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

by Elaine Welteroth

We rise to every occasion. We strive for excellence. Because that is what Black women do. We take what we can get, and we make magic happen. We make lemonade.

In that moment I felt as though her comment had just reduced all the years of hard work I invested into building my career from scratch—and this early success in my new role that directly benefited both of us—to the color of my skin.

It was hard not to notice who felt compelled to participate and who did not. The silent voices were the loudest.

toxic brew of White privilege and unexamined White fragility

For generations Black men have been trained to surrender, to apologize, to appear as “nonthreatening” as possible, to smile, to assimilate, to overachieve, to do whatever you can to remind White people of their humanity—but even then there are no guarantees of safety.

“The thing about privilege is, oftentimes you don’t even have to think about inequality when you don’t have to face it.” They

ANYONE WILL TELL YOU the greatest leverage in any negotiation is a successful track record and a genuine willingness to walk away.

That night, I wrote a bucket list of goals and I gave

we all have a responsibility to lift as we rise.

you are no good to anyone if you are not good to yourself?”

I erupted into the kind of sobs someone cries when they’ve lost someone they love. And I had. Myself.

In the process of becoming the woman I always wanted to be, I forgot that it involved becoming a whole person, not just the success story I had been trying to write my whole life.

When the music changes, so must your dance. It was the most beautifully worded truth, a profound lesson reminding me to trust my instincts, to let life guide me, and to never stay anywhere doing the same things longer than I was supposed to.

“There is no glory in a grind that literally grinds you down to dust.”

there is hustle and there is flow; and you cannot successfully achieve one without the other.

Oprah says the hardest thing about breaking up is never just the end itself. It is the death of the dream. Whether it’s a promising romantic relationship, a cherished friendship, or a dream job, in the end, you can’t help but daydream about the if onlys and what-ifs. You mourn what could have been, until you are forced to confront what it is: over.

“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 elevated all of us.”

We prayed that God would take away the nerves and remove any intimidation, ego, fear—anything that would stand in the way of connection.

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.”

Go anyway. Do not wait. Do not wonder if you can. Do not ask for permission.

when the world tells you to shrink, expand.

You have done enough. You are enough. You were born enough. The world is waiting on you.