Now you've got me singing, "What the world - needs now - is Self - sweet Self." Seriously though, great article. And an ongoing process; I'm constantly updating my website and blog to get to the heart of who I am, what I offer...vulnerability included.

Thank you so much for writing this article...it was exactly what I needed to hear this morning. You see, I started recording videos of my Journey as an entrepreneur...and they're horrible! I keep messing up! But I decided to keep the "flaws" in the videos because it truly is a part of The Journey. I posted my first one yesterday and had planned to start a wordpress vlog. But when I woke up this morning, I thought, "WHAT am I thinking?"

Then I read your article - thank you for speaking to me. Thank you for the validation!
Deidre

The irony is that our "flaws" are our humanity. We are all works in process. By being willing to share that as well as our expertise, we give people something they can relate to, we inspire them to realize that they too can step forth and share what they have to offer.

Thank you for the wise encouragement, Molly. In these times especially, we need people of integrity to come out and participate and lead.

In times such as these, one must be especially vigilant regarding one's rection to colleagues' success. If you hear that the buddy you had lunch with last week just got three plum writing assignments / gigs / gallery shows / consulting clients, it may be tempting to say, "I knew she was sandbagging on me, that she really had some esoteric secret she wouldn't share!"
After sending that impulse on its way, we must celebrate the friend's success. Then we must go back over some time frame in our own lives - a week, month, five years, whatever is sufficient - and review our successes and instances in which the universe affirmed our effectiveness for our basic mission.
The next step, Molly, is what you have discussed here. Put that unique thing you do out there. Dig into the deepest level of why you do what you do to find out what makes your contribution unique.
There's a power each of us has that no economic upheaval can diminish. That's cool to remember.

Delicious, heart warming, well said and damn girl, you good! This wisdom needs sharing and I aim to do so but first I had to say Thank You for reminding us that when we are authentic--ugly and imperfect parts on full display--we speak to the hearts of the beans we share this path with. Heart to heart, how powerful, how needed, how easy with this kind of a reminder.

This post touched me deeply. Thank you so much for it. I'd set aelf-promotion goals for myself, started, then froze. Yesterday, I named it as terror and wondered how I would get unstuck. This morning, your powerful ezine arrived in my inbox. This is the heart of it for me. Thank you. And Diedre, I haven't even had the guts to shoot a horible video. Perhaps we should compete for worst ever - that is, most human ever.

One other thing: "Human beans" is priceless! Takes all the pressure off to think of myself as a bean. It's also a possible product (virtual or actual): give someone a bean when they do something human. Better than rewarding attendance, it's rewarding showing up. I'm thinking of it in terms of the virtual drops people give each other on the website associated with the book "How Full is Your Bucket?" http://www.bucketbook.com

Thanks again for this powerful post.

Thanks for this Molly!

It's such a wonderful reminder that we don't need to be perfect we just need to have the courage to be who we really are!

"When we accept the challenge of "putting ourselves out there" as a call to deeper engagement rather than shallow manipulation, we are putting our small selves on the line for the sake of something bigger than we can imagine."

Thank you for this wonderful post, Molly! A powerful reminder that we shine our light, right here, right now, in service to the One light in all of us. And no matter how small the candle, its radiance transforms the dark.

Fantastic article.
Just what I needed to hear today.
Thanks so much!
Diana

"Like the Velveteen Rabbit with it's bare spots and missing eye, we may be rubbed raw (and we will be made more beautiful).

But only if we are willing to be found out as less than perfect."

Gorgeous. Amazing. Thank you, Molly.

Great post, Molly. I loved it. And to add to it (and to a little self-promo myself) I clipped this bit from one of my HubPage articles:

Claiming Your Power
The philosopher Thomas Aquinas said that when you avoid creating because you don’t want to look arrogant, you withdraw from your power. Failing to take a stand for your greatness was, in his mind, worse than arrogance.

In Creation Spirituality, Matthew Fox says, “Aquinas feels that pusillanimity — the burying of your talents—is a greater sin than presumption, since thereby a person withdraws from good things. There is more danger in your remaining small and thus depriving others of your gifts than in offering those gifts and thus tempting pride, ambition or envy.”

The article, "On Commitment, Completion and Success" is at
http://hubpages.com/hub/On-Commitment--Completion--and-Success

Thanks for this beautifully written post. It's very inspiring!
Thought you might like this: http://www.whatsuponplanetearth.com/latest.htm

"Far from leading to ego inflation and grandiosity, conscious, authentic self promotion calls us to humility, to a right-sizedness that is grounding and enriching in the best sense."

For most of my life I struggled with the idea that "self promotion" was arrogant or prideful. I was taught that humility was the goal - and I thought that meant living so that I wasn't noticed. I would occasionally share my full glory - only to shrink back into thinking I'd offered too much. I would set small goals. I'd practice the piano once a week instead of once a day. I wouldn't share my writing or my thoughts. I coasted along with a B average on natural talent and never did any homework. I'd go at life 3/4 speed, so to speak.

Several years ago, God impressed upon me that I am dishonoring Him - and doing the world no favors - by holding back what I have to offer. By trivilazing the gifts, I trivialize the Giver. I learned that True Humility is simply knowing who you are and acting out of that knowledge. It's knowing what your gifts are, what you have to offer the world, and offering the world who you are - simply and truthfully.

Now, when I feel that old shame creeping back in, I tell myself, "True humility is knowing who you are." And I remember what St. Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." (Adversus Haereses, Book IV, Ch. 20, #7)

Thanks, Molly, for sharing your glory, and thus some of God's.

This is a wonderful article! Your creativity will also soar when you accept yourself and what you bring to the world!

Rock...

ON!!!

Once again, Molly, you have said powerfully what I need to hear.

I am most grateful for your generosity with your gifts. Thank you!

Cheers
Nona

Thank you Molly. This is exactly what I needed to read this morning as I meet my shyness to promote the holy healing holiday music that is truly from my heart, and that causes it to feel vulnerable as I offer it to others.

I love sewing seeds (or Human Beans) of compassion. The world's religious traditions (including the scientific ones) all say this: "What we sew, so shall we reap," "What goes up, must come down," "Judge not lest ye be judged," "What goes around comes around," and so on.

What I love is your little twist on this -- which isn't really new so much as it's been too often forgotten. That is, a heroic reclamation of our basic goodness being inseparable from our human frailty/vulnerability. Some people call that essence the "self" and others mix it up with "Ego" as if it's to be excised like a tumor. I like to to consider this essence to be our fundamental nature that can't be measured. It's at once "ours alone" as it is "ours together."

Long short, I like that what makes me blush about myself is the intricate way in to connecting with others. FYI - I'm a philosopher who talks too much about what people may or may not be that interested in. They remind me of this, I blush, and try not to do it again... ;)

This is so good, I love you and the work you do - and great comments, too.

The self is so vulnerable and remains in fear of failure while believing in imperfections, so the voice drives us to hide that. The Self is invulnerable and has no reference for failure and imperections thus remaining in a state of Grace. I have found to try to let go of any belief brings on the self and more fear. When I question my belief of a thought, it lets go of me and my true Self is all that is left, invulnerable and pure love.
I am so grateful that you share with us the way you do Molly. I continue to question my thoughts and find that loving what is, including everything the self calls negative is the most glorious way to live in this world today. It leaves nothing but gratitude and willingness to serve.

The phrase: "delaying life and work until we get one more certificate, one more degree, one more insight" really struck home with me. I was preparing two proposals for workshop presentations and feeling my lack of the appropriate degrees, so I asked a friend with a PhD to co-chair one with me. My co-chair for the other workshop is someone with less formal education than I have, but more than enough experiential education. When the workshop with the PhD co-chair was NOT accepted, but the other proposal WAS accepted, I laughed out loud - for the second workshop is really where my heart is. Thank you for your insight, and constant encouragement.

Each of your comments warm my heart. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. I hope everyone will take the time to be nourished by what you've written.

What a beautiful post — and so necessary! Your picture reminded me of being a little kid, and showing off constantly ... 'Hey mom, look what I can do!'