Guard your Shine.
Shining is an intrinsic attribute, yet knowing when and how to keep shining is an art. It is a fine art that requires precision, timeliness, and wit. It is a titration of calculated moves, emotional intelligence and the esoteric. This explains why some people shine and their lights are put out, and why some shine in a wrong crowd and remain inconspicuous.
There are ways to guard your shine.
1. Know your shine. Everyone desires to shine yet not everyone shines. To shine is to have the Midas touch. It is the swagger that characterizes our ingenuity and the panache that defines our modus operandi. Knowing your shine is the awareness of innate gifting we possess that sets us apart from the crowd.
2. Know when to shine. Shining at the wrong time can be a great undoing. Whether it is outshining your bosses in a meeting or lacking the confidence to shine in an interview or a team presentation. The ‘when to shine’ is as important as the ‘how to shine’. Shining therefore requires preparation and shrewdness to prevent any blowback. It is waiting for the best occasion before taking the center stage. Sometimes, it is taking the bull by the horn.
3. Polish your shine. The level of shine we experience is attributable to people and place. Keeping the right crowd, connecting with the right network, upskilling, servicing our intellectual and social portfolios, and engaging with mentors are valuable. It is people that make people. It is also people that would give you opportunity or access to shine.
4. Relocate to shine. Sometimes, to shine you must uproot yourself from where you are planted to a new experience that appreciate and rewards your gifting's and potentials. It is called upgrading your shine. Sometimes we will never shine till we leave our comfort zone. Shine can be local or international, it is all a matter of choice. Just as stars shine brightest from space, sometimes, the farther you go, the more admired your shine becomes.
5. Misuse, Overuse, and Underuse (MOU). These three things constitute the ‘Abuse of Shine’. Your shine can be misused in the wrong organization, relationship, or environment. Worse still, it can be overused till your value depreciates to the extent that your shine is seen as common. The painful part is when your shine is underused because an arbitrary impermeable barrier or mindset prevent you from seeing beyond the immediate. When you encounter any of these three things, it is best to appraise the utility and relevance of your shine. Sell your brain and brawls to the those that know your worth and seek to better your lot.
6. Outshine vs Over-shine. Not everyone will like your shine. People that shine attract a lot of negative energy. Wisdom is not outshining your bosses and over-shining your peers. Instead, be a team player and use your shine as a transferable skill among your peers or within the team. Bosses already know you have a shine factor, but how you use it around them determines if they will be threatened by it or attracted to it. The trick is, stooping to conquer by applying emotional intelligence.
7. Know the enemy of your shine. Sometimes, we are the ones stopping ourselves from shining. By being our own enemy. It is composite of our past, fear, trauma, feelings, affection, procrastination, and diffidence that trap us in unbelief. Until we conquer these inner demons, there will always be a cap on much we can manifest.
In the end, it is our responsibility to determine if our shine will inspire or expire.
Guard your shine.
