Advocacy Happens

Advocacy happens in yourself when it matters to you.

Sometimes it doesn't happen right away, but that is ok.

An advocate was never what I wanted to be because I thought the system would take care of me. Boy was I wrong. 

As I have said before, my faith guides my life’s work, and advocacy is the path that was chosen for me. Did I listen right away? Of course not! But stopping and listening is the best thing to do in a moment. Just to take a breath or to question what's next. 

I want to be perfectly clear; advocacy is never a one and done deal. It is an ongoing process. Yes, it can be tiring and frustrating, but when you have a small victory, celebrate it because it may be the start of bigger things to come. I believe it.

The question I very often ask myself is, “Have I changed the system at all?” News flash: that was never a question I should have put on myself. The question is, and always will be from now until my last breath, is, “What’s next?”

Don't get me wrong, I know that my presence and my voice have created ripples of change, and that is how change truly happens. Not by tidal waves, but by ripples. 

So, my final thought is that change is scary but necessary for us to evolve as human beings. People in the system are put in place to help those who need help, not to run their lives. It is our collective voices and actions that create change, not the voices of the same people all the time, but ALL OF US.

To steal something from the Transformers, we all have our matrix of leadership, but it all starts with the belief in ourselves. Your mission will become clear. It won't happen overnight, but it all starts with you.