Make Room

At the beginning of every year, most people ascribe to the obligatory staple that is the New Year’s Resolution.  You know, the method of assessing all that they have and haven’t accomplished over the course of a 365-day period in an effort to properly align their goals and strategies for the next 365.  And like most people, after determining areas for improvement, many of us develop high expectations and grand progress lists for ourselves that will help us to navigate the waters a of a new year.

One concept that most would consider intuitive but that is often overlooked however, is the priority in ensuring that while our goals and strategies are being executed, we are actively and unapologetically committing to…

…creating…

…demanding…

…taking up…

…space for ourselves.  This notion may prove to be different for each person, but if we are truly expecting to carve out success for ourselves, we must ensure that we aren’t diminishing who we are in the process.  That could mean anything from not internalizing other people’s opinions to refusing to make ourselves small so that another can be comfortable.

Creating/demanding/taking up space can sometimes prove especially difficult for those of us who tend to feel marginalized in the communities in which we occupy daily.  But, by normalizing the things that make us diverse, embracing the experiences that give us unique perspectives and countering dismissive language and behaviors that would otherwise make us feel ashamed of who we are, we are in essence taking conscious steps toward qualifying our right for access, inclusion and belonging.

Are you comfortable with where you find yourself at this point in your life?

Have you considered how you will actively create space for yourself this year?

Are you in a position to make room for others?