Me so wanni twinki-winki.
While writing a book, I decided on the name for my brand. That’s the creative process at work, don’t ya know.
There I was writing the chapter where the kids in my story have this pivotal moment. Ya see it’s when they get all happy and sing the “Twinki-Winki” song together. And that’s when I realized that this moment was the whole point of my book. Yeah, that’s when the sparks went off.
Because it hit me that this story and my purpose behind creating my brand are the same:
Twinki-Winki is all about giving yourself permission to shine.
In the story, the song is first sung by Pika, a little circus bird with big dreams. And because Pika speaks in funny broken English, she says “me so wanni twinki-winki.” It’s her way of saying she wants to shine like a star.
Me so wanni twinki-winki. You so wanni twinki-winki.
You’re not here on this planet to hide under a rock. You already are who you were born to be. But you’ve gotta let yourself thrive. You’re here to dream big, act big, and love big.
Permission to shine whenever you want. Granted. As in, heck yeah.
And on that note, here’s the Twinki-Winki song for ya. I had to turn the song from my book into a real song, don’t ya know. Click play:
Dreaming big is how we thrive. Living small is how we hide.
Turns out the Universe has a wicked sense of humor. When my perfectionism got the best of me, I stopped letting myself dream big and my surroundings shrunk to match my desires. The good news is I’ve figured out that perfection is a big fat lie. Yeah, I’ve become aware of how perfectionism has kept my joy on hold. Pretty much all my life. Yikes.
And now I’m learning to let myself dream big again.
The fact that you’re even reading this is proof that I’m getting unstuck and stepping into my truth. Because Twinki-Winki is the next level of my big self.
Ya see I’ve combined all my loves into Twinki-Winki - my art, design, fashion, and teaching. And by doing so, I’m finally giving myself permission to shine. Like this:
• Learning to overcome my perfectionism and fears about not being good enough.
• Reminding myself about how much I love having fun with fashion, and how expressing my personal style on the outside makes me feel braver on the inside.
• Figuring out how I feel about the world through storytelling and writing.
• Teaching about the creative process of art-making and inspired living.
Our deepest fear.
If dreaming big is how we thrive, then living small is how we hide. So the million-dollar question is:
What keeps us living small in the first place?
And if you say we’re afraid to mess up and feel stupid, that’s not the real reason.
And if you say we’re worried about disappointing others, that’s not it either.
And if you say we’re not smart enough or wealthy enough or don’t have friends in high places. Nope. Nope. Nope.
Those are the narratives we’ve invented to justify our fears. But they’re not the cause.
So what keeps us living small in the first place?
We think by living small we’re keeping ourselves safe. And maybe at one point in our lives this was a belief that worked. But is this belief still serving us? Or has it become a giant stupid misbelief.
The irony is that by living small you’re not keeping yourself safe. You’re keeping yourself stuck. Because chances are that you’re using it as an excuse to not move forward with the scary thing of trying something new and different. I know this because I’ve done this. I stopped taking chances and decided playing small was easier than having big dreams.
Let Marianne Williamson inspire you with her beautiful poem, Our Deepest Fear. Let her words sink in slowly, deep into your bones.
“Our deepest fear is not 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, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won’t 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’s not just in some of us;
It’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we’re liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.”
- Marianne Williamson
Read this poem a gazillion times if ya need to. Your inner knowing will recognize the truth in these powerful words even if it makes you super uncomfortable. Your discomfort is only a sign that maybe you’re loosening your grip on a dear old narrative you’ve latched on to over time.
Who are you not to be fabulous!
Take it from me, a recovering perfectionist and introvert now showing up in videos as the Pink Fairy for all to see. Because I’m giving myself permission to shine by caring less and playing more. Amen.
Fabulous is as fabulous does.
To do fabulous start by thinking like your future fab self now. Because she’s treating herself with kindness and having fun styling her outfits. She’s expressing her creativity and not waiting for a special occasion. She knows she doesn’t need a reason to feel good. And she certainly doesn’t need permission from anyone else to shine.