Shortly after a relatively productive summer that had me working on a few projects simultaneously, I suddenly slipped into what seemed like a burnout phase. It was so bad that I had to temporarily force-stop all my projects, including the blog, and only gave attention to external responsibilities that couldn’t be avoided. It totally came out of left field, and I lost every ounce of motivation to get anything done.

Over the next few months, what started as a loss of motivation eventually led to a season of personal introspection. I began questioning my person and everything around me. Not many things excited me, and I wasn’t too eager to jump back on all the things I had kept on hold until I figured out the essence of it all. It had all the symptoms of a typical quarter-life crisis… maybe it was.

Am I Good Enough?

This was one of the many questions that plagued my consciousness at the time. I am sure it’s not a stranger to many. In fact, anyone out to achieve something significant is prone to such contemplation, even the best of us.

That obnoxious voice of resistance is notorious for its ability to present “valid” reasons why we’re in no position to do certain things of high value. It suggests ideas like, “Maybe you’re just not ready yet”, “You probably don’t have enough experience to talk on this topic”, “you should let the gurus do their thing”, and similar thoughts. But what if all of that is but falsehood?

The Dream Deferred

Over the years, I’ve engaged in many conversations on interests and goals in varying settings. From these discussions, I observed a recurring trend. Many folks start out in life with bubbling interests and lofty goals. We proclaim the most daring dreams as kids and early teenagers.

Unfortunately, as we advance in life, we are conditioned by society to strip off our “childhood fantasies” and settle into “reality”. We are discouraged from exploring our dreams and advised to follow the common path. As a result, those big dreams we once nurtured are placed on the back burner in exchange for a “trusted” course, albeit average and rather unfulfilling.

For some, circumstances force them to cave in and succumb to the rat race in a bid to survive. For others, they buy into the fear of the unknown. But what if we dared to pursue the burning desire in our hearts?

That Little Light of Yours…

After much reflection, I came out of my mini-crisis with a mindset which I hope you will also adopt. I resolved to pay no attention to the nagging voice of resistance. Yes, I might not have attained the rank of a “guru” in my space, yet I still have some unique value to offer — one that only I can bring to the table.

Regardless of where you are in your journey, someone out there needs your value. Refrain from undermining the light you carry. It might not be as luminous as the sun, but it is bright enough to light someone’s path. And that, too, is enough.

Do away with the limitations, step out from the shadows and SHINE!