Change Starts Here
I started this self-esteem blog to make women of color feel better about themselves. Too many of us settle for less because we don't think we can have it all. I hope these blog posts will help you realize you can have it all and so much more.
If you have any topics you think would be beneficial or questions, press the "ask" button above or e-mail confidencehappens@gmail.com.
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About 8 hours after my college graduation, I was in the midst of what I like to call and pre-quarter-life crisis. At 22 years old, I can’t call it an actual quarter-life crisis, but I started exhibiting some of the symptoms, like sadness and insecurity about where I am in my life. The crazy part about it all is that I have a full-time job lined up with a company I’ve been with for a year and I love working there. My crisis was brought on by the uncertainty of what happens after this stage of my life. I planned on running the world by the age of 35 (not really the world, just Seventeen) and I felt like that wasn’t going to happen.
While I’d advise against the crisis part (confidence is always an uphill battle), there’s nothing wrong with reaching for a big dream if there’s any way it could become a reality. I was 15 years old when I set my ultimate goal and I wasn’t going to let anyone tell me it was too impossible. I’m sad when I meet women who settle for a job that’s more attainable because they’re afraid of failure. The key is to realize that if you really want something, failure is not an option.
Women really can run the world, but we’re too busy settling and trying to keep one another down to really do what it takes. As a woman of color, it will probably take even more work. Personally, I’ve sacrificed a lot just to make sure I can compete with my peers in spite of any opportunities I wasn’t given because of financial worries. Any of you can do the same thing, no matter what your current situation is or where you grew up. Oprah, who’s wrapping up 25 years on television, went from a young reporter to a self-made billionaire because she wasn’t going to settle for less than what she wanted. She still isn’t settling.
It’s normal to get discouraged every once in a while, but you can’t stop striving for what you really want. Don’t just say you want to do something, say you will. Ironically, I learned this after a motivational talk I did for a group of high school students deemed to be “at-risk.” A male speaker interrupted my speech and told me I was aiming too high. So I told him he will open Seventeen in a few years and see my photo on the editor’s page. I proceeded to tell everyone else in the room that they could reach their dreams if they put in the work.
The world isn’t handed to you. If you want to run it, get out there and take it.
The photo above is from Beyonce’s performance of her new single “Run the World (Girls)” on the first episode of Oprah’s two-part farewell.
