FINDING YOUR VOICE

It was actually Brene Brown for me, funnily enough! My therapist and I were reading one of her books together and we came to a passage about how shame needs the dark. If it’s exposed to light, it can’t hold power over you. I’m a survivor of abuse from way back and always thought I was at fault too. Her words resonated with me and I no longer feel the guilt. It’s been very freeing for me. Hugs to all those who are struggling!

I was a sad child, a bullied child, an abused child. Some of the worst times for me, I felt a protection that I couldn’t name. I responded with faith and love. I struggle with CPTSD, and felt the end was near. But, in my heart and in my mind, I knew someone cared and loved me. I only realized it when I was much older, it was Our Heavenly Father. When ever I need, I look up and know that I am never alone!

My daughter. She has shown such strength in her 15 years. I guess the thing she says that touches my heart is, ‘its ok.’ She takes thing that would destroy me with an ‘its ok’.

My Mom once told me “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” It has stuck with me for years, really makes me think before I speak and act.

Life is forever changing and with it, so are the things in life that encourage us each day and inspire us. I always find new quotes, passages or words of wisdom that get me through the day that I have a tendency to post around my work space. What I have around me now is this…

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. – Henry David Thoreau

We are constantly looking around us everyday. To me, it’s a reminder that no matter how things look from the outside, we can all have different perspectives of any given situation. Everyone and their perspective matters.

My grandmother. First woman to go to college and get a degree in her family. She had five children and lost two of them when they were infants. The others she raised to be hardworking and independent. All of them went on to go to college and establish themselves. She taught me that it’s always best to be yourself (no matter how strange) and to work hard and show love to everyone. I am now the first of her grandchildren to have a degree.

She’s too incredible ❤ and the kindest soul I’ve ever met (while still being tough as nails).

As cliche as it might be, my mother’s words have always been the most inspiring and most important in my life, especially as I’ve gotten older and had children of my own. She overcame an incredible amount of trauma in her life and still managed to not only survive, but thrive. She raised three children on her own and always parented with patience and humor. Every morning on our way to school she would tell us to “make good choices.” She is an incredible woman.

My two-year-old daughter makes me so proud already with how she has embraced using the word “no” to let her family know how she feels and that, in turn, she knows that the power of her words will be respected and she can trust them to with us.

“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” Those words by Rosa Parks have stuck with me throughout life. I met her at the age of nine when she was on a book tour in my city. She was the warmest most genuine person I have ever met and she has been my lifelong hero ever since.

my middle school principal announced over the intercom every morning “make it a great day, or not, the choice is yours”. it’s always been an inpiration to make every day great!

My mom is my inspiration because she has been with me through thick and thin..I love her so much..

The first person who came to mind was actually Amanda Gorman! When she began to read her poem during the inauguration, my jaw dropped. Such powerful words.

Since she is already mentioned in this article, I’ll give two other examples of women whose voices have inspired me greatly – Greta Thunberg, a small but mighty voice for climate change, and Bindi Irwin, a protector of animals everywhere.

My mom is my greatest inspiration! My biological father left my mother when I was born, so it was the three of us: my mother, my older sister, and me. But my mother always did her best to raise us to be the best we could be, even holding multiple jobs to make sure that our lives could be looked back on in positive views, with the least bit of negative that she could. We still squabble, of course, but my mom is my best friend and I’m eternally grateful for her. She’s left me many motivational words throughout my life, ones I will remember forever.

My Momma is my inspiration. She goes above and beyond to take care of our family. She is inspiring, hardworking, and kind. Thank you, Momma, for all that you do for us!

Hi!
This one is deepest and most profound truth of life – a lesson from my ‘guru’ spiritual master – “The most nearest thing we have which is also the most farthest (challenging) to understand is our (true) SELF, once you have grasped this SELF (source of energy) right at that point you become the CREATOR of your own life! Hence the journey – to create life of our liking, healing, earning, etc.. starts from within us and ends within us.”
Thank you!

May (Real) You be with You!

Regards
Kajal

I believe everything happens for a reason. Its all apart of a bigger plan. And god made you exactly how you should be. Beautiful just the way you are!

My mom, she is the most important person to me. Raising me by herself is such a true inspiration, and as I continue to grow, I love being by her side. My mom does everything in her power to make sure I succeed, I appreciate her so much.

My sister is one of the most important people in my life. She’s two years older than me but with her wisdom and good advice it might seem like more. She has gotten me through some of the toughest times in my life, from schoolwork to friendship

My daughter inspires me. She was non-verbal and I prayed over her ability to not only speak but that using her voice would be part of her purpose. As a young child she commands a room and has such a gentle loving spirit. She is embracing her speech and language. Her determination to communicate with others is incredible and inspiring. I know she will continue to grow into her voice and impact lives!

“You can do anything”, that’s what my philosophy teacher told me when I was a literature-loving, socially-awkward 17-year-old stucked in a science section. She said it with so much confidence it stayed with me – indeed, uncomfortable starts do not determine your whole life!

My mom friend told me to not worry about other’s judgment in regards to raising my child and to keep doing a great job.

These three qualities are in all of us. You are a courageous, fabulous, and super you! My mom shares all these qualities and I hope to use them to inspire others.

My mom was my back bone. Ever since I had full knowledge if adult hood being young tough fast energetic. I had no issues in life. I just wanted to be free and enjoy life to the fullest but then I got married and became a mom,being a young mom and a college dropout I had no hopes in life so confused and mixed in ups and downs and depressed. My mom gave me support looked after me and my child raised her financially supporting us both.but then came a time she got very sick and got cancer again. I had three kids myself I couldn’t see her slipping away but she had to go and told me your on your own now my child. I took her words for granted and raised my kids like my mom wanted and was hot depended on no one except myself. She always told me to believe in yourself and you can conquer the whole world. Don’t let anyone let you down. I will always miss my mom for me she was a strong woman.

My grandmother was the greatest inspiration in my life. She not only taught me which fork to use, but that if I prayed everyday, I would be able to find the strength to carryon no matter the challenge.

My Mom is my inspiration. When I was a little girl she taught me that I could be anything I wanted to be – even the President of the United States. Her love and affection helped me to heal from a previous abusive situation I had been in as a small child. Now, even as an adult I look back to her words and presence to get me through the roughest of times. This woman is not my birth mother, she was my stepmother. Whenever I thanked her for being there for me ahe would say “Oh, honey it was a labor of love.”.

Growing up I hated reading and academics was a struggle and had teachers say I won’t get past 3rd grade academics, but when I moved and went to a new school I had a reading teacher who kept pushing me and did extra work with me to help. At the end of that school year when they gave out awards I was given the reading award out of my entire grade level and I really didn’t understand why. After the end of the ceremony I asked why her response was “because you made the most improvement and give your best effort” that simple sentence has changed my thinking ever since. With those words she gave me more confidence in myself and my academics. She is one of the many reasons why I teach.

I also had a neighbor who has given me many inspirational talks on a variety of things. She is another person who has inspired me to teach and honestly to keep on living my life when I hit a low and couldn’t see why I needed to live.

This part near the end of Lane Moore’s 2018 book HOW TO BE ALONE strikes an even stronger chord with me uring the pandemic:

My sister-in-law is a therapist and she gives the best advice but the most important thing she has told me is to stop,breathe,imagine something or someone you love and then make a decision or comment depending on the situation. If your heart and mind are in a good place your responses will be too.

my mother always gave sage advice and I learned a lot from her. She told me to trust my instincts and gut feelings. They are almost always right.

We become what we believe we are. Thank you all for inspiring all young girls, especially my grand daughter! Peace!

I’ve been inspired by a lot of women throughout my life. Most recently, two people have been my cheerleaders through the ups and downs: One is a close friend. The other is an influencer on Instagram. I believe that it doesn’t matter where you find strength… it’s how you gain it by allowing yourself to be open to the wisdom of others.

My mom would always show me how to do different tasks. what is memorable about it as she was showing me how to do it, she would say “Like so Frieda”. To this day she still says it and makes everyone laugh

When I was 19 and just newly married, my husband’s grandmother (Nonni) came into my life, and showed me how to seriously cook and clean a house. She also showed me what a saint she was, because she worked full-time and still had time to cook a big Italian family dinner “every” Thursday, and all while having stage 4 cancer. She was only in my life for a little over a year before passing, but made such an impact on me. And when I became a grandmother, I wanted to be called “Nonnie,” just like what we called her. I just added an e at the end, just to be a little different.

I had a high school journalism teacher write in my senior yearbook “you are more capable than you think you are.” Those words have stuck with me throughout my life.

" Mistake are the steps to get to successful in life" – this is a phrase that I always tell myself.

High school band director who when I was on a career trajectory said, “Go forth and conquer!”

As a multicultural dada artist with social anxiety, learning to cope in a world where even adults can act like children sometimes is scary for me. Especially when I learned the hard way that my parents can’t always be my cheerleaders.

For me, John Lennon and his song, “Beautiful Boy,” has long stood the test of time as a way to help me remember that no matter what happens, as long as one is willing to live and adapt to the world around us without giving up our personal identities, anyone can succeed as showcased in the famous line, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

Like Lennon, I too have done things that I wasn’t too proud of doing in the past like pushing aside a friend of mine with autism for the sake of pleasing my parents when I should’ve been more patient with her. But now I understand through trial and error, intelligence, like life, is what you make of it. The only way to understand it is to open your heart to multiple perspectives and take the time to listen before making a decision.

My mom is my inspiration.

My aunt Gail was always giving pep talks. Always said it doesn’t matter if you fall trying what matters is that you get back up and never give up! …. she was always supportive.

Honestly, my teenage daughter. She has had a rough go of it this year and our family has been through one thing after another. Looking back at what my daughter has gone through, she has become my superhero. I’m amazed that she found the courage to get up each day, no matter how hard it was. It didn’t always look the way I wanted it to look. Most of the time it didn’t. In retrospect, I see what a warrior she is. Most people wouldn’t have been able to function and continue to do the things that she did get through. We all still have a lot to get through, but I’m amazed at her and I have to remember that things don’t always look like the way I think they should look, but the wins and gains are really something when you really think about them. I am so proud of her and I hope some day she will know how much.

My mother has always been my source of strength and courage.

What I can do, you cannot. What you can do, I cannot. But together we can do something beautiful for God.

Yes, you must live life beautifully and not allow the spirit of the world that makes gods out of power, riches, and pleasure make you to forget that you have been created for greater things – to love and to be loved. Quote by Mother Teresa of Calcutta

My mom said " work hard, your dream will come true, No matter what".

All of these women!! ❤️ Pema Chodron has been a huge inspiration and teacher for most of my life. And her teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. I have so much appreciation for them and their teachings. xoxo

I feel like today, April 9th, Fearless Day, the only true answer for me can be: Taylor Swift dedicating over a year of her life to taking back what’s rightfully hers!!!

My Japanese teacher, affectionately known as Sensei Ramirez is the reason I graduated high school. I spend four years in her class room, everyday all day, and she became more than a teacher to me. She talked about the issues that affected real people, feminism, racism, mental illness- she made me, and the rest of her class, feel heard, feel important, and feel human.

A friend and coworker told me once after I was having boyfriend issues that I may want him but I don’t need him. That snapped me out of my sadness and made me realize I’m a strong, independent woman.

A few of the ones I might have chosen have been covered here, but I have another: Amanda Palmer’s “The art of asking” TED Talk.

“And through the very act of asking people, I’d connected with them, and when you connect with them, people want to help you. It’s kind of counterintuitive for a lot of artists. They don’t want to ask for things. But it’s not easy. It’s not easy to ask. And a lot of artists have a problem with this. Asking makes you vulnerable…

“Because they weren’t with us on the sidewalk, and they couldn’t see the exchange that was happening between me and my crowd, an exchange that was very fair to us but alien to them.”

I have always struggled with asking for anything. A glass of water while someone’s already in the kitchen? A ride when I’m stranded? My favorite dinner? Help moving around after surgery?

Hearing “asking for help” framed as giving people an opportunity for someone to help, as an invitation to connect, made a huge impact on my life.

I still struggle with that vulnerability, but I also have learned to try asking.

My mom always gives me the best advice. Something she’s taught me that has stuck with me is to love myself and be my own best friend. She’s taught me to be patient with myself just as I would with a friend. It’s helped me to overcome a lot of things and to have more confidence.

MY MOTHER WAS MY INSPERATION AT ALL TIMES OF MY LIFE AND WHEN SHE PASSED IN 1999 AT THE AGE OF ALMOST 94 IN A MO .. lOVE THAT WOME SHE RAISED 8 KIDS OF HER OWN TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS AND A NIECE AND A NEPHEW YOU SHE WAS A GREAT WOMEN