“Be you and own it”

This was a piece of advice I received about five years ago.

To this day, I still think back to it because I feel there’s a part of me that still hasn’t fully integrated what this piece of advice has to offer.

"Be you," I think I have that part down.

Owning it?

That’s a whole different animal.

That means to be proud. To stick your neck out. To put your name on the line. And not only to just shine a light but to keep shining despite the haters trying to put you out.

This isn’t easy. No wonder I haven’t owned it.

I noticed I still take the safe route.

Like there’s a deep part in me that says, "Don’t put yourself on the line. Create a brand and come up with a fancy logo, people will love it!"

But really it’s just a dinky little costume I don in the hopes that people will like me better without having to expose too many parts of myself.

I need to be me. I need to own it.

by Jason Lam