A seat at the table

For the vast majority of my life, I watered down who I was. I cheered others on as I hid behind the silence of my voice and the echos of my insecurities. Somewhere along the way I believed I was mediocre, at best, and the glamorous lives I saw people experiencing on keeping up with the Kardashian’s was only reserved for the 1 percent. 

Growing up, I was painfully shy. So shy that my grandfather believed I was a mute and would sarcastically call me names that left me feeling insecure and ashamed of who I was.

This type of internal chaos created an identity crisis, within me, and for many years I became my own victim of self sabotage. I would unintentionally block certain opportunities from coming my way out of fear of becoming “too successful “ by the worlds standards. That’s right folks, most people are afraid of NOT becoming successful. I on the other hand was paralyzed by the thought of becoming too successful. 

Listen sis, shrinking yourself down and fading into the background of life is a waste of your precious time. As Marianne Williamson said, “Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. “ 

Life is made to live it up! Playing it safe throughout life robs you of your destiny and subjects you to a life that becomes stagnant. 

Tiffany Smith-Paul

This is what I now know for sure: You deserve to have a seat at the table. Whether that is a table at the board of directors, leading role in a block buster film, New York’s best selling author, College prof