This past Sunday afternoon while I was attending a conference in
Indiana this dude in a beanie with a crocheted sweater and jeans on walked onto
stage as one of the featured presenters.
He was amongst a crowd of professionals who were dressed in the best
professional wear that they had in their closets. And, did I mention he was a presenter? And
that the other presenters had formal wear on? My initial thought was something
along the lines of: wait a minute I’m not in California, why is he dressed like
that? And I’m sitting here in a dark room in a blouse and flats while you’re ON
STAGE in jeans and a comfy sweater? Soooo RUDE! And TOTALLY jealous!
People do have their reasons. His reason: krochet kids. This guy’s concept stole
my heart (he was actually pretty good lookin too). And, obviously, made me reconsider the silent
judgment I made against his décor. He,
his brother, and another friend put a crazy idea they had into action and have
been helping women in Uganda and Peru to sustain themselves and their families
for the past 6 years by crocheting clothing and selling it (he was wearing some
of the products these women crochet and sell, by the way). Not only that, they have helped these women regain
a since of confidence and meaning. With the tools and resources they provided
through their outreach, many of the women have been able to start additional small
businesses on their own.
And that wasn’t the end of this inspirational spree.
There was a question that was asked by a lady leading one of
the sessions that was something along the lines of why should we apply for
those jobs that we may not think we are qualified for? My response: because of
the things we bring to the table and the impact we may have on others. In the words of the author that the very
session was inspired by, “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as hard
as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky
but not nearly as dangerous as giving up love and belonging and joy—the
experiences that make us the most vulnerable.
Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover
the infinite power of our light” –Brene Brown.
I’ve never actually applied for a job that I felt I was
necessarily fully qualified for from the get-go. BUT, something inside of me
told me to go for it. I might have
lacked the confidence, but I made up for it with my feistiness, or what some
call my fireball attitude. And what I
have learned from this, like Brene Brown says: I have found so much love, joy,
and belonging. I’ve risked loads, but
I’ve found light. I guess that doesn’t just go for a job but chances in life
that I have taken too.
As I carried this mission to explore the darkness throughout the conference, it opened up doors
that helped me to learn so much more than if I had held back. And when I’m on a mission, ain’t nothing
gonna slow me down!
One of my favorite parts was learning about a historical
figure in Higher Education. Her name is
Naomi Norsworthy. (Chances are you have
never heard of her, but I highly encourage you to read about her here. If you don’t have much time, skip to
paragraph three of the “career” section).
Whenever I hear about women who are who they are and they can take a beating (think Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin)
and still live out who they are, it makes me believe more in me.
I really felt invigorated, and still do. And I realized how important it is to
recognize what may be holding me back, but to still go for it. To understand the risks, but do it
anyway. Love, light, revelation, legacy,
reinvention (#acpa2014)…I could keep going…is all around us. Whether we need to change our gaze, or be
slapped over the head by our best of friends to realize this, we need keep
working towards greater things.
Yah, yah….conference kick…you could call it that. But hold on a minute. What are some tools here that I can continue to
carry with me, that you can continue to carry with you? Tools that are going to help
us get past the darkness? A few of the many answers: awesome quotes that
inspire (pinterest quotes board, anyone?), books that encourage you to be the
best you (author Brene Brown), people that you just wish you knew because it’s
like they’re a part of you (for me some of those people are FDR, Marie Curie,
Rosalind Franklin), happy songs (Walking on Sunshine, Happy, Best Day of My
Life), dogs (you should get one they’re the best), etc.
Life ain’t always easy, but we’ve got each other and I can
work with that! We can work with that ;P
I hope that you realize how important that you are (Read The Help by Kathyrn Stockett). How much that you CAN do. How letting darkness, including uncertainty and fear, consume you is so cruel and unnatural. That the risk to rise above that CRAP is worth taking. You can do it, and you're not alone! We've got this.
