Own Your Space

The word for the day is Ownership thinking.  While I appreciate my cultural upbringing that puts an emphasis on being polite and being careful about the impression you give others, I think there is another side to that coin.

As immigrants we wait to be welcomed and told what we should become. Sometimes we need learn to be our own welcome party and work hard at discovering who we are.  We all know that we have value as human beings and therefore have a contribution to make to our world. As immigrants we have to approach our new life with the mindset that there is something of value we have to offer and do our due diligence to find out where we fit. When we do that, we own our space, we walk confidently in who we are and continually look for ways to add value to the world around us.


Everyone is enriched by exposure to a different cultural experience. When we move to a new culture we need to see the beauty that we bring that will greatly enrich our new environment.  This simply translates to asking yourself how you can give your best? I hear that immigrants are hard workers all the time. I admire that and applaud it. To add to that I say we become the smart worker, the innovative worker, problem-solving worker and the person that expands to provide opportunities for others.

To begin to explore how to own your space, ask yourself the following questions

• What do I do more creatively than everyone around me? If you are a RN do you have a knack of connecting with even the most difficult patients, if you are a doctor, are you able to help the patient figure their problem by asking the right questions?
• What do I need to do more confidently? What are the things you have hesitated taking on yet they turn out to be huge successes?
• What ideas or suggestions do you have that could enhance your current environment?

By doing the introspection, you will start to discover the value you bring and help you stand confidently in your own space. You have so much to offer the world, do not wait to be summoned in, open the door (politely if you must:-) and walk right in.