Dihessa's story is one story that brings a sigh of relief because she is brave enough to finally talk about one of the common problems most of us experience in our lives. That struggle that exists between speaking up for yourself and being heard versus allowing fear to make us voiceless and constantly feeling invisible.
I interviewed Dihessa for our series this week, and she shares her story of how she grew up believing that her voice didn't matter.
Dihessa Bodjona strongly believes that for any real change to happen, it has to be done internally first. She teaches entrepreneurs marketing strategies, combined with meditation practices as tools to maximize their online business growth.
I believe everyone's story matters which is why capturing people's tales with lessons in them that inspire us to find our voice and aliveness is part of the core essence of this project. Here is a snippet of an inspiring woman's story on finding her voice in the world.
What Makes You Feel Alive?
I grew up in an environment where kids didn't necessarily have a voice and weren't encouraged to speak up at all. Although I had wonderful caring parents, I felt very invisible and like I didn't matter much in the world. Well into my mid-thirties, I was extremely shy and sometimes couldn't hold a conversation with people I wasn't familiar with. That sensation was so strong that when it came time to choose my major in college, I picked the one subject that would allow me to hide behind my computer and not have to "deal" with people. Little did I know that interacting with more and more people was the very thing that was going to free me and make me feel alive again.
What experiences have made you feel most alive?
Four years ago, I started feeling and connecting with myself again when I started taking Body and Brain yoga classes, and that brought so much joy into my life, all I wanted to do was share with as many people as possible. I would share intimately with my friends and family, but of course wouldn't dare to go in front of an audience because of my fear of public speaking. Then I found the courage to start teaching classes at the yoga center first, then outreach program in the community. And that changed everything for me. I truly feel alive when I am sharing and teaching my classes, in a way that I would never had thought possible. Something really amazing happens when I get to meet and exchange energy with the people that come to class or even that I meet in general now. I get to see facets of myself in other people and feel very grateful for them showing up in my life, because they help me grow as a human being.
What's one of the greatest fear you've had to overcome?
So far, fear of public speaking, still a work in progress though :)
What inspires you to keep going?
Knowing that when I make a change in someone else's life, that changes me too.
What has been your most significant moment of true awakening?
I have come to realize that whenever I have a struggle in my life, there is something much deeper that the external manifestation of it, and that it's about my mind and my energy.
What is one thing that you would most want to do in the world especially if by some miracle, money was not a hindrance.
I can't really think of one thing. I believe that if there is something that I want to create or accomplish, I first need to make the choice, then take action to make it happen.
What gives your life meaning? How are you finding a meaningful way to show up and come alive?
The way that I have found to feel alive is to get in touch with my true self on a regular basis through meditation, focusing on the vision I have for my life and sharing with as many people as I can.
I was really curious as to why speaking up and having a voice mattered to Dihessa, so I asked her and she said," To me, having a voice means I matter, that my contribution to this world matters. It means getting out of my shell and making a difference in someone else's life."
Truly, those words touched me and brought into the light for me that we all have something to contribute in this world and we all have a special gift to share, but what happens if we feel invisible, unheard, voiceless and as if we don't matter; it means that we will be depriving the world of our greatness and we will be depriving ourselves of the art of being and feeling alive. We can't feel alive if we don't make use of that special gift we have within us and if we feel invisible all the time.
What special gift are you holding in?
We can all start shaving off the invisible feeling and opening ourselves gradually like Dihessa did to start finding simple avenues to share that gift we are dying with on the inside. I'm inspired hearing her story of finding the courage to start teaching as a means to feeling alive and I'm challenging us all to find the courage it takes to find how we can stop feeling invisible and start feeling alive doing what we know is our essence!
If you will like to feature your story for this project, send an email to dedayofashanu@gmail.com.
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