Take Up All the Space

It takes courage to take up space.

How often have you been told to quiet down or hold back a little? How many times are we given the message, either directly or indirectly, that we need to make ourselves smaller or quieter or less than we are?

In a previous post we talked about having the courage to know you are enough. Today I want you to know you are not too much. You are not too passionate. You are not too successful. You are not sharing too much or doing it too loudly.

You deserve the space you are taking up in the world. You deserve to take up more.

I was asked recently why I enjoy putting out these posts. Why, for 40 days, do I get up each morning and write about courage and my struggles? Am I looking for praise and accolades? Do I just want people to know I am here?

While the answer is absolutely “no”, I am also going to say that I am not ashamed of the growth in the readership I have seen. I am not ashamed that when I was my most vulnerable, I received support I never imagined. I am proud to put this out in the universe every day, not for praise and accolades, but because it provides an opportunity for me to connect with people and hopefully share some common humanity.

And I do have some ideas about taking this journey further…to take up even more space in the world. I need to find the courage to do that though.

No matter what you are doing, you deserve to do it as well as you possibly can – whether you are a swimmer who has been told to slow down, a student who is holding back because she doesn’t want to appear “too smart” to her peers or if you run a small business and wonder what people would think if you were more successful.

It takes courage to stop playing it small and take up all the space you can! Win the race. Earn the scholarship. Don’t be ashamed of success. Publish the book. And then publish another. Ask for the raise. Accept the praise.

Let’s stop allowing other people to decide how much space we ought to take up. This is not a zero sum game. If I am successful, I do not take away your opportunities for success. If I am well loved and supported, it does not mean you can’t be too.

I want you to know that I am here to support your dream – the very first topic of this journey. I would love to hear how you are bravely taking up space in the universe. Imagine what our world could look like if you were to take up some more.