Light shows what’s in front of us. Whether we’re driving at night, putting a booklight on a book, or wanting to see our way along a darkened path, light illuminates so we can see better.  What have you been shining the light on in your life?

There’s this phenomenon: what we focus on, we attract more of. So, if we think negative thoughts and/or talk about how horrible our life is, we’re going to bring more of that into our lives. Essentially, we’re shining the light on negative things and wishing our lives were better.

On the flip side, if we focus on positive thoughts and believe that everything is going well for us, our light attracts more good things.

It seems easy, right? Think good thoughts, have a good life.

Well… life isn’t always easy. What then? If the light is shining on someone who is ill or in pain, how are we supposed to deal with that light, thinking only good thoughts? We can’t.  All we can do is see the light without being affected by it. I think that’s what medical personnel do. How else can they care for people day in and day out and still laugh when their shift is done?  There must be some training at the school level to help them compartmentalize where they direct their empathy so that their light doesn’t dim in the face of others’ suffering.

We have to figure out where to shine our light so that we can balance the good with the bad things that happen.

 

A Brighter Way

Some folks genuinely believe that life is not life without the ups and downs. It’s one way to look at living, but it’s not the only way.

I believe we can have some control over our lives just by what we think and do.

For example, if we do know someone who is ill and suffering, we don’t have to make it our suffering. We can be compassionate and loving, but we don’t have to take on the other person’s feelings. We can make them laugh with humor or brighten their light with a happy story, all the while keeping our light shining bright despite what is happening around us.

Everything we have in our lives, for the most part, has been created from what we think about. I used to think this wasn’t true, but then I saw the evidence of what I had been thinking and how I manifested it in my life. I was a believer from then on, and now I try to be very mindful of my thoughts.  But I’m human, and I’m not perfect.

The best thing we can do for ourselves and for the people we know and love is to shine our lights as brightly as we can.

Years ago, I would let others’ lights shine brightly and didn’t care whether my own did. I didn’t want to be better than anyone else or make anyone feel bad. I know it sounds strange, and I don’t recall where I got the idea, but apparently, I learned to light the way for others before I did it for myself. Yes, it’s a good thing to be kind to people, but we cannot do so at the expense of our peace and happiness.

So where are you going to shine your light? Are you going to crank up the wattage and let the world see your authentic self? Gee, I hope so.

Dimming your light is like turning the dial down on a really good song on the radio. It’s there in the background, but who can appreciate it that way?

We want people to appreciate us. That’s when we know we’re living well. We do what we know is best and want recognition for it. What better way than to shine the light on ourselves so that others can see us clearly?

Light Up Relationships

Communicating our thoughts and feelings with others is shining our light. Those who welcome the light and respect us for it are the ones we want to be in our lives.

Speaking about what we want, how we feel, and sharing who we are is like shining a bright light on ourselves. I know I’ve had a difficult time doing this, and it has only hurt me. Until I learned that my voice is just as important as others’, I kept my light dim. We get out of life what we put into it, and we get out of relationships what we put into it.  When we shine the light on our life, and the relationships we feel are important, they blossom – just like a flower in the sun. Without the sun, the flower cannot survive.

If your light is dim, the other person in a relationship cannot see you clearly, and that’s when misunderstandings, disrespect, and pain arise.

 

 

To Sum Up

We’re responsible for our happiness and peace, and one way we can be more attentive to our needs is to keep our light shining brightly. No matter what happens, keep shining your light on what matters most.

Thank you for reading this. Please turn up your brightness and show the world just how spectacular you truly are.

To Shining  Light,

Francesca

 

 

Written by a human for humans.    

 

© 2026 FrancescaME | All rights reserved.

NO AI TRAINING: Any use of this publication to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.

 

 

 

*DISCLAIMER: FrancescaME is not a therapist or doctor, and any information shared is from personal experience, self-learning, and research.

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