You don’t need to shine.

When I was in college the big thing was to be “achievement-oriented.” That was a compliment. It was said about me and I was proud of it.

But then the other day I heard Krishna Das say this:

“You don’t need to shine. Just be who you are. You are enough: the pure being underneath all the stories we tell ourselves.”

I was taken aback, because it’s so counter to what society tells us. We’re supposed to be smarter, have bigger jobs, be better than anyone else at what we do…that’s how we get our identity, we’re told….and that pressure is the cause of the stress-related ailments rampant among us.

How many times have we seen people on social media trying to make themselves seem bigger and better?

No one ever tells us that we are OK just as we are. That we don’t need all the trappings of success or anything else. That we can just be.

I am enough. You are enough.  I like this reminder a lot.

Breathe in…breathe out…feel that pure being inside and love her.