Are You in Awe of Yourself?

Two days ago my 8 year old daughter bounded off the school bus, running toward me with a huge smile. Mommy! I sang today at lunch in front of everyone. With a microphone. She barely took a breath. I didnt know all the words, but I did it anyway.

I looked at her with awe. The last thing in the world Id ever do is take a microphone and sing in front of anyone. Trust me, its for the greater good. Im so proud of you, I said as I hugged her.

We got into the car and she kept talking, excitedly. Mom, Im telling you, Im going to be on Broadway. Youll see. I was not surprised to hear this..again. A few months prior she had told her teacher she didnt need to learn the math lesson that day because she was going to be a pop star on the radio. And just the week before I had taken her to see Wicked on Broadway, where she boldly declared, Mooooom, I dont want to watch the show, I want to BE in it. She finished her proclamation with a dramatic eye roll and loud sigh.

Well, OK then. I fleetingly wondered if I could bottle some of her unadulterated confidence.

The thing is, though, Im not really sure she can sing that well. Yeah, she goes for lessons, and yes we encourage her, but I struggle daily with whether shell be able to support herself if she follows this path. Then, of course, I remind myself that shes only eight. And guilt sweeps over me. Dont squash her dreams. Dont.

When I was eight, I had big dreams, too. I was going to write my own book series, become a doctor, and run for President. It never occurred to me to be reasonable or worry about putting food on the table. Like my daughter, I felt empowered, worthy, and strong. When did that end?

My daughters audacious plans got me thinking. Who, exactly, were we before life got in the way? At some point, didnt we all feel we could accomplish anything? That we were worthy of our desires? And that we had the ability to achieve them?

Slowly, over time, many of us began to listen to the voices around us: relatives, teachers, friends, leaders, the media. We started to believe them when they said that we had to be realistic, that we had to reign in our big plans, that we were limited to our circumstances and confined by our responsibilities.

But what Ive come to learn over time is that its not the dream itself that matters as much as the feeling behind it: the feeling that we are worthy, that we are deserving, and that we have an important purpose here and now.

The dreams themselves may change over time, but what really matters is that the empowerment that fuels those dreams doesnt get sucked out of our souls by everything and everyone around us.

And the really empowering thing is that we can control that. Each of us.

So ask yourself: How could someone as special and important as you become disempowered? I believe that the innate power that we were all born with that power that fueled our childhood dreams is still within in us. If you knew the power within you, youd be in awe of yourself. Just like my daughter.

So, whats next? I think we have to stop ourselves from buying into the myth of fear and the lies that we are not worthy; we need to change the story we are telling ourselves. We need to connect with and remember that 8 year old inside of us, the one like my daughter who believes performing on Broadway is as easy as brushing your teeth. We have to remember that we are not our critics - - we are not their stories, we are not our past mistakes, and we are not our failures.

We are so much more.

Maybe one day my daughter will be a performer. Maybe not. Regardless, I will always tell her, You can do this. And I will continue to ask her and myself what would courage have us do? Courage, it seems, may just have us remember who we really are and what we are truly capable of. . . and then stand in awe.