear of owning its abilities. Shine your light and be seen - this doesn’t mean you have to shine your brightest every day, every hour; the intensity of your ‘ray’ quality will vary.  You just have to keep shining and not let anything extinguish your light. Not the mist, not the darkness, not the early morning dew, not the rain, not the storms, not the migrating geese.

Just like the world needs the sun, we need you to shine your light and be you! You have such a beautiful purpose. Go Be Seen!

Thank you for reading and your presence at this beach retreat. You Rock! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below.

See you at the beach!

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• Be Seen: Why It's Scary, and How 'Seen' Means Taking Ownership of Your Life