**The images in this post all have one thing in common. Keep reading to find out what**
Some people are born into this world with what I like to call career ADHD. Those of us born with CADHD have a million things we want to try in our lives. We’re happy to try them all, but we don’t succeed at them all. We’re dreamers and sometimes we’re such dreamers that the doing becomes difficult. We go between empty days where it seems impossible to do the most mundane task to days so busy we sacrifice sleep. We often hear we’d make great salespeople but we’ve tried every direct sales company known to man and we really suck at it. Relationships matter to us. We want people to be happy and to like us but we want to be happy too, we just have strange things that make us tick.
I’ve failed at more things than I’ve succeeded at in my life. Some days that’s a really difficult pill to swallow. Other days that fact makes me feel fearless. The fact that I’ve failed at so many things means I’ve TRIED a lot of things. And I haven’t given each of those things my all, but dammit, when I WANT something, I succeed at it, and I make quick work of the success.
“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” – Denis Waitley
When I was a freshman in high school, I tried out for the high school competitive dance team. Back then it was called a drill team, but for ease of calling it what it WAS, I’m going to call it a dance team. I didn’t make it. I failed. Instead of letting that failure get me down, I practiced my ass off through the year with a friend of mine who had made the team. I practiced kicks, dance moves, I worked on my agility, and most of all – my confidence in front of groups of people. When spring rolled around, I tried out again and I made it. I was an alternate a couple of times that first year, but again, I worked my ass off so that I was never an alternate again, and I went on to be one of 16 on my team to compete at the UDA National Championships at Disney World in 1999.
I started college at Auburn and failed. I didn’t fail out in terms of my grades, but I couldn’t hang. I failed. I got knocked up. I kinda failed at life. I got married to an abusive man. Fail. I became a single mom – WIN. I went back to college, got an office job, worked as a waitress at night, stayed up until 3am studying and won it all.
I remarried, and despite difficulties we’ve encountered, we are kicking marriage’s ASS. I got put on bed rest, lost my job and became a stay at home mom. Fail. I got depressed. Very depressed. Fail. I started writing online. I started meeting people who made money writing about baby products online and thought, “I can write way better than most of these people.” So I did. Within 4 months I was making enough money to pay for our groceries. A year later I started doing contract work. The next year I was making so much money doing contract work that I knew I could exceed my husband’s income the next year – and I did. Win.
“When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important.” – Ellen DeGeneres
I’ve had a lot of great ideas over the last year. Some that began to take off but that I didn’t love and foster. Others that haven’t started yet because I’m bound by fear.
What I do know is who I am and what I’m good at and what I love doing.
- I love being on camera. I feel alive when I’m staring into a lens.
- I love helping others in any way I can. Serving other people and making them feel good about themselves or helping them find their voice fuels me and makes me feel alive.
- I love talking to people. It fuels me and makes me feel alive.
- I love simple fashion. I love soft clothes that make me feel beautiful and accent my hourglass figure. It fuels me and makes me feel alive.
I also know what I’m bad at.
- Consistency
- Organization
- Caring what people think of WHAT I DO for a living.
There are lots of other things I’m bad at that don’t pertain to this situation. What you need to remember and know is that I’ve cared what people think of me and have allowed that to dictate my actions. I have allowed the things I’m NOT good at keep me from doing the things I wanted to do. I’ve allowed a lack of self confidence to keep me from reaching my dreams.
But I’ve tried all kinds of things. I’ve failed at some pretty major things – things that didn’t encompass my passions. But the things I’ve succeeded at have been things I’m passionate about. Dance, writing, education, a self-made career, my marriage, family. I’ve succeeded at those things.
And right now in my life I’m succeeding at fitness ( I freaking LOVE my gym and the community of supportive people there ), I’m succeeding at juggling kids activities and keeping my marriage ALIVE – and not just alive, but like prosperous. I’m succeeding at paying off debt, at saving money, and at figuring out how I can use past failures to shape my future.
And so I’m taking a leap of faith. I’m joining LuLaRoe as an Independent Fashion Consultant. WHY? Because I love skirts and dresses and putting fun outfits together for every occasion that work for every style and every body shape. Because I’m good at being on camera, at making people feel good, and at talking.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison
Might I fail? Sure, but make no mistake about it – I absolutely freaking do not intend to. And if history has taught me anything, I can succeed at anything I want with my whole heart – and this is just another thing I will succeed at.
Blogging isn’t going to go away. I will continue to do this and to travel and grow my contract abilities and take advantage of every great opportunity that comes my way.
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill
I’d love to share my success with you, so please join my Facebook group . We’ll party and there will be giveaways leading up to my inventory arriving. In the coming weeks I would love your support and spreading the word about my new retail boutique.
Sara Phillips says
YAYY!! Honestly though, I’m surprised you didn’t join sooner than now! I am pretty sure the only thing I saw you wear at Brandcation was LuLaRoe. I think you will ROCK THIS!
Lee says
So happy for you, I think this fashion thing is good for you! Best of luck.
Lee