I read a lot about people who have come from the bottom of the barrel and climbed to the top. These are my favorite stories because I relate to these kinds of people much more than someone who was spoon-fed all their riches and glory. They give off a, ‘hey, if they can do it I can too’ kind of vibe. But one thing that never sits well with me, is when they say that they were a nobody, and then became a somebody after they “made it”. So you mean to tell me that you’re a nobody during the climb? I think not.

Now, depending on how you define success, your “made it” could be being the mother of 5 healthy babies and a loving helpmate to your husband, or it could be donning the title of CEO to a fortune 500 company. But truth be told, if you wait around for others to acknowledge you, to give you definition, then you’ll forever be looking to find yourself.

The other instances are when I read ‘oh nobody wants me’, or ‘I’m at the bottom of the totem pole’ and all that other negative self-depreciative talk. And the big one, ‘who am I?’ who am I to do this, or do that, who am I to be this, or to be that, and then get upset when they get a response that basically says well, you’re “nobody if you don’t know”.

And there it was, “Nobody if you don’t know.”  How many times have we talked ourselves out of starting a project because we felt we weren’t good enough? How many times have we convinced ourselves that he wouldn’t want us because we felt we we’re pretty enough?  How many times have we walked away from opportunity because we didn’t feel talented enough? And how many times have we said Next Year I’ll do it next year, then next year came and by the 3^rd week of January you were screaming next year again?  

I’m not coming from a place of spoon-fed knowledge this is the echo of a woman who has muttered far worse things about herself and finally took a stand and said enough is enough! And trust me, it isn’t easy and it’s an ongoing battle of the mind. But you see, I believe we are all somebody whether someone else acknowledges it or not. If we don’t believe it why should anyone else?

Last year, a general consensus was made that I needed to work on my confidence. People who stood in my corner all saw something in me that I coudn’t wrap my mind around and that mental block hindering my growing progress. It was time for me to move.  I had been in the ‘well, at least I’m not where I was last year’ mode too long. Towards the end of the year I finally said to myself ‘bump it, I’m just gonna make it do what it do’ and so I made mental notes that I would put in a conscious effort to no longer downplay myself as an individual or the time I put in trying to be a darn good woman and professional. If I wanted to realize my vision and not just get stuck and labeled as a only a dreamer, I had to 1^st see myself accomplishing everything I mapped out in my head to be my destiny. I had to 1^st see me.

Believing in ourselves, embracing our gifts, knowing we can always sharpen our skills and abilities, is key to doing the unthinkable. Because although you may have cheerleaders in your corner, a cheering squad can take you but so far, especially when your biggest contender is yourself.  If you want to be somebody you have to believe that you are somebody. (What? Did you think I was going to say ‘and you want to go somewhere then you better wake up and pay attention)

You are what you believe in your heart to be true.

You have to believe that you are somebody who deserves to be loved, if you want genuine love, because quite frankly you won’t tolerate anyone for long who doesn’t love you the way you want them to. You have to believe that you deserve to be cherished, that you deserve a promotion, your ideal client, a trip to California so you can finally see some of the best cosplayers around! Well, you get the picture 😉

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.’ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. -Marianne Williamson

Until Next Time…

Flickr Credit: Lel4nd