As a lifelong traveller and a person who hasn't lived in her home country for more than 20 years, I often wonder where I belong.
With the members of my academy , a similar question comes up as to how much to adapt to the area you live in in terms of style or behavior and how much you want or need to fit in.
Although one is a more deeper and profound question, the other seems simpler and more focused on one aspect of who we are (style) but they are very much related.
It's about belonging and fitting in. And as it turns out these 2 are very different indeed.
Mary Angelou once said:
"You only are free when you realize you belong no place - you belong every place - no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great."
"I belong to myself. I'm very proud of that. I'm very concerned of how I look at Maya. I like maya very much."
Below is a snippet of that interview.
That quote seems counter intuitive. How can you belong when you belong no place?
That is a question Brené Brown examines in her new book: Braving the Wilderness.
Brené Brown (from an interview with Lewis Howes) says:
"I feel I belong everywhere I go, no matter where it is or who I'm with as long as I never betray myself. And the minute I become who you want me to be in order to fit in and make sure people like me is the moment I no longer belong anywhere."
As Brené mentions after saying that, that is hard. It's an everyday practise.
But that is what I aspire to and how I will define 'belonging' to me.
It's one reason I believe in my style course so much as this is truly a journey of exploration of who we are and how women can stay true to themselves.
It's also the reason why I believe so strongly that as women we need to choose our own paths. Create a life on our own terms without having to fit into a company or a society that boxes us in or stops all creativity that we have inside us from coming out. It's why I believe in the freedom of entrepreneurship and the creation of passive income streams.
It's never too late to become that person that you truly are, that truly belongs to you.
If you want to explore how you can stay true to your style and be happy with yourself no matter what others may say, you will love the 21 steps style course.
Discover what is truly possible for you and how you can truly belong to yourself.
Here is another quote from Brené to inspire you:
"Choose courage over comfort, because you can't have both".
Would love to hear your feedback on this. Do you feel you belong to you?
Oh so interesting -- I look forward to reading much more on this topic. I have lived around the world and currently live in Washington, DC. I work in a male-dominated industry and have few female colleagues or even friends. Trying to fit into this environment is difficult, so Maya's quote about belonging everywhere, but nowhere, really resonated with me. Thank you for broaching this topic!
Thanks for your kind feedback and great to read that you found the article interesting. I very much recommend reading the Braving the Wilderness book I linked to. I think you will love it!
Dear Sylvia, Thank you for sharing this interview. I assume it was some years ago. But her words seems timeless; also a bit sad that her words (on the problems) could be still actual.
I like Maya very much too. ;>)
Your words: "It’s also the reason why I believe so strongly that as women we need to choose our own paths. Create a life on our own terms without having to fit into a company or a society that boxes us in or stops all creativity that we have inside us from coming out." are meaningful and great.
Greets, Marga
Yes quite a few years ago. She was a wise woman. Great to read that my words inspired you too 🙂