The naysayers said you couldn’t succeed. What they didn’t know was their definition of success was not yours. Creating your path by believing in possibilities has brought you to where you are today and will continue to guide and sustain you.
~From “Dear Stephanae”
Have you ever felt like you don’t fit in? For most of my life, I knew I was different and couldn’t understand why. Then I read The Introvert Advantage by Marti Olsen Laney and was thrilled to find that while I’m different, I’m not abnormal.
If you’ve been following Bold Blind Beauty for a while I’ve remained on message partly because of my introversion. The other reason why I’m consistent is because of my path.
A few months ago I was honored with a scholarship to attend a life-changing Daring To Own Your StoryTM retreat. The retreat, for blind and visually impaired women, opened the door to reveal a side of me I didn’t know existed. One of the tasks we were asked to complete was writing a self-compassionate letter to ourselves. On hearing this, the introvert in me seized up and I was unable to finish my letter. Thankfully, I made a promise to myself to finish it at the right time. That time was yesterday and the opening paragraph to this post is from my letter.
Creating My Path
The thing with creating your own path is there is no blueprint or navigation system to direct you—only your gut. Outsiders won’t understand and may try to convince you that you’re delusional. Your inner self-critic incessantly keeps you second-guessing yourself and you’ll feel so lonely and afraid.
It cannot be a coincidence that this quote from my childhood has remained my favorite:
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
It’s no coincidence that the people I’ve connected with on my journey would be instrumental in keeping me on my path. Today, Thomas Reid of Reid My Mind, sent me the link to the podcast we recently recorded and it warmed my heart.
In the interview, Because We Are Captivating, Tom and I talk about my path and he did a wonderful job pulling it together. The timing is perfect as I’m preparing for two speaking gigs next week and am solely focused on the upcoming events.
I’ve included the direct link to the podcast below.
When you have a moment check out the multi-talented host and producer, Tom at Reid My Mind. Thank you, Tom, for featuring me a third time on your podcast—it was a blast!
Header Image Description:
A stunning black and white abstract illustration of the head and left shoulder of a woman. She has both hands on her shoulder and her head is slightly tilted downward. What makes the image so magical is the trees blended into her face and background.