Don't be afraid — take up as much space as you f**** want!
OCCUPY
I was fortunate enough to hear a message sometime ago — not that even long ago(a month now) —but it has changed my life and I will add some snippets of the message.
Take a seat at the table. OCCUPY which translates into coming into a place of your own, your place of dominance, a place of prominence, a place where you will shine and the place that is meant for you..
Luke 19:13 KJV
[13] And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
In essence you've been given something that you can operate with, something to put to use and a place just for you !
Using money for multiplication, for abundance, for growth. As a tool to elevate..
Providing value—the thing you've been given to operate with— which opens the door to the other statements
And really it has stuck with me.
2-3 months ago I had no plan with my life. I didn't really put any direction, a clear road map to the path I wanted to take. It was just really willy-nilly but for the past 2 plus weeks that has changed & there has been a transition a shift.
Questions came up seeking answers, clarity (this has got to be my new favorite word) and boom boom boom through writing, through reading, through recording my thoughts, to praying, to seeking help, a foundation was kind of be lain.
Going back a beat and my journey on substack. I was totally inspired by someone else sharing her story the way she wanted. And I came on because writing was a form of communication that I was used to and I wanted to write; it was something that I could do.
And through the journey of writing and reading my own thoughts consecutively for 1+ months now, I can say this isn't just for me. I write about me, yes, but in the process through (hanging out on corners of the internet), this experience I've noticed is quite universal. I mean we're all humans — it's the human life were living — through different lenses & viees but it's still the same problem, feelings, emotions and that has made me realize that I am not an isolated Island.
This has opened my eyes that through the words I write, from the life that I live, someone else connects with them. I didn't even initially come here with a brand or an image in my mind but now I can visualize that I might be speaking directly or indirectly to people with real lives, fears, doubt emotions, the same way that I do and the same way that I have them.
Now back to the initial message —I believe there is space or a table or a podium for everyone.
Some niche to conquer, a place of prominent, of dominance—where no one comes even close to you— and an industry to set up tents and prosper.
And from when I heard this message till now, I would say I have found a space and everything that I have done — every question that I have asked myself, voice notes I have recorded, right effort that I have put down, skills i’ve learnt, books I've read and consumed is to gain more clarity on the space that I want to occupy and the steps that will take me there.
Now this isn't to ramble about me, it's to say go out there and OCCUPY.
TAKE UP THAT SPACE. IT'S MEANT FOR YOU. IT’S RIGHT FOR YOU.
Here's an analogy;
There's a saying, “go where you are valued”, but to me it means the other person or the other people in the room have to see you or perceive you as valuable first before you matter but I'm turning it around to go where you give value. Go where what you have & who you are & how you are, every part of yourself no matter how small or little does something to someone or has some kind of effect on the lives of others. Then, you automatically are valuable; you've entered the room.
Insert yourself into any value chain, into any space where you are able to be who you are and by extension of who you are or what you give off—you have an impact greater than you—extending into the ground that you're working on and the people and the lives that you are around.
This could be in anything; put this into context in any part of your life and see if it checks out.
For me my value is right here—in this piece you just consumed.
So what seat do you want to occupy? what table do you want to be on?