I Did It!

Finally! I finally did it!!  Thank you for being here to see it.  I have had a dream of starting a blog and having a website for several years.  For several years I have paid monthly fees to Word Press because I believed I would get started if I was paying.  I mean, I wasn’t going to allow myself to just waste money, right?  If only that were true.

I first had the idea in 2016, after I completed my Silver-Pin Sommelier certification with the North American Sommelier Association.  Wine was to be the blog subject until the, almost immediate, onset of imposter syndrome killed that idea.  Despite the hundreds of hours of study and passing a grueling exam, I questioned whether I had the qualifications to talk about my own perspective on the world of wine.  Why would/should anyone care what I have to say on the topic?

I abandoned that idea, then thought I might write about my experience moving back into an inner-city area after having achieved the dream of education and financial success that is synonymous with leaving these areas for “better” neighborhoods.  I had lived away from the inner-city for 26 years, and it was certainly a lifestyle adjustment moving back.  The idea was fun, but I was concerned that it wouldn’t be received in the right context.  I abandoned that idea before the first article was finished.

Four years later I would be presented with an opportunity to be a monthly style contributor for an online magazine publication.  How was I going to write about something for which I had no certifiable credentials, when I didn’t have the confidence to write about something I had studied and was being educated in?  Imposter syndrome was lurking in the shadows, but did not have the opportunity to kill this opportunity.

This time there was someone else cheering me on and blowing wind into my sails. The publisher of the magazine, Laura, had been my first personal styling client. When I questioned who would want to read anything I had to say about style, Laura assured me that she and others would find it interesting.  Ultimately, I realized she wouldn’t jeopardize her own magazine by bringing in someone that had nothing to offer.  So, I wrapped myself in confidence and got to work. I was a nervous wreck every time my articles were published.  Laura would shut down her magazine about a year later, but she had given me a gift.

A little over a year later, my dream is a reality.  I abandoned the do-it-yourself approach, and got some creative folks to help bring my vision to life.  My current talents do not lie in coding and web design, and that’s okay. I’ve realized that no one is more qualified that me to write about my perspective and experience on any topic.

Let this be a sign to not give up on your dreams.

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