Author Brené Brown said, “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

If you own your story, you can write the ending.  If you don’t own your story, you become a marionette puppet being pulled by strings.

But in order to own your story you have to be vulnerable and open about your truth.  This is a brave and strong thing to do although it might not feel like it at the time.

What do we know for sure about ourselves?  What do we love to do?  Who do we crave to spend time with?  If we are not embracing these things, what is stopping us?

The fear of failure?  The idea that people might judge us?  The worry that if we show who we really are we won’t be accepted?

Brené Brown reminds us that, “The truth is: Belonging starts with self-acceptance. Your level of belonging, in fact, can never be greater than your level of self-acceptance, because believing that you’re enough is what gives you the courage to be authentic, vulnerable and imperfect.”

Let your light shine.  Be yourself.  The world is looking for the exact thing that only you can provide.