Recently, I’ve been feeling a little stuck. I felt uninspired and believed I was experiencing writer’s block. Whatever writing I managed to accomplish swiftly came under a barrage of self-criticism. I had a hunch that my block had something to do with the boulder of pressure I feel when imagining the launch of Bonds Magazine. Because putting my voice out into the world means it has to be big, important and perfect! Or does it?

Magically, the universe had my back. As I was sweating over my various writing pieces, I came across several podcasts all with the same theme – stoicism. I always associated stoicism with lack of emotion, but these podcasts caught my attention as they were focused on the same topic – “How to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

And there it was! My big AHA moment! I realized that it wasn’t my writing or the topics I was focusing on that was blocking me, but the tremendous discomfort I was feeling about putting my own voice into the spotlight. I’m generally outspoken and have worked hard on being willing as a woman to take up space in the world, yet this felt different. This felt like I was graduating to the next level of speaking up and taking up space.

What was holding me back? Oh, just a little voice in my head that went something like this:

Why do you think women will want to read what you want to put out into the world?

What exactly makes you think you can write a decent post?

Are you really ready for the criticism that usually comes with putting your ideas out there? 

All of this feels stupendously uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, I’m cringing as I’m writing this right now. All this discomfort yet I’m still alive and breathing. Wow, what a surprise! So I’ve decided to push through and feel all the discomfort that comes with putting my ideas out into the world because the mission of Bonds Magazine is so much more important to me than my fear of discomfort.

Bonds Magazine is a space where women are invited to share their stories and to practice taking up space. As one of the founders, it makes sense that I also experience that discomfort but my belief that through storytelling we will find courage, support and community is so much stronger than my fear of being uncomfortable. 

So friends, how uncomfortable are you willing to feel? What story do you want to share? What inspires you, what scares you, what have you overcome or are striving toward overcoming?

Let this platform be a place where you step out of your comfort zone and speak your truth. Tell us what is important to you as a woman. How do you want women to be seen in the world? What are you willing to do to get there?

Write to us, send us your stories because women need and want to hear what we all have to say. We need each other and each other’s stories. Here we will practice speaking out and taking up the space that belongs to us.

By Sylwia Gargala Qasim, CoFounder