Q: I’m struggling with taking the leap and following my passion and know I’ll be okay. How do you decide when to just go for it?
At the end of the day, you have to take those opportunities because they’re there for a reason and they are calling you.
I think a lot of the time a lot of people struggle with like how come? Like, how come this is happening to me? Why do I get this opportunity? Do I deserve it? Then they get in their head.
This is how I felt in the very beginning. I never thought that I would fit in as a model. I didn’t think that I would fit in. I didn’t think that I would be successful. I didn’t think that it was something that could happen for me. I just didn’t believe in myself.
The hardest thing is for us to truly believe in ourselves. To know that we can do it and that we deserve to be here. You belong here because of your voice and your experiences and your knowledge. You are the only one who carries the gifts that you alone have been given. And when you are called to use those gifts it’s up to you to say ‘yes’. When we don’t feel ready, it can be helpful to find ways to remind yourself that you are enough. One way that worked for me is to retrain your mind to think that way and I realize that this can be the hardest part, but it’s totally worth it.
Something I’ve been working on for years and I know it’s corny, but using affirmations can make a huge difference because what you tell yourself is what you’ll end up believing. So, if you tell yourself that I’m not good enough or that I’m not ready – that’s exactly what you’ll end up believing. So, if you can spend some time thinking about how you can retrain you mind with the messages that you tell yourself like; I deserve to take up this space and that I’m here for a reason, then these opportunity will come to you when you’re ready, even if there is a part of you that doesn’t totally feel like it is. You will know that you are ready because it is calling to you. And it’s happening for a reason. So, take every opportunity you can and don’t let that little mean voice inside your head tell you that you do not deserve it because you do.
What gives me inspiration and what I find so beautiful is when I see more and more Indigenous people take up the spaces we are meant to be in and have long been denied for whatever the reason. Kids and youth and even Elders believing in themselves and just going for it makes me so incredibly happy. And when this happens, more possibilities and more opportunities become available to our relatives. So take up that space and be proud!
Take care,
Sister Q
Quannah ChasingHorse
