B3B3 
SPORTS, FITNESS &SPORTS, FITNESS & 
HEALTHY LIVINGHEALTHY LIVING 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 28, 2026 
THE FEAR OF OUTSHINING 

Ever caught yourself holding back your true brilliance? Perhaps 
you've downplayed your achievements, minimized your talents, or 
made yourself smaller to avoid making others uncomfortable. Maybe 
you've even stopped yourself from sharing good news because 
you didn't want to seem boastful or "too much." 

If this resonates, you're in good company. The fear of outshining 
others is surprisingly common.

Lori A. Harris 

This hesitation often has deep roots in our childhood. Remember 
those well-meaning messages? "Don't brag." "Stay humble." "Don't make others feel bad." 
These instructions stick with us long into adulthood. But here's what I've learned: Dimming 
your light doesn't actually benefit anyone. 

As Marianne Williamson powerfully reminds us: "As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously 
give oth-er people permission to do the same." The world doesn't need a watered-
down version of you—it needs your full, authentic brilliance. 

When that fear of standing out too brightly begins to creep in, try these approaches:

1. Acknowledge It. Simply notice when you're holding back. Ask yourself, "Am I doingthis be-cause I'm afraid of outshining someone?" Awareness itself is a powerful tool. 
2. Reframe It. Instead of thinking, "My success might make others feel inadequate," try,
"My will-ingness to shine might actually inspire others to embrace their own gifts." 
3. Lean Into Your Purpose. When your focus shifts to serving, inspiring, and upliftingothers, your brilliance becomes a gift to share—not something to diminish. 
Remember this truth: Your success doesn't diminish anyone else's potential. There's abundant 
room for all of us to shine. When you show up fully as yourself, you silently give others permission 
to do the same. 

Here's my invitation for this week: Find one opportunity to step into your greatness without 
apology. Say yes to that opportunity you've been hesitating about. Speak your truth in that 
meeting. Share your ac-complishments without minimizing them. 

And if you're feeling particularly courageous, send me a note: Where have you been holdingback, and what single step will you take to shine more brightly this week? 

Cheering you on,
Coach Lori 

Lori A. Harris is an award-winning coach who helps her clients discover a life they love. You can learn 
more about her at loriaharris.com 
(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH, 2025) 

Millions of people watched the Super Bowl this year. And 
millions more watched the Olympic Games. From our couches, 
it all looks exciting, dramatic, and sometimes almost easy. The 
athletes run fast, jump high, throw far, and make it look natural. 
What most people don’t realize is that many of these events are 
decided by a fraction of a second. Sometimes the difference 
between first and second place is less time than it takes to blink 
your eyes. 
In Olympic races, winners are often separated by hundredths of 
a second. In football, one step, one inch, or one perfectly timed 
move can change the outcome of a game. These moments feel 
huge when we watch them, but they are actually very small. And 
those tiny moments are built on years of work. 
Elite athletes don’t train for the big moment. They train for the 
thousands of small moments that come before it. We see the final 
play, the finish line, the medal ceremony. What we don’t see are the early mornings, the long 
practices, and the boring drills done over and over again. We don’t see the missed family events, 
the sore muscles, injuries or the days when progress feels slow or invisible. 
Most elite athletes are not practicing until they “get it right.” They are practicing until they can’t 
get it wrong. That’s an important difference. 
At the highest level, everyone is talented. Everyone is strong. Everyone is fast. The athletes who 
win are often the ones who improved just one small thing. Maybe their reaction time was a little 
faster. Maybe their foot placement was a little cleaner. Maybe their conditioning allowed them 
to stay focused for just one more second. When winning comes down to a fraction of a second, 
small improvements matter a lot. 
Sometimes we forget that second or third place is not losing. In the Olympics, those athletes 
are still among the best in the world. They trained just as hard, showed the same discipline, and 
performed at an incredible level. The only difference was a fraction of a second or a tiny mistake. 
Calling that a loss misses the real story. 
It’s also worth remembering that these athletes didn’t wake up one day and suddenly become 
great. The Olympic sprinter wasn’t always fast. The quarterback wasn’t always calm under 
pressure. The gymnast didn’t always land perfectly. They earned those skills through repetition 
and consistency. 
Consistency doesn’t look exciting. It looks like showing up even when you don’t feel great. It 
looks like doing the same drill again, even when you’re tired of it. It looks like trusting the 
process when there’s no guarantee of winning. That’s not just true for elite athletes. It’s true for 
all of us. 
Most people aren’t training for the Super Bowl or the Olympics. But we are training for our own 
lives. We’re training to stay strong, move well, avoid injury, and keep our independence as we 
age. Those goals may not come with medals, but they are just as important. 
Progress in fitness usually doesn’t happen in big leaps. It happens in small steps. One extra walk 
each week. One more exercise done with better form. One habit repeated often enough that it 
becomes automatic. Just like elite athletes, everyday people don’t need perfection. They need 
consistency. 
Watching elite sports can sometimes make people feel discouraged. It’s easy to think, “I’ll never 
be that good.” But that’s not the point. The point is to appreciate what the human body can do 
when time, effort, and patience are applied over many years. 
When you see an athlete win by a fraction of a second, you’re not really watching a single 
moment. You’re watching thousands of hours of work finally come together. 
That kind of performance doesn’t come from motivation alone. Motivation fades. What lasts is 
routine. What lasts is showing up. What lasts is doing the work even when no one is watching. 
The Super Bowl and the Olympics remind us of something important: greatness is rarely loud or 
flashy while it’s being built. It’s quiet. It’s repetitive. It’s often unnoticed. And then, for just a brief 
moment, it shows up on the world’s biggest stage. 
So the next time you watch a game-winning play or an Olympic finish decided by a blink of an 
eye, take a second to appreciate what you’re really seeing. You’re seeing discipline. You’re seeing 
patience. You’re seeing what happens when small efforts are repeated long enough to make a bigdifference. 
That lesson applies far beyond sports. It applies to fitness, health, and life itself. 
_________________ 
Michele Silence, M.A. is a certified fitness professional who offers semi-private/virtual fitness 
classes. Contact Michele at michele@kid-fit.com. Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness 
Michele Silence, M.A. is a 37-year certified 
fitness professional who offers semi-private/
virtual fitness classes. Contact Michele at mi-
chele@kid-fit.com. Visit her Facebook page at: 
michelesfitness Visit her Facebook page at: 
michelesfitness. 
BY A BLINK UNLOCK YOUR LIFE 
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