Consider this : never, ever dim your light

May 8, 2010 in Uncategorized

My older daughter, Emma, has grown up in the pages of this blog. Now 17, she will graduate from high school in just 37 days.To soothe my fast beating heart at the prospect of that, I am gathering wisdom from the far corners of the earth to give to her as she leaves this space for another, as she ventures into the world still connected but in a vastly different way. I am gathering wisdom from you. What would you say to her? Or to your own 17-year-old self? What thoughts would you ask her to consider? You can submit your advice (instructions here) and 37 of those will be posted over the next 37 days, one each day, culminating in a free e-book of all the submissions after her graduation on June 14th.

Consider this…

for Emma

as you launch into the world

with your own personal trajectory

seek that which makes you comfortable

even if it's not what others would choose

remember that genuine pride

comes not from ego but from

sharing your light with the world

life is not easy or simple yet

beauty lies within its complications
pursue your passions
honor your dreams
love with an open heart

admit your mistakes with grace

find the power in humility

as you revel in your accomplishments

spill kindness onto the world

don't let forgiveness be a stranger

know that you are loved unconditionally

and never, ever dim your light

-Marilyn Maciel

[One of my favorite baby pictures of Emma]

About Patti Digh

Patti Digh is an author, speaker, and educator who builds learning communities and gets to the heart of difficult topics. Her work over the last three decades has focused on diversity, inclusion, social justice, and living and working mindfully. She has developed diversity strategies and educational programming for major nonprofit and corporate organizations and has been a featured speaker at many national and international conferences.

4 comments to " Consider this : never, ever dim your light "


Wendy

May 8, 2010 AT 9:19AM

Wonderful. Especially “spill kindness onto the world”.

jylene

May 9, 2010 AT 10:40AM

so so beautiful. and far superior to any advice i gave to my own daughter as she graduated and left for college 3 years ago. i’d already been having panic attacks for months before she left. and on the day we moved her, my throat was so tight with tears that i could barely choke out the words ‘i love you’. i’d been giving her the most beautiful cards i could find, writing loving encouragement inside of them, along with inspirational poems and quotes. with the things that matter most to me, my own words are often hard to find.

Sam

May 10, 2010 AT 10:11AM

So lovely. What a benediction, going over her as she leaves high school, and going into the great adventure of college.

jasper

May 11, 2010 AT 2:52PM

To the 17-year-old that I was and to the 47-year-old that I am.

Just don’t be afraid.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid to fall short.

Don’t be afraid of perfection. Don’t be afraid to succeed. Don’t be afraid to exceed your aspirations

Just don’t be afraid.