There will be an agreement in whatever variety of actions, so they be each honest and natural in their hour. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have really enjoyed participating with the #Trust30 writing challenge.  The prompt for today is “What will I say to the person I will be in 5 years’? I have been thinking about that question all morning. I think I need to answer another question first:

Who do I want to be in 5 years?

I want to be  creating  my own unique  path.

I want to be inspiring more people to connect and serve.

I want to be bolder in my dreams for the nonprofit sector.

I want to embrace bigger challenges as the world demands.

I want to be grounded in work  that is shaped by my  moral compass.

I want to create resources that are impactful.

I want to be authentic warrior but do work that is unconventional.

I want to be a catalyst that redefines  how programs are funded.

I want to be a  strong voice for marginalized people.

I want to be a connector that  incites action.

I want to be the woman that will knock down doors in search of needed resources for the communities I work with.

I want to be someone that believes in  renewal and redemption for communities.

I want to be an unstoppable force for good.

To be all of those things I have to wake up everyday and be courageous. I have to partner better. I have to learn more. I have to sacrifice. I have to sweat. I have to fail.  I have to push boundaries. I have to question authority. I have to be willing to be ridiculed. I have to lead.  I can not shrink.

I cannot whisper.

So what will I say to the person I will be in 5 years?

I will tell her to continue to be fearless. Everyday wake up and choose  a life of service and be absolutely fearless in the execution of  her mission. I will tell her that no one deserves to be left behind. I will tell her to value mentors. I will let her know there are no magic bullets. There is no over night sensation.

There is nothing hot nor sexy about the transformative work of community building.

Who do you want to be in 5 years?

#Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages us to look within and trust ourselves. I will view each day’s writing through the lens of the social sector. In doing this I hope to learn lots about myself, this sector that I love and  share that with you all.  The Inspiration for this exercise is the celebration of  Emerson’s 208th birthday. In his honor The Domino Project has republished  Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson