 Nelson Mandela in his inaugural speech when he became president of South Africa Was a great speech, but one of the things he said in the speech, and I want to read it to you In terms of wisdom for life Idea for us. He said our deepest fear isn't 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 and talented and gorgeous and fabulous, but actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God, and you're playing small and playing safe does not serve the world There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so the other people will not 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 all of us and And as we let our light shine we unconsciously give others permission to do the same thing as we are liberated from our fears Our presence automatically liberates others. I love that because What he's saying is that our freedom gives permission to others to be free But often especially in the society where you may live or the postcode where you live or the background You came from or the culture that you live in certainly here in the United Kingdom We are not known for being generous towards other people. We are known for being complimented to other people Things we like about them and promoting people speaking well of people We're more known for negativity and pulling people down the tall poppy syndrome We call it in this country where if someone's a bit taller Than us doing better than us. We feel it's our job to pull them down a peg or two to sort of let them know That the who do you think you are kind of thing then that's what Mandela is speaking against of course in apartheid South Africa It was a message that was deeply needed, but it's needed all across the world and I want you to risk being you I think it's it's risking being you is what he's talking about that no one benefits society the world Do not benefit from you shrinking back in case you step on someone else's toes in case you steal someone else's limelight There is no benefit in not being you life is Too short for you not to be you and I think what Mandela is saying Still his voice is still saying to us all across the world Beat you the God sent you here to shine. You don't have many years to do it so shine and be the you that God intended you to be and Maybe that shining That you have will just liberate someone that does not believe they have anything to shine about That's what he's saying that if enough of us did that it would have a knock-on effect to liberate others So that out of them comes the greatness that's in them, too