Don’t Leave Any Light on the Table
In sales, we had a saying: “Don’t leave money on the table.”
It meant knowing your client so well that you could meet every need, solve every problem, and add as much value as possible. The more you understood them, the better you could serve them — and the more successful everyone became.
That same principle can transform the way we live our lives.
What if you stopped leaving light on the table?
The Light You Leave Behind
We spend decades mastering how to serve others — family, work, community. We anticipate everyone else’s needs, often better than our own. We pour out our time, energy, and creativity until we forget that we’re not an endless well.
Somewhere along the way, our joy gets budgeted.
Our curiosity gets postponed.
Our light gets dimmed by duty.
But what if, just like a great salesperson studies her client, you became deeply curious about yourself again?
Your longings, your patterns, your sparks of joy?
When you start to understand what lights you up, you’ll see dozens of places where you’ve left light on the table — moments of laughter you didn’t take, dreams you shelved for later, words you didn’t say because you were afraid they wouldn’t land well.
Closer to the Exit Than the Entrance
In Return to Light, Chapter Seven, I write about the moment we realize we’re closer to the exit than the entrance. It’s not a warning. It’s an awakening.
We don’t have time to keep living on autopilot.
To keep saying “someday.”
To keep playing small because we’re afraid of shining too brightly.
This chapter is about urgency — not the frantic kind, but the sacred kind. The kind that whispers, “Now is the time.”
When you remember how precious your days are, you begin to see every one of them as a currency of light. And just like in sales, you stop leaving it on the table. You start investing it — in experiences that make you feel alive, in people who lift your spirit, in choices that align with your truth.
Know Your Client — You
You are your most important relationship.
Your own soul is your lifelong client.
And she’s been waiting for you to really listen.
Ask her:
- What do you need today to feel alive?
- What do you wish I’d stop postponing?
- Where have I been playing small, apologizing for my light?
Then act on the answers.
Make her life easier, fuller, more meaningful.
Sell her as much joy, freedom, and fulfillment as she can hold.
The Legacy of Living Fully
When we stop leaving light on the table, we don’t just change our own lives — we illuminate others.
We become examples of what’s possible when a woman in her prime chooses to live with urgency, depth, and purpose.
That’s legacy.
That’s the light that outlives us.
So today, before you move on to your next task, take a breath and ask yourself:
“Where am I still leaving light on the table?”
Because this is your time —
to live fully, love deeply, and leave nothing unlived.
Teresa Rodden Return to Light
About Teresa Rodden
Teresa Rodden is a coach, author, and guide for women in their prime who are ready to stop numbing, start feeling, and live with purpose. Through her signature message, Love Yourself Back to Light, and her newest body of work, Shadow Love, Teresa helps women embrace every part of themselves — even the dark places — as essential to their brilliance.
Her work is about more than “fixing” what’s wrong; it’s about returning to truth, rewriting limiting narratives, and allowing the shadow to teach you how to shine. Whether through her writing, coaching programs, or live workshops, Teresa invites women to explore with curiosity, meet themselves with compassion, and reclaim the power of their own story.
Connect with Teresa on Instagram @i_am_teresarodden or learn more at TeresaRodden.com.
