354: The Feminism Project With Chloe Tse

Chloe Tse is a Canadian journalist and activist, the co-founder of TheFeminismProject.com, Digital Editor at Totem, media critic, freelance writer for multiple publications nationwide and a mom to a bad beagle. When she’s not making editorial magic, she’s speaking out and doing her part to better improve representation for queer women, women of colour and others who are lacking when it comes to representation in the media and mainstream society. She was one of the original organizers of PinkDotTO, the first Chinatown march in Toronto to raise visibility for queer Asians.

Chloe shares her life experiences, tips and an incident in public school that has helped her muster up the courage to fuel her passion, her confidence and her truth.

Bio

Chloe Tse is the co-founder of TheFeminismProject.com and an activist.

Cultural Background

Chloe is a third generation Chinese-Canadian.

Favorite Self Confidence Quote

Confidence isn’t walking in the room and thinking you’re better than anybody, it’s walking in and knowing you don’t have to compare yourself in the first place.

Definition of Self Confidence

Self-confidence is understanding we’re all on our own paths and maintaining focus. It’s understanding that we’ve worked hard to get to where we are, knowing that there’s still work ahead and knowing that we are capable of always doing better. It’s standing behind our decisions and knowing we don’t have to answer to anyone but ourselves.

Her Life Before the Discovery of Self Confidence

Back then, Chloe got kicked out of a public high school for having a website back in 2003. It was wrong and the vice principle at the time essentially bullied her (she was the editor of the school paper, on the student council and student leader council). She didn’t understand the concept of a blog and mistaken it for ‘spilling her guts online’. They couldn’t expel her, but they kicked her out and Chloe had to do correspondence through a friend to graduate. It was hard on the ego and self confidence, but she knew she was in the right. That’s when CBC National did a story. It inevitably helped Chloe fuel her passion for journalism, fairness and truth-seeking.

The “AHA” Moment

Chloe doesn’t know if she can attribute a moment to self confidence. She think it’s an ongoing thing. Life brings with it many ups and downs and there are different times when you have to muster up more of it. You feel it more when things are happening in your favour but when life gets testing and you’re struggling through, you may have to actively remind yourself it’s there.

Her Life After the Discovery of Self Confidence

From Chloe’s experience nothing in life is black and white. It’s not like something isn’t there and then it is, life is full of grey. Being fortunate to come from a family of good souls, they planted the seeds of self confidence from the beginning. It’s been her personal responsibility to continue watering it since. Fertilizing it by keeping good friends around, inspiring individuals, solid mentors and other human gems.

Chloe takes full accountability of who she is, her life and what happens in it. She recognizes that every morning she wakes up, she makes a number of decisions. Things don’t just happen to us, we let them. We teach people how to treat us. We decide to go to work every morning, we have options of what to eat and so on and so on. Life is a series of choices. Chloe has made many bad decisions and had to swallow the consequences, sometimes she still makes them. Self confidence is knowing that she can get through them and knowledge is gaining a better understanding of the situation and wisdom is knowing not to do it again.

The One Self Confidence Tip For the Listener

You are perfect as you are in this moment and you can only do better in the next. Positivity is a real thing and self confidence is about accepting yourself and focusing on yourself. It isn’t about comparing, whether you’re sizing someone up or down. It’s about believing in yourself, it’s knowing you’re capable of learning more and being a better version of yourself than you were yesterday.

It’s about recovery. It’s about healing. It’s about knowing you have the strength to embark on self discovery at any time. It’s the ability to shift perspectives. It’s choosing happiness for yourself based on your own terms, it’s about choosing you.

No ones life runs smoothly, and yours will never be the exception to this. It’s about laughing off bad times. It’s being grateful for the good times. It’s appreciating the chill moments. It’s living in the now.You have so much power, you bright ball of energy. You can make all the difference and are the master of your own life. Never forget that you are the one in charge of all your decisions. No one can make you do anything you don’t want to do (there are, of course, exceptions to this…) You are loved and you are magic. Never stop believing in that.