PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK A LITTLE MORE

I keep being told, “ your dreams are too big for you, maybe you need to scale down and let go, try something less adventurous.” Letting go of those dreams means letting go of myself and I am not ready to do so. In my ideal world, everyone cheers each other on and we all go out of our ways to make each other’s dreams come true but that is far from the reality. The truth is, we cannot control what others think of us and we certainly cannot force others to believe in our dreams and invest in them, but maybe we can be our own cheerleaders.

At the beginning of the year, I knocked on so many doors, desperately looking for a job. I was searching everywhere and talking to anyone who was willing to listen. A part of me felt it would be easier to work with someone who already knew my story, starting with my friends, family and contacts list. I just assumed that maybe strangers were going to judge me for the time gap in my curriculum vitae but I think I was the one who was judging myself.

Whenever I would tell my story, I would tell the story of a mother who had given up on her career and dreams to focus on family. I had taken a 3-year break from everything and I believe that it was the best decision I made for my family. After 3 years, I was ready to step back into the career world. I had no idea where to start from, so I was hoping and praying that someone would come to my rescue. My story was true but it had a lot of gaps, it wasn’t the whole story. While I was throwing pity parties for myself, I overlooked and underrated the need to share about the skills I was bringing to the table and the value I was going to add to any organization.

Eventually, I did get a job. I poured my heart and energy into it and I loved it. Two months into my new job I moved to another country. I was now surrounded by new faces, languages and culture. The pressure of starting over was a huge wake up call. This time around, no one knew me or my story. My skills were now supposed to be the most important part of my story. The language barrier made it difficult to explain anything else. I realized that the easiest way to tell my story would be through my work. I decided to start working on my dreams before knocking on anyone’s doors. My work was going to do the talking for me.

I remember constantly telling myself, “ Success is in your hands and it will follow you wherever you go! The new challenges are not a barrier.” I probably was drawing most of my inspiration from the story of Madam C.J Walker, the laundress who transformed her life into a self-made millionaire. Infact, she is recorded in The Guinness Book of World Records as the “first female self-made millionaire in America”. She is one of the few people who touched the hearts and lives of everyone wherever she went, built a multimillion empire from nothing and empowered a lot others along the way. Her success and influence were not barricaded by any boarder.

A little confidence in yourself will go a long way. Pat yourself on the back a little more, make those bold moves and create your own portfolio of “firsts”. There is no law against being your own cheerleader. Believe in yourself! For as long as we breathe, our dreams are alive too and what will become of them is up to us. We will make it wherever we go.

The moment I started working on my dreams, doors started opening up for me. I started receiving and accepting invitations to tables that I had no idea had room for me. I am humbled by the support I keep receiving. I have a network of amazing friends and family who keep pulling me up, mentioning my name in rooms full of opportunities and making room for me everywhere they go. I would like to extend that same kindness to the next person and that person could be you.

What are you working on and how can I help you? Knock on my door anytime and I will be more than happy to be part of your journey.