What Do You Call Yourself?
Welcome to Episode 10 of Forging Fortune, an inspirational podcast for visionaries, activists, and future-focused entrepreneurs anywhere between the poles on the life experience spectrum.
I recently read an article about how infants rely on their caretakers’ facial expressions and tone to orient themselves in the world. From our earliest moments, we search for validation from the outside world - clues that we are on the right track, doing the right things, that we’re safe. All of us, especially change-makers, have to be careful about where we get that validation; how we satisfy that very basic, nearly universal need. Because on the shadow side of fulfilling that need, we can succumb to anything from self-sabotage to participating in our own exploitation and that of others.
As you delve deeper and deeper into what makes you tick; as you start to uncover the truth of your unique gifts and desires, it can feel like opening an unfamiliar box. You won’t find your natal gifts sitting on a shelf, neatly labeled. You’ll find them as you go to unpack a learned behavior that doesn’t feel good, something like overworking.
This process is painful. It’s isolating. And those are all feelings you have to learn to process without responding to. There are people who will demand that you choose between them and yourself. And you’ll have to let them go. You will have to believe, for the first time in your life, that you are what’s best for you, even if that means you’re alone. If you choose to face a moment of spaciousness, and let your fullest self expand into all the corners of how your relate to the world, that space will be filled with people who wouldn’t change you if they could. They will relate to you, they will create with you, and they will validate you through their awe at you.
As you endeavor to call your own community, remember that this space is here for you. Long after you’ve built your own place, this space will also be here for you. This is where you will find the validation you deserve, where you are appreciated and where I can remind you that I have faith in your power and purpose. Join the email list for encouragement and proven reminders of just how powerful you are; write to me at hello@minaraver.com. And, if you ever doubt yourself or what you’re creating, just remember, I am so grateful for you. See you soon.
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