Is this the best I can do?

There’s no getting around the fact that the news has been downright tragic lately. Sometimes it feels like the whole world has turned upside down. But as painful as all of these events have been to witness, in these moments, I feel we must, in the inspiring words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

These are times in which I believe it’s also our duty to speak up for own communities, as all multi-cultural people are targets of discrimination, and it’s on us to make sure our voices ring loud and strong. It’s time to ask ourselves the tough questions: is this the best we can do as a society? Is this the best I can do? What can each of us do every day to stand up for ourselves and for others? Are we being our bravest selves? This is when we tap into every ounce of grit we have, for the crucial, if not sacred, sake of being part of the solution.

You have all heard me talk a lot about fear and failure, that two-headed beast that shows up in our lives and tries to intimidate us from moving forward. As I always tell you: you have to make fear and failure your best friends, and use those forces as triggers to mobilize and persist!

My book, SELF MADE, which was inspired by so many of you (and which I’m so grateful to you for supporting and, this month, your word of mouth got SELF MADE on the #5 spot on the NY Times Best-Seller in Business list) is all about empowering women through radical self-reliance. It is my sincere hope that the more Latina and other multi-cultural women indeed feel empowered to mobilize their financial independence, the closer we can get to a world in which people of color can not only prevail, but truly shine.

We can do better. And we will.