My Big Risk: How I Overcame Obstacles to Succeed

May 17

A year ago today, I took a big risk.

Bigger than any I’ve done before… and I’m no stranger to risk-taking.

In this process, I had to confront myself head-on. Like one of those makeup lights that show you everything, I had to really look and observe myself.

And it surprised the hell out of me.

This is my story.

You see… project management and long-term goals, well we haven’t been the best of friends throughout my life. I have a brain that struggles to keep doing the thing when the thing has lost its shiny, sparkly excitement (I have an ADHD brain).

And this brain has always been good at envisioning things, seeing the big picture, and solving the puzzle.

Not so great on long-term execution of project management skills.

I could burn myself out with no problem compiling the project at the last minute, hyper fixated on a thing after I’ve avoided it for so long, and do a pretty good job at it too.

But I always hated this part of myself.

Where I thought something was wrong with me because I had no drive or discipline to do something consistently or proactively.

And that…was a huge source of shame for myself.

At least… that was the story I told myself.

And that story almost stopped me.

If it did, you wouldn’t be reading this right now.

Because today, 1 year ago, was when I made the commitment to you to open Bloom Narratives.

It has always been a seed, but this was me deciding to plant and take care of the seed in every season, not just the idea phase.

So what happened? How did I go from one end of the spectrum to the other?

I did my own therapy.

It was hard, yes…and at the same time, it felt peaceful and cathartic.

I had to acknowledge the story I was telling myself about my skills.

And then I had to deconstruct the story about giving up and not being able to have long-term goals.

I did two things.

First, I did a Daring Way Workshop on Brené Brown’s Rising Strong Curriculum (learn more). It was where I had to examine my fall facedown moments, rumble with the story, and rewrite the narrative I told myself.

I also did one on one sessions with my therapist.

After the workshop and therapy sessions, a therapeutic and validating moment happened that changed my life.

I wrote out a list of everything I never gave up on, and it was like cleaning an infected wound.

That shit hurt.

And it felt so good.

Because I was getting it wrong my whole life.

Most of the times I identified as ‘giving up’ were thousands of moments of my life where I set boundaries, chose to heal, or acknowledged I was burning myself out because of impossible demands.

You see… a little girl from years ago was humiliated at school for being forgetful, and she worked at regaining control over herself and resisted that stigma for decades.

She overperformed out of a fear of not being ‘enough’, ‘popular’, or ‘included’. The thing is, the overachievement never gave her those things either…

Sitting with herself, her spirit, and her body… that did.

Zoom to last year, when I made a decision and a commitment to walk towards my fears. There… I found my power.

Every day this last year, I walk towards my fears of owning a business, showing my face publicly, telling my story, meeting new people, operating at a level of faith I didn’t know I possessed and stepping outside my comfort zone. Every day.

And it’s been so worth it.

What’s a story you have of taking a risk? Let’s celebrate these moments because empowered women empower women.

With gratitude to you healing, feeling rockstars!