Most people are more focused on the lives of celebrities, influencers, and athletes than they are on themselves. They put more of the spotlight in their life onto others while dimming down the brightness on themselves.
Playing small doesn't serve anyone. Not yourself. Not the world around you. And not the people who are waiting to receive the creative gifts and messages that you have to share.
Be The Main Character Of Your Life
I recently shared on Instagram Stories after being inspired by a conversation about how most people "live their life by default, not design."
The realization hit hard: we spend more energy investing in other people's journeys than our own. We're the supporting character in our own story when we should be the lead.
Why We Play Small
Dylan (@learnwithdylan) kicked off a conversation with me about why people play as a "supporting character" in the lives of others.
The conclusion?
It's safe. It's comfortable. It keeps you away from judgement.
But there's a cost to that comfort.
The Power Of Playing Big
Dylan's message reminded me of the impact of giving yourself permission to step into the higher version of yourself. The version that radiates unapologetic, authentic and abundant energy that showcases the full spectrum of who you truly are.
It's powerful. It's magnetic. And it's liberating for others.
Marianne Williamson captured this perfectly:
"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's not just in some of us; it's 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."
What Playing Bigger Looks Like
When you give yourself permission to step up, things shift. The people around you start to feel it. Your energy becomes contagious. Your voice matters more because you're standing fully in it.
It's not arrogant. It's honest. It's the version of you that's been waiting for permission—and the only person who can give you that permission is you.
The three biggest barriers I see holding creators back:
1. You're Creating Content Alone
Michael Lim was running a one-person business while trying to create content consistently. He hit breaking point early in 2023 and realized he couldn't do it alone anymore.
"I didn't have a community, accountability or any support systems besides just myself. I was trying to balance running a one-person business alongside creating on Medium and writing consistently across the platform. And the big thing is that I was really burnt out."
When Michael joined a supportive community in May 2023, things changed. He went from 6k followers to far beyond his goal by the end of the year.
"If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together. And in the content creation space, you're in it for the long game. You can't win this overnight. You can't win this over one year. If you're in this for the long-term, you need to find a community. You need to find a team of people who are on the same goals, who value the same thing as you."
2. You've Got A Bottleneck With Your Current System
Aaron Barnes, a high-performance coach with over 500k followers across Instagram and TikTok, was spending five hours editing single videos. The high benchmark he'd set for himself was becoming unsustainable and limiting his ability to grow his business.
When he focused on "effortless content formats"—ones that were both enjoyable and low-lift in terms of time and effort—everything changed.
"The biggest win that impacted me was breaking through the limiting beliefs that I had around the expectation of content. Being able to create effortlessly, I was able to go from creating something that took me 5 hours to edit to something that would take me 30 minutes."
3. Or You've Been Thinking About This For Months
Antonie 'Ant' Ng sat on the fence about joining a creator community for months before finally jumping in. Here's what he said afterward:
"Don't be like me. Don't sit on the sidelines. Don't sit on the fence. Don't hang in the darkness watching and looking at all the incredible things that are happening and not do anything about it. Because the only thing I can say is I wish I started sooner. Because of the access, the support and the level of inspiration you'll get in this community, it's unmatched."
Your Move
The question isn't whether you're "ready." You're never going to feel fully ready. The question is: will you give yourself permission to play bigger?
Will you let another month pass telling yourself you'll start "sometime" in the future? Or are you ready to finally commit to showing up fully as the main character of your own life?
Mamba