Can we all channel our inner Amanda Gorman and step into our own power?

Who are we to play small? Marianne Williamson

Like many I hadn't heard of Amanda Gorman until recently. As I watched her performance at Joe Biden's inauguration I felt so many emotions. Pride. Awe. Hope. And more than a little envy.

Who was this young woman? How could she be so poised, articulate and insightful at just twenty two years old? How could she be so confident? So bold? So fearless? So different from how many of us often feel.

Then I realised something. Amanda Gorman isn't here to make us feel inferior or somehow less than. She is here as a shining beacon of hope to show us all what we could be. If she, in her own words a 'skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president', then why can't we dream too?

What we need now more than ever in an uncertain and hesitant world is hope. We need permission to dream. To believe that we too could be capable of something bigger than ourselves. This is what Amanda has shown me.

Be unapologetically you...

On that podium, watched by a breathless world, Amanda Gorman did not hold back. She stepped forward. She was unapologetic. She was brave. She was herself. I've rarely seen authenticity like it. So many of us go through life never really knowing who we are. What we're capable of. I believe that every one of us has untold potential within us. But I also believe that what is currently missing from our lives is depth. We're rushing to complete the never ending to do list, or scrolling mindlessly, or watching Netflix. These may have a time and place, but they are surface level activities. They keep us occupied so we don't have to think.

To liberate that potential within us, to understand who we really are, we need to create space. To stop. To think. Deeply. To ask ourselves the important questions. What are you passionate about? When do you feel most alive? What makes you different from everyone else? What do you stand for? What does an extraordinary life look like to you?

These questions are big. And scary. It's easier to scroll mindlessly. But when we don't create this space...when we don't ask ourselves these questions...we lose an opportunity to understand who we are and what matters to us.

Amanda Gorman's authentic voice is her gift to share with the world. But I believe we all have these gifts within us. These gifts define who we are. They are what set us apart from others. We just need to get quiet. Often. To ask ourselves the hard questions. Who knows what we could find. But once we find it, we need to share it. Unapologetically.

Be unafraid of what others think...

What could we do and who could we be if we stopped worrying what others thought of us? If we stopped defining ourselves through the eyes of others? Amanda is a great example of this. She is able to walk her own road. Confident in her abilities. Clear in her message. Certain of her values, her voice, her impact.

This gives hope. If we too can be confident in our abilities. Clear in our message. Perhaps we too will worry less about what others may think. If we can overcome our own self doubt that we may be judged for being too old or too young. That we could offend by being a different gender or colour or size. That we may not be taken seriously because we don't have the right personality or education or upbringing.

What if instead we focus on what we do have. Each and every one of us has a voice. We have a story. We have the ability to understand and the potential to inspire. We have the power to overcome that self doubt. To realise that what others may think can't actually hurt us. Not really. But do you know what can hurt us? Giving in to this fear and silencing our own voice. Allowing our story to go untold. Watching the opportunity to inspire pass us by.

Can you imagine if Amanda had given in to this very fear? If she'd held back because she worried that a young, black female wouldn't be taken seriously? What the world would have lost.

Be a Role Model...

Amanda Gorman has become a role model to millions. She's made poetry and art exciting. She's offered girls a different path to follow. Shown boys what the next generation of women can look like. She's given us all a glimpse of a more hopeful, more united future.

But we don't have to be Amanda Gorman to be role models. We can take a look around and see who is looking at us. At who wants to emulate our behaviours, ourexamples. Whilst our ripple effect may be smaller, it can still exist.

We are all capable of changing the lives of people around us for the better. What seems small, could have lasting impact. Be kind. Be consistent. Do what you say. Connect with that person who looked lost, alone. Share your story. Listen, without interruption. Highlight misconceptions. Be honest. Be humble. Be brave enough to speak out when you see injustice. Unfairness. Inequality.

Whilst Amanda Gorman is driven to transform the world, we have an opportunity to transform our world. So how do we do it? Only you can decide. Taking a step forward is a courageous and deliberate act. Can you make time to sit quietly and decide what you stand for? Can you create opportunities to use your voice? Can you do that despite what others may think? We have the opportunity to inspire and teach others that there is another way...

... If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.