Veronica Wells is author of Bettah Days, Culture Editor for MadameNoire.com, a co-worker, friend, and person I consider to be an all-around good woman.
I chose Veronica as the first subject for the I'm Enough series because she embodies the ideal of a woman who knows she's enough and won't tolerate anyone or anything that suggests otherwise, thanks to seeds first planted in her mind by her parents when she was a child, her faith, and an "I'm going to do what I want" attitude.
I talked to Veronica about her father's mission to make sure she and her sister always understood the beauty they possess, her motto that instead of women questioning whether a man will like us we should ask, "why wouldn't he like me?" and why she believes the very fact that you exist is proof you're enough.
On affirming herself
"I would never call myself ugly, just because I understand the power of words and I don't believe that about myself... when I hear women say things like that -- you can't because it plays back. It's in your mind first and then you say it verbally and then you hear it, so it's almost three times you'e saying that you're ugly. It's too much, and if you're saying that to yourself, God forbid when people do call you ugly in the street you'll believe it."
Love
"Everyone is worthy and deserving of love. If someone doesn't love you, then that's a problem with them and you just move on. There's nothing wrong with you; it just means that person isn't for you. And instead of trying to fight it or make it work or make it look like you want it to look, you just move on."
God and self-love
"When you really, really get that message, like God loves us no matter what we do, no matter who we are, who we think we are -- he designed us, he believes in us, he put us here for a reason, and that's enough. Whether you know what that reason is right now or not, the fact that you're here, that you wake up every morning, that's enough; hat's enough reason to love yourself. If God loves you then you can love yourself...if someone else doesn't like me then it's fine."