Marianne Williamson: Littleness vs. Magnitude

Last week, I went to hear Marianne Williamson speak at the Saban Theater in Los Angeles. (She speaks there every Monday night, actually, so get on over there if you’re in LA!)

Marianne’s talks are lessons from A Course in Miracles. If you’ve ever actually picked up the course, you may have felt a little overwhelmed – there’s a lot of stuff in there and it can be hard to digest…but the teachings are awesome, so it’s nice to have people like Marianne who can break it down for us into smaller bites.

The topic she focused on last week really struck a chord with me. It was the concept of “littleness vs. magnitude.” What does that mean? Well, to put it simply, it means living SMALL or living LARGE, to your full potential. Living in a way that encompasses your bright amazingness in the world…or not. Get it?

Marianne said that every decision we make in our lives shows the value we put on ourselves. We can choose “littleness” or we can choose “magnitude” with every choice.

To understand what I’m saying here, try to think of any areas of your life where you’re doing things that you know aren’t reflecting your true awesomeness. Examples could look like this:

• Not starting a creative project that inspires you because you’re afraid you’re not good enough/it’s not perfect/whatever
• Staying in a relationship or chasing after a potential romantic partner who doesn’t fully respect/value/cherish you
• Making a choice to treat yourself poorly in the realm of self-care
• Continuously accepting sub-par treatment from anyone
• Judging and comparing yourself to others (playing the “compare and despair” game)
• Engaging in negative self-talk (whether out loud or just in your head)
• Not choosing to do things that you know will make you feel more peaceful, healthy, happy

Did any of that resonate with you? I know some of them resonated with me, for sure. There are countless other ways we cut ourselves down and choose littleness over magnitude every day. If you have any other ones that you’re working on kicking in the ass, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. :)

“All you have to do is resist the things in your life that veil your magnificence. Littleness will never be enough for you. You don’t have to strive for magnitude…just make a choice against littleness.” -Marianne

So if every decision you make shows the value you put on yourself…

How will you treat yourself?
What will you eat?
Who will you spend your time with?
What will you do in the world?
What will you spend your time THINKING about?

It seems like a simple concept, but I know it can be a challenge to put into action. Ask yourself these questions:

In what areas of your life are you playing small?

How can you strive against littleness? How can you respect/value yourself more and really rock out more in your life?

You can have the career/love/life of your wildest dreams. Beyond your wildest dreams, even….but you have to make decisions that don’t cut you down. Decisions that don’t cut your dreams down. Chances are, you already know where you’re doing this. We all do it, so don’t stress out about it, just keep it in mind…and day by day, gently lean towards stepping into your own magnificence. :)

Thanks for the wisdom, MW!

Check out Marianne’s recent appearance on Oprah