Midterm elections took place last week, and many of us had the opportunity to vote. Outcomes and feelings about the political system or the efficacy of voting aside, what I am inspired by is that all those who voted (as well as those who wanted to vote) feel that they have a voice which ought to be heard.
The poet, David Whyte, writes about something he calls “the arrogance of belonging.” In short, it means holding the belief that your existence insures your belonging, without exception. You have a voice and the undeniable permission to make it heard. You have a truth and an inalienable right to live it. You have an undying light and (I daresay) a responsibility to your truest Self to let it shine.
There will be times when you are told that you don’t belong, and there will be times when you tell yourself that you don’t belong. But the truest part of you knows otherwise and remembers that you are here on purpose, with a unique purpose. Awaken to, connect to, and follow that part of yourself.
“Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.” — Brené Brown
Bring your whole self with you on this journey of remembering and uncovering. All parts of yourself belong in the present moment — the light, the dark, the comfortable, the uncomfortable, the parts that make you proud, the parts that don’t — all. of. it.
“Stop walking through the world looking for confirmation that you don’t belong. You will always find it because you’ve made that your mission. Stop scouring people’s faces for evidence that you’re not enough. You will always find it because you’ve made that your goal. True belonging and self-worth are not goods; we don’t negotiate their value with the world. The truth about who we are lives in our hearts. Our call to courage is to protect our wild hearts against constant evaluation, especially our own. No one belongs here more than you.” — Brené Brown
I belong. I belong. I belong.
Krystal Barschig 