Trusting Your Inner Voice--and Have the Courage to Follow It

This morning, I woke up with Steve Jobs’ words:

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

This has always been one of my favorite quotes, but today, it startled me. The fact that these words surfaced as my very first thought of the day made me pause. My mind was fresh, unfiltered—so what was my intuition, my higher self, trying to tell me? And why now?

As an immigrant mom, a professional, and a woman of color who has spent years navigating different cultures and expectations, I know what it’s like to follow the path others think I should take. Society hands me a script—what success looks like, what motherhood should be, even how I could navigate the world (often sold to us by experts and celebrity coaches).

But what happens when that script doesn’t align with who we truly are? What if it’s just an illusion, leading us on a never-ending chase—like Dorothy running toward the Wizard of Oz, only to find out he was never real?

For years, I carried the weight of cultural, familial, and societal expectations. I strive to be the “perfect” version of myself, believing that would bring fulfillment. But over time, I realized that true fulfillment only comes when we stop living by other people’s rules and start listening to our own inner wisdom.

That inner voice is powerful. It speaks in a thousand unexpected ways—through a fleeting thought, a gut feeling, a quiet whisper in stillness. However it shows up, it already knows our deepest truths, our untapped potential, and the impact we are meant to have--even if we don't yet understand.

But trusting that voice takes courage. It means stepping away from comfort, defying norms, and sometimes walking a path that others don’t understand—or approve of.

I believe this now more than ever:

✅ Understanding means equipping ourselves with the tools to navigate life with authenticity and power.
❤️ Love means healing from the past so we don’t pass on pain—to the next generation or those around us.
🤝 Compassion means embracing differences, fostering connection, and creating a world where everyone belongs.

This is my personal mission. This is the work I am committed to.

And if you’re reading this, I encourage you to ask yourself:
✨ Are you following your heart and intuition?
✨ What do you stand for?
✨ What must you do to ensure the noise of the world doesn’t drown out your own truth?

Because in the end, everything else is secondary.