I am open to experiencing change so I can grow into the person I want to be.

~ Dara L Pierre

There was a point in my life where I held on to a version of myself that others had given to me. This version of myself was defined by the labels others gave me, whether through family or in the community. I accepted it because I thought I had no other choice; no one in my environment encouraged me to challenge these thoughts. When anything was questioned, there was often some sort of punishment or shame. Along the way, I felt misaligned and confused. I had enjoyed certain activities, but I felt ashamed and hid because they weren’t what was expected of me. 

It is challenging to let go of a specific aspect of yourself when you are confined to a particular environment. Once I left that environment, I had a mini crisis because I had a new set of beliefs being told to me from a different community that contradicted all the things I had heard and believed growing up. With all of the labels I had heard about myself, I now needed to make sense of them. That meant I had to learn about myself through my perspective to figure out what is true, what is not, or what falls somewhere in the middle. 

So far, the process has been good, but every day I learn and figure out new things about myself. I am happy I decided to learn about myself by asking myself. Taking this personal journey has shown me that I am much more resilient than I once thought. I am a gentle and curious soul, and I am eager to continue this journey to see where it takes me.

If you ever feel stuck, it may be a sign for you to learn about yourself through your lens. Happy Searching!!