Stuck in a Space of Silence - A Call for Courage

Thank you for inviting me into your sacred space of sharing. A place to share your voice and your truth. When I joined the World Pulse community on International Women’s Day I was taking a leap of faith. I was taking a chance on myself. It’s something I rarely do and am still getting used to it. But after taking part in the zoom call that day, I felt reassured that I had made the right choice. And since I’ve started reading your stories, I can already feel the strength in sisterhood.

I grew up as a quiet, introverted girl who was surrounded by outgoing friends and a large extended family. I was the observer and the listener. So I conditioned myself into thinking that silence was what was expected of me. After all, it was where I felt most comfortable. Thus I’ve been stuck in a space of silence for most of my life. 

It wasn’t until this past year that I really began to question my place in the world and what I had to offer others. Since I had just moved to a new country and couldn’t find a job, I began to write. I allowed all of my thoughts and feelings to flow out of me. It felt liberating! But I knew I couldn’t stop there. Once I had found my voice, I wanted to share it. So here I am, just over a year later, and I’ve finally stepped into my power. I struggled for so long to find the courage I needed to be confident. Now that I have, I feel a calling to do the same for others.

I feel so grateful to have found this community that’s based in empowering women. A positive place to uplift one another! I always thought that I had to do everything on my own. Learn my lessons, face my fears, and survive struggles on my own. But now I see that support conquers separation. And sisterhood conquers silence. So I vow to continue speaking up for myself and for my fellow sisters.

“I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. … We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” - Malala Yousafzai