Why Be Less?

Today has been an interesting day. It's brought to light a very important question: why would anyone be less than they could be? What's the point in being mediocre?

I find that I have different values that guide me in my work, and one of those values is to work as hard as I can. My clients need me to work as hard as I can. I don't understand how anyone could do less. Why is, "I could've looked at this, but I did enough" acceptable? I don't get how people live with not doing everything they could have done.

I know I sound like an ad for the armed forces, go be all you can be. (Seriously, don't kill people, it's not ok even if the government tells you to. You know better, and "the government said it's ok" is not an excuse, you still know better.)

One of my very favorite quotes in the world explains things quite well. Doing less doesn't help anyone, it's not why we were put here. Doing less certainly isn't the path that led anyone into social services. As Marianne Williamson said once, in a sentiment so popular Nelson Mandela quoted it in his innaguration,

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.