First, believe the lies. All of them. The ones that make you feel small, very small, and insignificant. You know? The “you are not enough” lies and all their different variations. Don’t just accept them, ingrain them into your identity. Make them part of who you are. That is the first step.
Next, you must act invisible. Assume no one sees you. Wrap Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak around you wherever you go and pretend it’s actually protecting you. Well, in a sense, it is. It keeps you from letting others in, letting them see the real you. It protects you from rejection, criticism, and judgment. Who wants that?
Did I mention timidity? That is an essential component of this process. You must be timid at all times, especially those times that could potentially further your growth as a human being. Let go of self-assurance, courage, or confidence, they will only push you outside your comfort zone. That is no way to hide your light. You must be easily alarmed and everything must scare you. Become best friends with fear, it is the master of concealment. Let fear be your guiding compass from this point forward. It will teach you everything you need to know about covering up the unrelenting light that wants to shine through you. Unfortunately fear won’t make the light go away; it can only suppress it. Push it so far down you will have to spend years digging it back up. But don’t lose heart, there are plenty of ways to lay on bricks of darkness to ensure the light never has the chance to expose itself.
Also, you must learn to hold back — your voice, your willingness to take a risk, and most importantly your true self. The business of hiding your light from the world has no place for authenticity. Holding back is recommended.
Once you have the invisibility piece down and you’ve grown accustomed to living in fear and believing the lies while holding back who you really are, you are ready for full immersion into the Underground Guild — a very large organization with group of persons formed for mutual aid and protection against the forces of the universe that are designed for your unfolding and expansion. Here you will learn ways to help others hide their light. You will mirror for them their own lack of worth. It becomes easier to self-destruct when we have the aid of other people’s discouragement and belittling.
Because you see, the more you hide your light from the world — your radiance — the more you want others to do the same. It’s too much to watch them shine; their illumination is too much to bear.
Should you lose your way and stumble upon the desire to grow and share your brilliance with the world, go back to the first step. If the bricks you have laid begin to crumble from the piercing of the light in you that wants to break through, find more bricks to lay. There are plenty all around you. You can even use the ones others have thrown out. If you fail to find some in time and the truth of who you are begins to be exposed, concoct more lies. You can find those all around as well. Under no circumstances should you be in the vicinity of people who see your light underneath the layers. They will only encourage you to keep digging.
The work of hiding your light will be exhausting. It will deplete your energy and steal your joy. It will keep you up at night wondering what to fix about yourself. Be warned, it is only for the fainthearted. But hey, millions do it everyday. And many have mastered it. I’m sure you can too. If unsure where to begin, start with step one.