More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say)

by Elaine Welteroth

We don’t prioritize our time with ourselves. We rarely set aside moments to be still, to access our center. And the bottom line is, when we don’t focus on our inner light, it dims.

When you exist in spaces that weren’t built for you, remember sometimes that just being you is the revolution.

We don’t need to have all the answers. But our job is to keep on dreaming and trusting enough to put one foot in front of the other.

Discovering what you don’t want is just as important as finding out what you do.

I knew I had to find the love in the work in order to be any good at it.

Women are taught to work hard and to play by the rules. We are taught to never overstep, to stay in our lane, to keep our head down, to go with the flow, to never be too loud or disagreeable. Not to be bossy. Not to be pushy. We are not encouraged to know our worth, let alone to demand it. We are not given the tools to fight for ourselves or taught to challenge authority.

Women aren’t taught to get comfortable with making people uncomfortable.

“So, the way I see it: there is work, and then there is your life’s work. My goal was to build my life around the latter.”

“You should be a little fearful,” Ava told me. “That’s good. It’s a motivator. We all feel fear when we’re about to do something great.”

“I think the universe is calling you to be a little bit braver right now.”

The truth is, job titles are temporary. But purpose is infinite. There are no destinations, no happily ever afters in real life, no glossy pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. There are only new beginnings.

Trust that life will continue molding you, challenging you, and readying you for your next adventure. But only you can choose to walk away from what no longer serves you, to leave what you’ve already conquered, and to step boldly into what’s next.

When you find yourself existing in the space between dreams realized, parts of you will feel too big for where you are, while other parts of you will feel too small for where you’re going.

And when the world tells you to shrink, expand. Remember: You have done enough. You are enough. You were born enough.