Are You Hiding in the Basement?

Have you ever seen one of those movies that the audience erupts in applause at the end? One that moves you to think about your life? That’s what happened to me when I saw, “Hidden Figures.” It is the true story of three African-American women at NASA who, as the synopsis of the movie describes, “serve as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glen into orbit.”

Courageous is how I would describe these three women. At a time in history when African-American women were relegated to the basement of NASA, they were the ones who fought to shine their lights.

Were these women afraid? YES. But their fear didn’t stop them. 

Against all odds, these amazing women KNEW that if they stood up for themselves and shined their lights, they could make a difference.

And they did.

As I think about this movie, it brings me to tears. I guess I need to do more introspection with this.

Am I being courageous in my life?

Are you?

I like to think I am. I live from my heart and stand up for what I believe. I take risks where I didn’t a long time ago. But I think there is more I can do.

If you took a stand for being courageous, what would that look like? Would you make a shift in your work? Would you speak up more? Would you allow your light to shine like never before?

Would you follow the passions in your heart instead of staying in survival mode?

58150690 - girl in adolescent crisis sitting on the steps of a basement, covers her face with her hands. a natural light penetrates from above.

Most of us make decisions out of survival. We’ve been so programmed to believe that we must control our world and protect ourselves from pain and suffering that we lose who we are.

Our need to control our surroundings and “play it safe” is what shuts us down to leading a life we love.

But here’s the problem with this mindset: Energetically, as we live in survival mode, we attract more of this to us. Like energy attracts like energy.

But when we move into a “thrive” mindset and have the courage to take risks, we shift. And that’s exactly what happened to the women in the movie.

It was fascinating watching them take tiny steps of courage. At first they played it safe, always trying to say the right thing or do the right thing. That’s when they worked in the basement.

Tiny steps led to courageous leaps of faith. And with each one, these ladies shifted into “thrive” mode and moved out of the basement. As they stopped hiding their lights, not only did they make a difference for themselves and their families, but also for all of mankind.

What difference would you make for the people around you, or even the world, if you stopped hiding and playing it safe? If you took a risk and said, “From this day forward I’m following my heart. I’m standing in my truth. I’m living full out! I no longer make choices out of survival mode, but out of thrive mode,” how would your life shift?

What I know for sure is that courage is key to living a life you love. It is the cornerstone of making a difference in the world.

“Hidden Figures” is a great metaphor for what happens when we make a decision to no longer hide. As we become more courageous and end the madness of playing it safe, we become Women Leaders of Love and stop relegating ourselves to the basement.

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If you’re ready to step fully out of the basement of your life, I invite you to grab my free e-book, Women Leaders of Love: How to End the #1 Massive Mistake Women Make & Unleash Your Greatest Act of Service. In it, you’ll see why having the courage to stop playing it safe is YOUR greatest gift to mankind. Fill out the box below to grab it now, along with its three free companion meditations. Enjoy!



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  1. This title ( subject line) caught my attention. Since 2006 I have been working out of my basement and now I am moving into a storefront. It’s taking longer than I thought but hopefully I will be out there shining very shortly and being visible in all sorts of ways including some big projects I have I in stores. I am dreaming bigger than I ever thought possible.
    By the way, I am a baker and cake decorator and my bakery will be mostly gluten free.
    Thanks for reminding me that my place is no longer in the basement. 🙂

    1. Elana,that is awesome! I am so excited you wrote and that you’re literally moving out of the basement. Congratulations and good luck! Let our tribe know where you’re located so if any of them are in your area they can come by and get some gluten free goodies. You go girl! Let your light shine bright! ~Terri

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