Together, We Are Invincible

I recently came across this picture from the Women Deliver conference last June. This is definitely one of those “fake til you make it” moments as I don’t believe that I have ever felt invincible.

That being said, there is something really powerful in knowing that I am part of something that IS invincible and that is the Empowerment Self-Defense Movement.

There are so many of us who have stepped up and are running around the world talking about the importance of giving women and girls, and now all children, the skills needed to know what to do when they are in danger, uncomfortable, or not clear whether the adult they are with is behaving in a safe way.

As individuals, we may not be invincible, but the work we have started has taken on a life of its own. Why? Because the time has come. Because we have worked and sweat and created something super profound.

So, this is a shout out to all who are doing the hard work of fixing the world. The hard work of abolishing poverty. The hard work of stopping human trafficking. The hard work of saving the planet. The hard work of ending violence.

The fact that you will no longer be silent is what makes you invincible. Your message, your light, your work is what will move us all forward into a better future.

You may not see that every day. And there will be people who try to shut down your message, your light, your good in the world. Don’t let them. Set your boundaries, raise your voice, and give a shout out to the rest of your community you feel yourself slip into self-doubt.

We’ve got you.

There is a song in Hebrew that I lovingly joke is truly a Judo song.

“The road is long and windy, I fall and I get up, fall and get up. Won’t stop moving forward. I fall and get up, fall and get up.”

Speaking of Judo, I once heard Judoka Yael Arad, Israel’s winner of our countries first Olympic medal, explain why she was a champion. She said that when she would walk into a competition, she knew that the gold medal was hers and that she was not going home without it.

That is the type of drive we need to really change the trajectory of the world around us. I can do this. I am invincible.

Just saying it as I type it has already helped me step into this coming week from a much stronger place.

We’ve got this!