Emerly Lee – Week 11: Words of Wisdom

Having lived through more than a decade's worth of experiences, there are times where we are bound to get words of encouragement or words that make us question our self worth. While some words can be taken with a grain of salt, many resonate with us far past their spoken time. Whatever those words may be, they are the words that consume our shower thoughts, our sleepless nights, or even our late night conversations with our friends. For me, a phrase that I heard years ago in a video that deeply resonated with me were the words “I have walk away power.” To me this phrase brought about a level of comfort that I have never found simply because it consolidated to me the idea that it was okay to fail and not consequently be a failure. 


Now what is “walk away power.” I imagine it is the ability to know that within a second's thought that if a situation or a circumstance does not sit right with me I have the power to walk away and never come back. 


A lot of my belief within this phrase comes from the environment I was raised in. My mom is someone who taught me from when I was young that basing your mood on how others feel about you will only leave you in an endless turmoil. My friends and I as well embody the idea that it is ok to let things go sometimes, that we aren’t able to succeed in everything. This matter of fact attitude is what braces us through hardship and understanding we did our best to prevent failure is what encourages us to move on and move forward. 


Growing up in the Bay, however, it is bound that I see pressure no matter where I go from parents to peers and even to mentors, their authority can often serve as the greatest push. A push that often pushes us far past our limit, and often ignoring our boundaries. While at times this feeling can be positive to our growth, I do believe that at times many of us lack the ability to push back and push fourth a boundary. So in an ever growing societal pressure how do you demonstrate “walk away power”?

 

Comments

  1. SadiaFebruary 19, 2025 at 8:43 PM

    Hello Emerly, I enjoyed reading your blog! I agree that "walk away power" is quite effective through hardships, as for me, I don't think walking away or letting things go means failure, rather knowing your limits and acknowledging your boundaries. Like you mentioned in your blog, I feel like in the Bay area, there is a competition sort and expectation to do it even though it doesn't sit right with you, and we are are always pushing ourselves through everything, so I feel like just letting it slide is acceptable. Me personally, don't like to get involved in things that are too complicated, and I often use the "walk away power" you mentioned, and I also remember my mom mentioning once, that whenever you feel overwhelmed, don't get tangled in it. I personally am still not sure how to just let it slide/go or walk away, but I think after you mentioned it in your blog, I will surely figure it out.

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