The Not So Subtle Art of Taking Up Space

And why you need to practice it.

You need to curate the audacity to take up space. That’s what I’m asking you to do.

As we get older, we unfortunately will begin to lose members of our community who were pivotal in our community’s evolution and innovation. People like my friend Elliot, who literally poured the concrete foundation for the community radio station's remote generator and antenna four decades ago. He passed suddenly, shocking everyone including myself. On the day of his funeral, the generator failed and no one knew how to fix it like Elliot could.

Elliot started volunteering at the station when he was younger than I am now. But I’m assuming that in those days, his availability to volunteer was greater. The income from one job went further, providing for an entire family. Now, two adults work multiple jobs, just to try and survive.

In Belong: Find Your People, Create Community, and Live a More Connected Life by Radha Agrawal, the author states that over 70% of people in the US didn’t volunteer once in the previous year. I remember hearing that statistic while multitasking on housework between jobs while listening to an audiobook. Of course, people didn’t volunteer last year… They’re working three jobs and barely taking a break. Who has the time?

More and more I’m seeing vacuums of need in the community where someone, who’d held a position of authority until their death, leaves behind a void of knowledge that wasn’t passed on. It’s a disservice to their legacy, for all the work they did, and their dedication.

Not planning for the future makes the community vulnerable. No doubt, that is not what anyone in that position intended! Aging and death is a faux pas topic in our society. Mentorship isn’t as popular as it once was. But denying that a community’s need will outlive us, is a dysfunction that leaves holes in the fabric of our families and towns.

People left behind think that “someone else will step up…” BUT if you are seeing it, chances are that you are being called by the universe to address it or fulfill it; either by your own hand, delegating tasks, or asking for help.

You have the skills. Trust yourself.

So, friend, we need to take up space, and offer to learn, to ask organizations to be open to change and accept help… It’s our job now to take up space and be prepared to hold up the community when a hand falls away.

“But Ann, that’s super awkward!”

Yeah. I know.

That’s why I’m inviting you… encouraging you to practice; to curate the audacity to take up space.

Don’t have a mentee? Now’s the time. We’re ready to help.