I felt a real sense of hope. Kamala Harris was elected as the first female Vice President of the United States. A real role model. On so many different levels. Gender. Race. Upbringing.
My teacher Marisa Peer told us that people’s issues could be summed up into 3 main categories – “I am not enough”, “I don’t belong” and “What I want is not available to me”.
I’ve come across cases of the “What I want is not available to me” when people could not see it as being possible as they had not seen it before. For example, a loving relationship, a job they loved that paid well, a woman at senior levels in their industry, and more.
Imagine a little girl growing up today. Seeing women at the helm of countries. Seeing women go into space (1). Seeing women-run highly successful businesses. In her mind, anything is possible. There are no limits. Only limits you create yourself.
Not only is this for little girls, it’s also for everyone. Like when Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile, it opened the possibility for others. It made the “impossible” possible.
Kamala Harris has a long journey ahead and a lot of work to do. She’s in the right place to do it, starting with being the first of many.
Footnotes
- “I never went into physics or the astronaut corps to become a role model. But after my first flight, it became clear to me that I was one. And I began to understand the importance of that to people. Young girls need to see role models in whatever careers they may choose, just so they can picture themselves doing those jobs someday. You can’t be what you can’t see.” Sally Ride, the first American woman in space (Source: The Female Lead)