How to advocate for yourself

Hey there,

Happy Sunday and thanks for being here.

Have you ever felt stuck? Have you ever showed up to an event on your own, hated it, but felt like you couldn’t leave? Or have you ever stayed late at work because you weren’t sure when you were allowed to leave? Or have you ever had an issue with a roommate but just lived with it because you didn’t want to “disturb the peace”?

All of these situations stand out as moments where I’ve begun to learn what it means to advocate for yourself.

Self-advocacy as something learnt, not taught

As a kid growing up, when we went to family gatherings, when my parents were ready to go, that was when we’d leave. So of course, as we all have experienced at some point, sometimes I’d end up staying longer than I would want. Going through school, I’d been lucky to have teachers who recognized my academic potential and would recommend new things for me to try and challenge me to be better. I was lucky to have people around me that would want better for me, push me forward and act as a conduit and accelerator for me to get there.

Throughout college, and especially after graduating, I quickly began to realize that the world won’t spoon-feed you. You know that age-old saying “Ask and you shall receive”? Well, the truth really is that nobody knows what you want unless you tell them.