The Key to Your Greatest Potential

At WomanSpeak, I witnessed someone step out of her cage and set herself free. I witnessed another woman unleash her voice and take another step towards reconnecting with herself. I witnessed another facing her fear even when she didn’t feel ready to speak. I don’t fall asleep well on Wednesday evenings when we have WomanSpeak. The energy I feel that night from our group is palpable and it takes me a while to calm down. I am reminded of my purpose. This is what I am meant to do.

When I started this journey in October a year ago, as I sat at my computer on the very laptop I am now typing on, I was sitting in the dark. It felt safe and comfortably familiar but there was also so much pain and suffering. It was lonely. I saw myself but only as well as one could in the dark. I saw an image of a woman intensely flawed and unworthy of love and of being seen. But I couldn’t take the pain anymore and so I started writing… and the words began to flow. I am not a writer. I didn’t know at the time why I started this newsletter but I knew I had to and trusted it. I’ve never looked back and now, I believe…

I am worthy. I am whole. I am a light shining bright so others can start seeing themselves.

We sit in the dark so no one can see us but the problem is, we then cannot see ourselves. So instead of seeing who we truly are, we see the version of ourselves weighted with our painful experiences, with the heavy expectations imposed on us and on ourselves, with our perceived failures, with the overwhelming feelings of helplessness and the feeling that we’ve lost control of our lives. We cannot see our true selves—the version of ourselves who can give ourselves grace, who are strong, courageous and capable of action and change, who are worthy of whatever it is our hearts desire.

This past month has been inspirational. I’ve stepped into some of my fears, pushed myself past my comfort zone and am energized from our WomanSpeak group. Inspired by the first month’s curriculum where we shared what we believed, I would like to share some new “I believe” statements…

I believe our greatest fear and our greatest desire is one and the same—to be seen.
I believe our fears are the key to seeing our true selves and reaching our greatest potential.
I believe we are all meant to shine bright and it is this light that will change the world.

Step into the light. Turn away from the dark and see yourself. You are worthy. You are whole. You are a light meant to change the world.

I believe in you.

This is from a personal journal writing shared in the newsletter and typically not shared on the blog. To read these, subscribe to the “I Matter” newsletter below.