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Take the Initiative & Be Your Own Advocate!

meghanmariehurley

Updated: Apr 13, 2024



 A few years ago, I saw Lori Harder—an amazing businesswoman—speak at EmpowerHER Live. During her keynote, she said: “I realized that no one is coming to save me.”

 

She's saying that we, as people, cannot expect anyone or anything to swoop in and save the day. If you're unhappy with your eating habits or your relationship or your job or your house or your salary, etc. then it’s up to you to take the initiative to change it. No one can change your life for you… each and every one of us is ultimately responsible for ourselves.

 

If you’ve been listening to The Power Within Her podcast recently, you know that I’ve been navigating some mysterious health issue. Long story short: I have these on and off episodes of severe abdominal pain that has put me into the ER twice. From all the bloodwork and tests I've had so far, everything has come back normal, which is very frustrating.


So, the other day, when the doctor called to tell me we still had no answers, I had to take the initiative and be my own advocate. Because, again, like Lori Harder says, "... no one is coming to save me." If I want answers and a diagnosis, then it's up to me to fight for it.

And guess what happened when I opened my mouth and advocated for myself to get some additional tests?

 

I found out late last week that the second round of bloodwork DID come back with some answers! Long story short, she diagnosed me with: iron deficiency without anemia AND she said my B12 levels were slightly low, which could explain why I have been battling fatigue over the last year.

 

So, the bottom line here is: if I didn’t advocate for myself to get another round of bloodwork, I’d never know that my B12 needs some extra support or that I had iron deficiency without anemia… which, if not dealt with, can in fact turn into anemia…

 

At this point, you might be wondering… is she even a good doctor if she didn’t originally test your iron levels? And at first I wondered that too… but, based on my initial blood work, which showed that I had no markers of anemia, there was absolutely no reason to test the iron, which brings me all the way back around to the point of this episode:


"No one is going to save you," so you’ve gotta take the initiative and be your own advocate!

 

All that said, I know that standing up for yourself can be really, really hard, especially in a medical situation where you don’t have the training and the doctor does. But still: you are the expert in your own body… and if you think something is off, then something is off. And it’s up to you to keep pushing to get the answers you deserve.

 

So, now, I want you think about your life and ask yourself:

 

1.     Where do I need to take more initiative in my life?

 

2.     How could I be more of an advocate for myself?

 

Really sit with these questions because you are in charge of your own life. If you’re unhappy or unfulfilled or dissatisfied, it’s up to you to take the initiative to fix it. It’s up to you to advocate for yourself and your needs.


Because, at the end of the day, we only get one life and you deserve the best life possible.


XOXO,


Meggy


P.S: If you want to hear more on this topic, listen to this episode: 204 [PEP TALK]: Take the INITIATIVE & Be Your Own ADVOCATE!

 

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© Meghan Hurley-Powell 2024
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