Soul Sisters Step UP- A picture of possibility Picture of Possibility Magazine | Page 14

My Picture of Possibility
Finding and owning my purpose.
Jill De Bourg: motivator, humanitarian, women’s advocate,
people development coach, mentor, mother, friend, sister,
daughter, free-spirited soul and budding consultant!
Looking back, my life was not perfect!
Trust me, it still isn’t! I am a work in prog-
ress, consistently choosing to define who I
am daily! Society doesn’t get to do that, I do!
It’s remarkable when I look back at my life, I see the
gaps, I see the what-ifs, I see the things I should have
done differently. But I smile because even in my im-
perfection’s, life was taking me along a road that
was necessary to help me realise my true potential.
It is because of the trials and the challenges that I
have grown and continue to develop into the wom-
an that is possible today! I am a work in progress!
I first became involved in the humanitarian sector
in 2006 when I joined the Red Cross, and honestly,
there was no turning back for me. This was where I
encountered my purpose, I didn’t know it then, but
time would reveal. I started as a member of staff,
and then in 2007 I joined the Regional Office of the
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies based in Trinidad & Tobago. I
served in various capacities from Human Resource
to Youth and Volunteer Development. I had tre-
mendous opportunities for growth, and I embraced
them. At the end of 2015, I left the IFRC as a mem-
ber of staff but continued my work in the humani-
tarian sector with youth development activities. No
coincidence here, as I felt this was my true calling.
I felt passionate about helping and con-
tributing where I could make a difference.
Today I am the President of the Trinidad &
Tobago Red Cross Society – Full circle! Since becom-
ing president, I have also been appointed Treasurer
to the Interamerican Regional Committee of the
Red Cross. I am also Caribbean Focal Point for Glow
Red Network, which is a global leadership network
to promote women leadership in Red Cross. I genu-
inely feel like I have arrived at my take-off gate! The
time is now, the universe is aligning for me, and God
is opening the right opportunities at the right time.
Now, this is not without challenges! However, I
believe I was channelled in this direction because
I followed and owned my purpose and passion, in
spite of the challenges. It would have been ten times
easier going towards the avenue of the for-prof-
it business, but I have never been about easy.
I am and continue to be about being true to me!
Living a life of service is no easy feat, it can some-
times be unrewarding and draining, but stay-
ing true to purpose and passion is most fulfilling.
Women… as you rise, you will meet many per-
sons who claim to support you, who claim to want
to see you develop. You will meet the ones who envy
you to the point where they make it their business
to set traps to make you fail. But I encourage you to
hold your head high, focus on doing your best and
as Michelle Obama said. ” When they go
low, we go high!” Never stoop to their level. My advice:
Remember, what you can or cannot
do is based on what you believe you can or cannot
achieve. So why not dream, aim high and learn from
the failures, knowing that one of your tries will lead to
success? - Don’t live based on anyone’s vision of who
you should be!
Get clarity for your possibilities and then continually re-
new your commitment to it. Creating this framework as
I have, will help you to arrive at decisions that make you
feel empowered rather than overwhelmed and anxious.
Knowing your possibility and owning your pur-
pose creates focus and passion. It makes ful-
filling your potential, meaningful and fun.
- Know that with faith & determination,
anything is possible
- Believe in yourself and your potential to be!
- Trust the process & thrive on becoming the
best version of yourself
- Embrace failure - It’s an opportunity to
learn
- If you fall ten times, get up eleven times
- Never forget how widely capable you are.
@jdbphenom
To quote one contemporary motivational speaker,
“The art of possible gives us new courage
to face our fears.
Possible gives us the strength to persevere.
Possible enables us to transform our failures from
dead-end destinations into success journeys.
With possible by your side, you may one day arrive.”