Last week you learned that dimming your light is a safety and survival mechanism to avoid being a perceived threat amongst your peers. Do you know what it looks like to dim your light, practically?

Here are 4 tell-tale signs you may be dimming your light:

• Constantly second-guessing your thoughts, actions, and abilities
• Holding back your ideas or opinions at work or in social settings
• Suppressing your authentic self to fit in or be accepted
• Downplaying your achievements instead of owning them

If you speak in an apologetic tone or consistently say “I don’t know,” it sounds like you are second-guessing yourself. You question why you have certain thoughts, especially if they are not the status quo or groupthink. You ruminate over your actions, doubting whether it was the right behavior. You question if you have what it takes to operate competently in your abilities.

Maybe you don’t second-guess, but you hold back your ideas and thoughts—whether professionally or personally. And I know it’s not for a lack of bright and brilliant ideas. You have to be nudged to state your opinion on different subject matter that you are an expert in.

Or do you dim your light by not showing up authentically and being true to yourself? You fear that you won’t fit in or be accepted, so you deny your glow—your quirkiness. You wear a mask that hides who you truly are.

Lastly, you downplay or avoid talking about your wins. You don’t share the journal you created or the frameworks you developed to serve your population. The promotion at work or getting engaged doesn’t get talked about like it should.

If you see yourself in any of these tell-tale signs, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to keep dimming your light. Get ready to show up fully, own your voice, and walk confidently in who you are, let’s work together.

Contact Nekeshia c/o Meraki Counseling at 832-779-3039 or merakicounseling@outlook.com today so that your light will begin to illuminate the world.