A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. – James Keller

My good friend Jonathan Mead wrote a great piece titled “How to Let Others Shine.” I’m going to extend the conversation here, both because I want you to read his piece and I also didn’t want to write an epic comment on his website.

Here’s the essence of his post:

“The more you give, the more you become a conduit of illumination. You plug your heart’s spark plug into something bigger than you.”

There are some truths that need no explanation. That summary is one of them.

I love the idea of letting other people shine, but I’m going to encourage you to go one step further. Rather than just letting them shine, what can you do to help them shine? (Jonathan touched on helping people shine in his post; I’m just placing additional emphasis on it.)

Some people are so bright that they merely need to be acknowledged for what they’re already doing to shine. Others need some additional help.

Maybe they’re weirdos who are afraid that their shining will be disastrous for them. Maybe they shined in the past and shined too bright for some of those around them and were outcast. Maybe they grew up in an environment in which shining was bad.

I believe that we all shine on the inside and that we’ll shine with those people who provide the right environment for us to do so. By actively helping and encouraging people to shine, you might unlock a lighthouse of hope, love, and contribution that will light the way to a safe refuge for others.

It really is all about the ripples.

Yes, let others shine if they’re already shining. But turn up your antenna to notice those quiet people whose outer brightness is dwarfed by the superstars in their galaxy. You might be surprised at how bright they can be.

Who can you help shine today? Will you?

Special note to Big Kahunas: who can you personally help shine who isn’t on your support team or client/customer list?