How do you advocate for yourself?

Advocacy: the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal: the act or process of advocating something (Merriam-Webster).

It sounds very simple when you read it like that, right? Executing it is a whole different story. 

Advocating for something like a project, a movement, or for someone else’s interests can be easier than doing it for yourself, but why? Why can’t we do the same thing we do for others and do it for us? Well, it can be for many different reasons, personal, cultural, and even religious, can influence how you express yourself and stand up for your ideas.

It’s impossible to cover them all, and we won’t try, don’t worry, but there are a couple of factors that have influenced my life,

and would like to share with you. 

A starting point is self-love. Yes, loving yourself just the way you are can and will influence and even determine your capacity in your own journey. We could say it is the base of all. 

As a businesswoman, my business is my creation. I put time, effort, money, and my whole heart into it, so how could I not love it? Might not be perfect, it is always a work in progress, but it is part of me and my life. 

Just like most things in life, time, experience, trial and error, will shape you and your projects, making you more assertive, better focused, and providing you with the opportunity of knowing yourself better, being at peace, and loving the person you’ve become. 

Some of the biggest sports have a key component, a cheerleading team! Words of encouragement from the right people can make a huge difference in some outcomes. I like to remind myself, I need to cheer myself on, too. 

The best and biggest cheerleader should be yourself! Only you truly know everything you’ve overcome in life, how much you’ve put into your project, the one that knows it the best, and the best way to advocate for it, and yourself.