In a society so insistent on having its say in how you should live,

How you should love,
What or who you should aspire to be,
There is a tricky balance between telling the world what you’re going to be,
And letting the world tell you.

This is learning, versus conforming.
Adaptation, versus following.
Letting yourself be a leader—
But a teachable one at that.
A force to be reckoned with,
Because you reckon with the rest of the world;
A collective of knowledge always on your side.

Because wisdom is knowing that you’ll never know it all.
And that is someone who is worth listening to.

And sometimes your voice box will feel empty
The words that are usually full in your mouth
Will sometimes cower in the back of your throat.
An echo of who you know you are.
“Am I still worth listening to?” Doubt will ask.
Because some days you will feel the doubt
Like a three thousand-pound foot
Stepping on your chest.

But the thing is;
That foot is weightless
The doubt lives in your mind
There are no scales there
Three thousand pounds are not what is
Holding you back.

You are.

And when you realize this,
You will step forward from that doubt.
Because you are strong enough to do so.
Your words will cup the insides of your cheeks and drip from your tongue
Smooth, like honey; easy to flow.
You will choose to not hold yourself back.
You will choose to not give doubt a voice.
Because someone who knows how to get out of their own way,
How to cast the doubt aside,
That is someone worth listening to.

And you know—if it’s not the doubt that gets you
It might very well be the insecurity.
And that’s okay.
It’s okay to not be okay, sometimes.

But the wisdom comes when, still,
You choose to rise.

You will take up space.
Because you deserve to be here.
Because you have fought to be here.
At this emotional capacity.
With this kind of strength.

You have earned that right—
“The brave one.”
And you will refuse to let anyone take that away.

You will take up space.
Perfectly imperfect, exactly as you come.

You will take up space
As someone who knows their inherent right to stand
In the sunshine or the spotlight
As someone who understands their integrity to this world
Lies in the authenticity they are willing to wear on their shoulders.
You are the only you that we as a collective will ever be blessed to have.

Own that.
Because someone who is unafraid to let that light shine—
That is someone worth listening to.

Someone who knows how to get out of their own way,
Someone who knows their worth is boundless,
Someone who knows they will never know it all,

That someone is you.

Today
And always.

You will learn, you will stumble, you will rise, you will fall.
But day in
And day out
You will find your voice
You will cultivate your voice
And you will use your voice.
Because through and through
The challenges,
The doubt,
The insecurity,
You have only come out more alive.
More capable of love.
More understanding of the value of life.

And because of these things,
You are someone worth listening to.

~

Relephant: More poetry from Brooklynn:

How Many Times should you Need to Remind someone to Love You? {Poem}

I want you to Revel in how you Taste, too. {Poem}

Call Me on My Sh*t: a Love Poem.

~

Author: Brooklynn Bosworth
Image: Author’s own
Editor: Callie Rushton
Copy Editor: Catherine Monkman