This semester I took a course in my Doctoral program that focused on public discourse. During this course I learned three main things about myself:
1. I am less comfortable speaking publicly about my grand challenge than I would like.
2. My story is valid, and it is the foundation for the work I am doing.
3. I am more capable than I give myself credit for.
Knowing these three things will have a huge impact on my career and grand challenge work. It is crucial that I become more comfortable speaking about chronic illness and closing the health gap. I want my future to be about this work, and I want to lead a movement that will help people access better care, both long-term and in the short-term. Using my story will help people connect to the grand challenge work and show my commitment to the movement. Working on my confidence will help me overall in my career. I thought I was pretty confident going into the course, but I have a lot of practicing and writing to do in order to become more prepared to talk about my grand challenge and also build my career in the field.
While my work on closing the health gap may end up being a drop in the bucket, I want it to be a big drop. Each person impacted by my work, and by the movement, matters. Finding value in my story will help me connect with others already doing similar work, and gaining confidence will allow me to create partnerships that will carry the movement. I know I can’t do this alone.
Learning about myself was the most valuable part of the course for me. I have so much work to do, and knowing that the work is somewhat about me is reassuring. I can do that work now. I don’t have to wait for others to get on board. That being said, by doing the work, hopefully others will be drawn to the cause as well.
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