“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood.”
Daniel Burnham, an American architect heralded particularly in Chicago, is known to have made this powerful statement. And while I don’t love the gendered phrasing (or the fact that further into this speech, he mentioned how the speech-goers’ sons and grandsons will go on to do great things), this quote has long helped center me in times of self-doubt.
It can be really hard to trust your own magic. Your own intuition. Your own plans and gifts and dreams. Especially if they go against norms or expectations, or when they’re thwarted by harmful systems.
But when we allow our self-doubt to keep ourselves small, we’re denying not only ourselves but the world around us the beautiful opportunity to grow, to stretch, to create, to build…to dream.
I say all of this with collective phrasing because I need to remind myself of this, too. Often.
I think it’s really valuable here also to take note of this idea of what is “little.” Because I think quotes like this can sometimes be used in particular by CEOs, people in stereotypical leadership roles, and coaches to frame everything valuable within a very particular context—make the biggest gestures, lead the biggest groups, make the biggest changes. And while that’s great if that’s helpful for some, I find that context to feel like way too much pressure, and also, it doesn’t inspire me to live most fully in my own unique self.
Can you relate?
Keeping myself small looks very different than it might for someone else. Denying my dreams, my intuition, my plans, will inevitably be very unique to me. I know myself enough to trust that my magic is not found in becoming the CEO of a large company—that’s just not me, and it doesn’t mean my plans are just too small. For me, being the founder of my own small business is big, and planning, creating, and building this work has been no small feat. Even if it looks small from the outside, my deep knowing of myself tells me that I don’t need to belittle it just because others might see it differently. And that goes for other things, too, that may look even smaller—daily meditation, deepening my relationship with my body, developing a more sacred bond with nature—these are all vital to my own being, and they are integral parts of me honoring my magic and being able to share it with the world.
So, for you: where are you keeping yourself small? What big dreams, magical plans might you create for yourself and the world around you if self-doubt didn’t creep in? If you allow yourself to get really quiet and listen to the hum of your spirit, what is being communicated to you? What is your body guiding you to know for yourself?
Make your own magic, my dear one. Trust your gifts, your dreams, your plans. We need you, to stir the magic within all of us just by you being your most deeply honored self.