Professional Troublemaker

Luvvie Ajayi Jones is an award-winning author, speaker, and podcast host who thrives at the intersection of humor, technology, and justice. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller I'm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual. And her app, LuvvNation, is a safe space in a dumpster fire world.  

1: Know Yourself

We fear our full selves.

We are afraid of who we are, in all our glory (and grit). We re constantly searching for that person. Or forgetting that person. Or repressing that person. Instead of standing strong in who that person is.

Being FULLY ourselves is necessary for us because it serves as a grounding force. I find that it s the case for me. There is a lot to be afraid of in this world, because in general, things can be a wreck out there. And none of us needs to be afraid of who we are in our whole personhood, because who has the time?

This standing in your full self isn t about being an immovable person, whose beliefs are stuck in a rock. It s not that can t nobody tell you shit, or you not being able to admit when you re wrong. Instead, it s about having a strong sense of identity. It s about knowing you belong in this world just as much as anyone else. It s about taking up the space you earned simply by being born.

One of my favorite poems is the Desiderata, written by Max Ehrmann. My favorite part is: You are a child of the universe / no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here /And whether or not it is clear to you / no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE HERE. You sure in the hell do.

Oddly enough, knowing this fullness of who you are doesn t make you more stubborn. Instead, it makes you more likely to grow, since you know you have a solid foundation that doesn t change even as you ve learned new things and new perspectives. This is a step you need to be a professional troublemaker. Because you will GET IN TROUBLE. Guaranteed. What makes you realize it s worth it? This process of knowing the fullness of who you are.

A lot of fear fighting and professional troublemaking is confronting things that will knock us off our square. Things that will slap us into dizziness and make us forget everything we know is real. We need solid feet, rooted in something strong to continue to stand. Knowing ourselves is important because it provides that foundation for us. It doesn t allow anyone or anything to tell us who we are. Because when people tell us how amazing we are, that s good to absorb. But what about when someone tells us we aren t worthy? Or we don t have value? Or we don t deserve kindness and love? Or that we deserve papercuts? To know thyself is to not take all the praise to head or take all the shaming to heart.

To know thyself is to know your core, and for me, to know your core is to feel rooted in something outside of myself. It is to know, not only who I am but whose I am.

Whose We Are

Whose I am is not about belonging to someone or being beholden to people. It is about the community you are tied to that holds you accountable. It is about knowing you are part of a tribe that is greater than yourself. It is about feeling deeply connected to someone, and that no matter where you go, you have a base. If we re phones, knowing whose we are is our charging station.

I learned the importance of WHOSE you are growing up. As a Yoruba girl, I am a part of a tribe that prioritizes your people sometimes as much as it prioritizes an individual. Collectivism comes alive for us through the traditional ORÍKÌ (oh-ree-kee).

What s an ORIKI? It is a Yoruba word that combines two words to mean praising your head/mind. Ori is head and Ki is to greet or praise. An Oriki is a greeting that praises you through praising your kinship and speaking life to your destiny. It is your personal hype mantra, and can be spoken o