Fiona had always wanted to become a fashion designer. Ever since she was young, she had loved the feel and texture of different fabrics, and she always looked through fashion magazines for the newest trends.
Fiona was so excited when she was accepted into one of the top fashion universities after high school. She worked hard towards her Bachelor in Fashion, waiting for her opportunity to showcase her own brand and make her mark as a designer.
She had been working on her own fashion brand concept and designs for a couple of years, but it had always been in the comfort and privacy of her own home.
Now she had the opportunity to enter a fashion competition where she could showcase a mini collection of five designs. A lot of influential designers would be in attendance, so this would be an amazing opportunity.
Fiona already had the garments made and had all the credentials. All she needed to do was put her name down and enter the competition.
But Fiona was full of self-doubt and questions, and her mind kept replaying fears of being rejected.
Then came the excuses. Fiona used every excuse she could find: “My clothes aren’t good enough”, “I will be rejected”, “I will be embarrassed and humiliated”. All these doubts stopped her from entering the competition. She had convinced herself that she was not ready and that there would be other opportunities.
Fiona did not realise that this story of “I am not ready” would continue to play out in her life as she missed one opportunity after another. It would deny her dream of becoming a designer.
When we are fearful and scared to believe in our own potential, the easiest thing to do is make up excuses —and saying that we are not ready is one of the biggest excuses we tell ourselves.
We are all experts in making up and believing our own excuses, but these excuses also keep us stuck and hold us back from what we truly want.
This week’s challenge is to be brave and courageous despite your fears. This does not mean that your fears and self-doubt won’t be there, or that they will just disappear. Rather, it means being aware of the excuses and taking action to move one step closer to fulfilling your dream.
It is about facing your fears and self-doubt one step at a time. By breaking down what you want to ultimately achieve into smaller steps, you make them more achievable. Then you complete the steps one by one until you have achieved your ultimate goal.
In this way you not only face your fears but you also build your self-confidence in yourself.
For the amazing thing about life is that it keeps on giving us many opportunities to achieve. All we need to do is be brave and courageous enough to take the first step.
Forever creating,
Deborah Ruth
