What's Your Story?

Do you have a story?

Do you care about other people's story?

Do you try to understand others?

Have you thought of the scenario in different ways?

The road to becoming a woman is an interesting journey. Sometimes we judge people that we don't know. Sometimes we don't take the time out to learn others or from them. Seniority turns into a notion of over confidence. Sometimes we grow threatened by the drive or pace of others.

It's an interesting concept. I say this because, I am always cautious about my level of exposure. I ask myself, "Roxy are you talking too much? What will they think of you? How will this message be perceived?" You know... It's scary, when we are vulnerable and we expose ourselves to the unknown. But, along the way, there are several things that I have learned!

When I started at Microsoft in January, there was this big notion around storytelling and being authentic. It took me sometime to understand what that meant. As a Nigerian, we are taught to be reserved and not expose too much because perception matters. Don't get me wrong, I do think that perception matters but only to an extent.

When we think about millennials, there is always a disruption associated. We disrupted the restaurant industry. We disrupted the media industry. We disrupted the start-up industry. And now, we are disrupting interaction and associating passion and meaning to every step.

I was 8 when my life took a turn. My father was never around and he denied me at a young age. My mother was an immigrant who had just got to this country and had her child. Having no siblings turned into many nights alone. Having no parent turned into forging my age to work at 13. Having no support turned into thoughts of suicide. Having no supervision turned into molestation then rape. Having no one to fight for me turned into physical abuse from my moms boyfriends. Having the innocent mind of a child turned into a court case of child neglect against my mom. Having no health insurance turned into debt before adulthood. Having low self-confidence stemmed from my family telling me that I would never be anything in life. Having no money for college turned into working full-time in between classes to pay for my education. Having to fight at every step of the way turned into continuous optimism. Having no one turned into learning how to be strong for myself. Having the courage to share this means that there has been significant levels of growth.

You see... I share this snippet of my story because it has made me who I am today. We live in a world where there is not enough love, growth, happiness, and support. We become so consumed in our thoughts and events that we don't always take the time out to lend a hand and ask the next person, "How can I help?"

I believe that I can bring disruption through compassion, fairness, passion, and meaning to every situation that I engage in. That is not from a level of self notoriety but a level of optimism that we as a world can do a better job by supporting those around us. I think beauty lies within each of us. If you were to ask me what makes me beautiful, I would not tell you that it lies within my looks.

I would tell you that, "It’s in the eye of the beholder. It’s in the presence that you exude. It’s in the eloquence of which you write. It’s in the naturalness of your movement. It’s in the smile that you give to a stranger. It’s in the kindness that you display to the world. It’s in the radiance that shines through your heart."

I hope that from this article you gain inspiration. I hope that from this article you now believe that you will weather the storm. I hope that from this article you continue to share your authentic self with the world. I hope that from this article you learn to ignore the negativity. Lastly, I hope that from this article you now turn to the person next to you and ask, "What's your story?"

Signed,

Roxy O. Ndebumadu