Tameka AndersonBehavior Coach | Creator of the THRIVE™ Framework & CALM Method™ at Cultivate Potential Strategies

Are You Playing Small? Pt. 3 #selfimprovement

25 Aug 2024 · 1 min

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In this self‑improvement monologue, the speaker warns listeners about the dangers of "playing small" – allowing oneself to be treated as a back‑burner option and a source of unpaid emotional labor. She describes how people may use you as a cushion, therapist, life coach, or mentor without ever valuing or compensating you. The speaker argues that staying in this role keeps you isolated from the community you truly desire. She challenges the audience to ask themselves whether the people in their circle genuinely value them, positioning this self‑assessment as a catalyst for breaking free from the pattern of playing small.

Chapters

So now I want to discuss the dangers of playing small, AKA shrinking. People use you as a cushion and a back burner option. They view you as someone who will always be there whenever they finish chasing other people, places, and things. You're their therapist, life coach, mentor, and ploy for emotional labor, even though they wouldn't dream of paying you for it. Nope. They don't value you. If that stings, good, because this is the danger of continuing to play small. The longer you play small, the longer you keep yourself from the community that you actually crave. So ask yourself this question: do the people in my circle value me?