Today I am going to write about authenticity and vulnerability; in the context of my life at this moment. Something has been playing on my mind recently. That is; the fact that I live and breathe mental health recovery, yet I’m not entirely honest with all everyone I came into contact with – friends/family/acquaintances/etc. about my experiences. If I am to be truly courageous and If I am to practice what I preach – entirely; I would speak up and tell the truth and be proud of the challenges I have overcome; not afraid to speak up because of the potential judgments of others.
At the end of the day the people I want to be a part of my life, should love me with no conditions; should love me despite my so called ‘imperfections’. If anyone thinks less of me for what I have been through then it is simply their loss – no loss of mine.
So today I am going to make a pact with myself… next time someone asks me a question about myself, my experiences in the past, or what I am passionate about in this life, I will tell them the truth…. Proudly and with no shame attached.
I wrote a blog the other day about being a peer champion, or peer leader. In this blog I talked about my strong commitment to reducing stigma in society… and that the only way of doing this is by speaking out. I do speak out a lot of the time, but certainly not all of the time. I will make this commitment to myself by being true to myself at all times and in all situations. I’ve been stuck in fear for too long. And if there is one thing I know for sure, is that the one sure-fire way to overcome fear is to look at it square in the eye and take positive action.
I wrote that blog the other day not because I was telling you all about how to be a peer champion, I was writing it for myself…. I was writing it because I needed to recognize what I still need to do in order to fulfill that title. I need to be open and vulnerable with everyone who crosses my path… I need to be courageous and stand up for what I believe and what I am passionate about in every interaction.
I may not be a peer leader or peer champion yet… but I’ll tell you this…. I will bloody well get there… because I want to be a change maker and I want to have a positive influence in this world…. And that takes courage… it takes grit… which coincidentally happen to be the two qualities that I totally own.
I’m going to kick some serious butt in this world… it’s time to be seen and heard…and it’s time to show up.
Kate's Niche 