Before becoming intentional about self development, I lived a life on autopilot. I did what society expected of me, what my family and friends and most of all, what my community expected of me. Living a life from the outside in made for a life unfulfilled. I came to realize that I wanted to show up as authentically and wholeheartedly as possible. That meant that a change needed to happen from the inside out and that I could no longer live from the outside in.
I was exposed to personal development through friends and colleagues and started attending seminars and reading books that introduced me to a life of radical responsibility. I started to understand that in order for me to show up fully, I needed to take stalk of my life as it was and later map out where I wanted it to be. The bridge that would lead me from where I was to where I wanted to be was responsibility. Taking full responsibility and ownership of my life as it was and leading myself to where I wanted to go.
If there’s one thing I could pass on to you it is that no one is coming to save YOU! As women, we have been conditioned to wait for someone to save us! We dream of the day a man will claim us, the day our boss will give us that promotion, the day the government will give us that funding, the day “they” will swoop in to save us! I want to awaken your audience to the fact that the savior they have been waiting for is the person in the mirror. She can rise up and take up space. She can build that business, she can change her circumstances, she can show up with vulnerability and strength. She is wise, capable and equipped. The treasure we have been searching is buried on the inside. We need to dig deep and unearth the value that waits in US, the earthen vessels.
African women are strong and resilient. We have gone through a lot and therefore have a lot to offer. It all begins from within.
Showing up has led me to understand and connect with parts of myself I did not know existed. It has led me to understand that we are more alike than we realize. When I show up fully and authentically, flaws and all, it allows my sisters to show up fully as themselves too. We are all so weak yet so strong, we are broken and yet whole. Showing up allows us to see each other and meet each other where we are. With no judgement or competition, just pure connectedness. I am on a quest to show every African woman who is connected to me that I am her and she is me and together we can shape a world we will be proud to have our children inherit.