Some people, at some point, have felt like they needed to shrink themselves. Maybe they were told they were too loud, too opinionated, too emotional, too this or that. So they toned it down. They made themselves smaller, quieter, easier to digest.
But the truth is, you were not an accident. You were born with purpose, with breath, with a body that deserves to stretch, to speak, and stand tall.
YOU WERE BORN TO TAKE UP SPACE. Not just in the physical sense, but in every room, every conversation, and every dream that calls your name.
You weren’t put on this planet to tiptoe through life, apologizing for your existence. You were born to take up space.
Taking up space means trusting that you have a right to be here, just as you are, even when you’re figuring things out, even when you’re not perfect, even when others don’t get you.
Taking up space means honoring your needs. Setting boundaries. Making choices that reflect your worth. Taking the permission to pursue your passion, to claim your joy. To create, to rest. To lead. To be visible.
Taking up space means showing up and accepting to shrink to be safe, to be accepted, to be loved.
It might feel uncomfortable at first, especially if you’ve been taught to stay in the background. But the more you show up as your full self (the weird, the wild, the thoughtful, the loud), the more you’ll realize how much room there actually is for you.
So stand tall, speak up. Your voice matters. Your story matters. Your ideas, your laugh, your emotions.
You’re not too much. You’re just enough.
The world needs what only you can bring.
You were born to take up space. So occupy it and in so doing, you give others the courage to do the same.
✍️ Amara Ann Unachukwu
