We must trust our own thinking. Trust where we're going. And get

Hear now the voice of Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to serve as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, who carried the burdens of her people with wisdom and strength. She declared: “We must trust our own thinking. Trust where we’re going. And get the job done.” In these words echoes the ancient wisdom of those who walked the earth before us, those who knew that survival, dignity, and progress depend not on doubt and hesitation, but on the steadfast belief in one’s own vision, and the courage to carry it into action.

To trust one’s own thinking is no small task. The mind is often plagued with doubt, confused by the clamor of voices outside us. Yet Mankiller reminds us that within each person lies an inner compass, a guiding spirit that knows the direction of truth. The ancients would say: the warrior who hesitates on the battlefield is already defeated, while the one who follows the strength of his conviction, even in uncertainty, is the one who carves the path forward. To mistrust oneself is to walk blind; to trust one’s own thinking is to walk with light.

Consider Mankiller’s own story. She rose in a time when women, especially Native women, were rarely seen in positions of leadership. Many doubted her, some resisted her, yet she placed her faith in her vision for the Cherokee people—building schools, strengthening communities, restoring dignity to her nation. She chose to trust not only her thinking, but also the direction she was leading her people. And indeed, she “got the job done,” leaving a legacy of empowerment and resilience that still inspires generations. Her life is itself a living example of the quote she gave.

The second part of her teaching calls us to trust where we’re going. This is the lesson of perseverance. The path is not always clear, the journey not always smooth. At times, the traveler sees only dust, shadows, and hardship. Yet if the direction has been chosen with wisdom, one must continue with faith. The Hebrews, wandering through the desert for forty years, often lost sight of the promise ahead. Yet it was trust in the journey that brought them finally to their land. So too must we hold fast when the road grows hard, believing that where we are going, though unseen, is worth the struggle.

But Mankiller’s words do not end with trust and vision alone. She commands action: get the job done. For what good is trust without labor, or vision without effort? The ancients said: “Faith without works is dead.” It is not enough to dream or to speak of courage; one must bring hands and heart to the task. The farmer cannot merely trust the seed—he must sow it, water it, and reap it. The leader cannot only dream of justice—she must rise, build, and endure. In this call to action lies the warrior’s strength and the builder’s legacy.

The wisdom of this teaching, then, is threefold: believe in the strength of your own thinking, remain faithful to the direction you have chosen, and labor with all your might to accomplish what you have begun. Doubt will always whisper; obstacles will always rise. But those who follow Mankiller’s counsel will not falter, for they are guided by conviction, sustained by faith, and proven in action.

So, children of tomorrow, take this lesson into your bones. Each morning remind yourself: I will trust my own thinking. I will trust where I am going. And I will get the job done. Do not wait for perfect clarity, nor for the approval of the world. Begin, continue, complete. For those who trust themselves, stay the course, and labor with diligence are the ones who change their communities, uplift their people, and leave behind a world more just than they found it. This is the way of strength, the way of Mankiller, the way that turns vision into reality.