No, you don’t need to be seen…

So many are pushing us to be visible. To shine the spotlight on their brilliance. But there’s a reason why we need to stay hidden.

I was watching a video by Tyler Perry where he says that sometimes, we are meant to be hidden so we have more power in the future when negotiating deals and making connections. Here it is so you can review:

[easyembed field=”video-perry”]

The video was a little hard for me to follow; perhaps the clip was part of a longer video. So, I think he was saying that we’ll have more power in the future if we stay hidden now.

Which got me thinking…

If you have to fight to be heard or to be seen, it could that God is blocking you so that you can:

1) Heal from your trauma – If the memories of your mess is too raw, you’ll do more disservice to your audience by sharing your gloom way too early. If you’re still crying whenever you try to share your pain, there’s still work you need to do.

2) Perfect your process – Instead of fighting to be seen, take the time to work out the kinks in your signature story. Take others through your signature process, then collect testimonials. Understand how to effortlessly move people from one step in your process to the next.

3) Build your brilliance – The period of invisibility allows you embrace your gift and know it intimately. Gain confidence in what it is you’re really good at. Get people to endorse you for a skill on LinkedIn.

4) Create consistency – Nothing ruins a personal brand more than doing things sporadically. Not even social media algorithms like an inconsistent person (try posting something that is counter to anything you’ve posted in the past 3-months and see if it gets any likes). Being hidden means you work out the topics and themes you like to post about so you never lose steam.

5) Move you into another place – Perhaps God simply wants you to stop doing what you’re doing and stop hanging with who you’re hanging with. So, He frustrates your every move so you can finally let go.

The need to fight to be seen is exhausting. Instead of fighting for visibility, accept that this is a sign from the Divine that you need to work on something.

What this isn’t…

The power of hiding isn’t about hiding your power. When you hide your power, you’re purposely concealing the gifts that God has specifically given to you.

The power of hiding means that you detach from the need to be seen and embrace the period of invisibility.

My friend, Paul Zelizer, captures it best…