Sandi L Boucher tells Indigenous and BIPOC viewers that federal oppression, racism, and poverty are real, but people limit themselves by defending these barriers instead of choosing agency. She shares how she moved past them.
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Okay, I have my handy dandy index card for this one. And in this video, I'm speaking primarily to Indigenous viewers, my Indigenous fans, friends, followers, family, or even my team that follow my videos. You, the rest of you can answer the question as well, but especially for marginalized or bipoc black indigenous people of color. And this one's going to resonate with you. So I'm asking a question today, and the question is, if you had to name one thing that is limiting you, holding you back from becoming who you are or holding you back from earning the money you want to earn or whatever the case may be, what would your answer be? We're going to look at some common answers that I hear on a regular basis, and then I'm going to tell you what the answer actually is because you may not have realized it yet. So let's talk about it. Hi, everybody. My name is Sandy Boucher. I'm Red Thunderbolt, woman of the Loon clan, a proud member of Seine river first nation in Treaty 3 territory in Northern Ontario. And as mentioned in the opening today, I have a question for you. And that question is, what's holding you back? What's stopping you from living the life of your dreams? What's stopping you from earning the money you wish you could earn or living in the home you wish you could have? What is stopping you? Now, as I mentioned, Blue is bound and determined to hang out with me today, so. Oh, I saw a little ear. Yep. So she's going to join us for this video. Now, I asked this question of many audiences, and like I said in the opening, I'm really, really thinking of my Indigenous audiences, my Indigenous followers, my Indigenous fans, friends, family, team, whatever the case may be. And when I ask people what is holding back, what. What is limiting them? So here's a couple, like four of the most common answers I hear. The first one, hands down, the federal government, we're talking about the oppression of Indigenous people that continues today. So that is often the first thing that comes to mind for people. And of course, if you live in a remote community, you don't have access to fresh water, you don't have so many of the services that other people take from granted. I understand why that's the answer. I understand why all of these are the answer. I'm going to explain why it can't be your answer in a minute. The second one, another one that's really easy to understand why they say it. We're talking about either racism or non Indigenous people are holding them back. Are you Know closing the door on them or not inviting them into the room in the first place. Place. And this, this is happening, this is absolutely true. Neither of those are wrong. Just don't want them to be your answer. We'll explain in a second. The third one, poverty. The fact that when you're living in one of those remote communities or you're living in the middle of a city, if there's one thing I've realized of late is how much harder life is because you're poor. Like if you're poor and can't afford to pay a bill, you end up paying late charges. So you pay more than people who have money. If I can remember for years I didn't have a car. I had two kids to support. I was working full time for the federal government. I couldn't afford a car car. So that meant I had to pay a tax. I would walk to the grocery store and have to pay a taxi to come home. Well, that's ridiculously expensive. But that's what happens when you're poor, right? So it just puts up. It's so much more than just not having money to do things. It's how many penalties, how many things that you have no other choice. You have to buy the cheapest version of something because you can't afford the good quality one, which means you're going to end up buying eight of them because they wear out. It's that cycle of poverty and it's soul crushing. So again, not saying you're wrong, just don't want it to be your answer. And the last one, lack of access that they don't have access to the schooling they need, they debt. Whether they can't afford it or it's just not in their area, they don't have access to good paying jobs or in some cases jobs at all. They don't have the access to teachers and mentors that one could be referring to. So many things, and like I said, none of these are wrong. Federal government, racism, poverty, lack of access, every single one of those makes a journey so incredibly hard. But what I want you to remember, and this is a quote actually from my first book, is you will forever be limited by the barriers you choose to defend. You will forever be limited by the barriers you choose to defend. To defend. As long as you believe poverty can stop you, it will. As long as you believe the federal government can stop you, it will. As long as you believe that lack of access can stop you, it will. As long as you believe racism can stop you, it will. My dad Used to promise me that I could be whatever I wanted to be if and only if I was willing to work hard enough to get it. And he went as far as promising me that there were going to be people that were going to try to stop me. There were going to be people that would tell me I'd never be able to do it, that I wasn't going to succeed, and that I had to decide if they were right. So I know successful indigenous people that have overcome the federal government and its oppression, racism, poverty and lack of access. I would be one of them. Been there, done that in every single case. And I have paid the extra cost. I had the lack of access. I'm a 10 year domestic abuse survivor. Rooted in racism. I know. And federal government. Hello? No friend of the indigenous peoples, that's for sure. But they were not going to stop me. Remember the analogy of when you ask someone for help and they say no? It's like they put this giant boulder between you and your goal and you have to decide. And there's only one of two choices. Either you're going to decide that that boulder is so huge that you're not going to be able to do it and you just go off on another path, or you're going to go over, around, under or through that rock to get what you want. You decide. Victim mentality has never helped anyone. If you believe you're powerless, then you are. But I know you make decisions every single day. You decide what to say, you decide what to wear. Maybe it's not the outfit you wish you could, but you still choose from what you got. You choose what to eat. Even if you're impoverished, you can decide amongst them. And we know that cheap food is not good food. But still there are choices you make every single day, including the type of person you want to be. So stop. Believing. Those things can stop you. Because if you believe it, they will. And I'm living proof that if you don't believe it, they can't. Until tomorrow. I love you. Take care. Bye bye.
