Let Them See You

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Hello most awesome one, it's so good to be with you sharing space again. And if you're new to this podcast, welcome opening my big arms to give you love and welcome you into the space. My name is Ahyiana Angel and I am your host and you are listening to the Quit Playing Small podcast. Your space for inspired thinking, encouragement, and straight-up goodness. That's what we like to provide over here is just some good old goodness. So if that's what you're looking for in your day, then you are in the right place.

Please don't mind me if I have a little extra energy today. I just drank some coffee and I'm not a coffee drinker, although I'm reconsidering that statement. Maybe I need to amend that because I do have a whole French press in my house, and that would lead one to believe that I am a coffee drinker, but I bought it for guests, but I find myself using it.

Not all the time, but sometimes, and today I felt like I needed a little boost a little something extra. So I was like, oh, let me brew myself up a nice little cup of Joe. And that's exactly what I did. So I may have more energy. . Let's get into it. What are we talking about today?

Today we're gonna talk about being seen. Like I see you, you see me, people see us, we see each other. Let's be seen.

In the Quit Playing Small book, I wrote that you have to be willing to be seen to be successful. When these words came to me, it was like an aha moment for me. So often people want success, different forms of success but it dawned on me one day that if you want to achieve anything that's outside of yourself, it probably involves other people, other people's approval, other people's observation of you, other people's sign off on what you're doing.

Other people's buy-in. It probably involves other people to some level. Now, how can you get the buy-in of other people if they don't even know you exist if they can't even see you? So this was a big aha moment for me because so often you encounter people who have a timid spirit, a low voice. They may be a little passive, go with the flow.

Easy to fall into the background, and it just hit me I realized these people want success too. They have a dream in their heart as well, and some people are easily overlooked because they're not the loudest in the room. Their star may not shine the brightest. They may not command attention when they walk into a room.

But that doesn't mean that their desires are not there. That doesn't mean that they don't want the same accolades accomplishments as the next person. And so I felt like I really needed to shout this from the rooftops when I really like landed on this idea in my mind because that's what's missing sometimes from the roadmap that people are trying to take to success for themselves. They want certain things, but they're not willing to attract the visibility in order to get those things. Half the time, they don't even know that that's the piece they're missing. So I really wanted to share this with you today to hopefully spark something in your mind if you're one of those people who maybe has been playing the background, who has been shy, timid, not completely using your voice as you could be.

Maybe this a spark, a little something in you that says, Okay. I gotta Quit Playing Small. I gotta step it up and I gotta step out there. If you're feeling frustrated by where you are or the role that you're playing, a part of that frustration may be attributed to being terrified of being seen. For some people, that's a real thing.

That's why I use such a strong word as terrified because it gives them anxiety to think of the way that they need to be seen in order to attain what they want to attain. And when I say the way that they need to be seen, meaning like something as simple as the way that you need to be seen is you have to raise your hand to step up for that stretch project at work, which will then require you to do a presentation on said stretch project.

Ooh. That's terrifying for some people, especially if you've never had to address your peers before in your professional space. That can make you break out in hives to think of that, and I get it. I understand that it can be nerve-wracking, if I'm honest with you, before a speaking engagement or before a situation where I have to speak publicly, a lot of times I'm like, girl, what are you doing? What did you get yourself into? Why did you say yes to this? Why did you sign up for this? My nerves are bad. My stomach is churning. I feel like I gotta go to the bathroom. I'm sweating. I'm hot, I'm cold all at the same time. My legs feel shaky, especially if I'm wearing heel.

All the things are happening to me, but deep down inside, I know that if I wanna go the places that I've envisioned going for myself, I have to allow myself to be seen. And part of being seen is putting myself out there in spaces that are not the most comfortable for me, but spaces that will allow me the opportunity for the recognition, for the exposure, for the engagement.

So ask yourself, are you terrified of being? If you think about it, how many of us routinely operate from a hidden space, from an intimidated space, intimidated at the thought of being seen, noticed, observed? How many of us operate from the shadows? And when I say the shadows, that means you're okay with other people being in the spotlight and.

Taking credit, and I'm not saying taking credit in a bad way, but just allowing them to be the voice of something that you contributed to significantly because you know that that means they are going to be in the spotlight and you don't want that spotlight on you, so you're okay with it. It's often a very comfortable space to be in.

But that's playing small.

And why is it a comfortable space? Because being seen requires you to live up to expectations, to deliver and to operate at your best. And although you're doing it behind the scenes, you're operating at your best behind the scenes, it could give you trepidation to know that you will be now operating in a space where you will be directly judged off of your output.

Whereas when you're in the shadows, you're not exactly being directly judged. You are a part of the process. But you're not the one that's going to bear the brunt if it doesn't turn out so well, if it's not a stellar result, because that opens you up to criticism, maybe unwanted feedback. It opens you up to getting your ego bruised, maybe even your feelings hurt.

It opens you up to that judgment, and most of us don't want to be judged and that's why we run from it. When you're flying under the radar, you can get away with doing average things being average, average results, average contribution. You can get away with putting in very little to maybe no effort sometimes. You do the bare minimum, you just deliver. You can get away with not being your best.

And you're less likely to be judged. But if you want big results, if you have big dreams, if you have aspirations that are beyond your wildest dreams, you have to be willing to put in the big effort for the big results, for the big wins. You have to push that fear aside and it might be daily that you have to push the fear aside to show up as that A-one star light shining bright, number one best version of yourself.

You have to show up saying self, you can do this. You got this. You can bring it all to the table. You can shine, you can deliver on this, and I believe in you. I know that you can do it. So if you're somebody who has been allowing yourself to exist in the shadows, and maybe not even the deep shadows, but just the sidelines, right?

Just not the direct spotlight. If you've been allowing yourself to exist in that space, I encourage you, I champion you today to step into the light. Show yourself. Allow yourself to be seen. Allow yourself to be praised for the great work that you do. Don't underestimate your skills or your talent. What you bring to the table is valuable, it's needed.

It's necessary. You must allow yourself to be seen if you want to be successful. Just remember that every time you get ready to shy away from an opportunity that will give you visibility to the powers that be, to the decision-makers, to the people who have to buy in, in order for you to get the success that you deserve.

Every time you feel yourself getting ready to shy away, remember this moment. Remember our conversation. Dig down deep and know that I'm cheering for you somewhere out there in the universe. Ahyiana is cheering for you too, and believe in yourself and know, you got this. You can do this. Remember that you can show up for yourself.

You can shine, you can be seen, and you can be successful. Although it may feel uncomfortable, just lean into it. I believe in you.

Thank you so much for spending time with me today. I hope you're feeling good, energized, and ready to lean into all the opportunities that are coming your way. Ugh, I'm feeling good. I'm ready to take on the world. . If you enjoy what you have been hearing, if you like previous episodes, and you're just like, hey man, how can I spread this goodness with other people?

Feel free to share it with a friend. The podcast that is. Or leave a review on iTunes or rating on Spotify. All of that helps spread this goodness to the world and I appreciate you for it. Even if you don't do a rating or review. I still appreciate you. Your presence is a present, sending you big hugs and be well.

Quit Playing Small Book - https://amzn.to/2EENAbb