31 Days 2 Get You Started! January 23: Don’t Censor Yourself!
Below, is a photo from a professional development workshop I gave on January 17, 2014 at CUNY’s Institute of Mexican Studies. That was an amazing day. That was a day wherein I realized that by giving people the skills they need to create their careers, I am actively helping people to improve and love their lives. Now, back in 2013, when I pitched the idea of the workshop to the wonderful Professor Alyshia Galvez, even as I hit send on the email, I thought,”…Fer f**k’s sake…no way CUNY’s gonna go for this…or me…oh god, this is so crazy!” But, I shrugged and sent the email, figuring I’d been rejected so many times, one more didn’t matter.
And of course, Professor Galvez was thrilled, and couldn’t have been more welcoming. Because I decided to not censor myself, but to give myself 100%, I ended up having this incredible experience. Teaching those exceptional students was truly a blessing for me!
Today, I was having a consultation with a very talented TV producer, and over the course of our discussion, he realized how many great opportunities he had talked himself out of, how many times he was so convinced he’d be rejected, he didn’t bother applying. I know he’s not the only one. I know all of us, at one time or another, have decided that we shouldn’t even bother applying for a certain job, or asking a certain person out, or reaching for something we truly wanted, convinced that we’d get shot down. And we did…by ourselves! What a waste.
If you’re passionate about something, I promise you: the world needs your passion. The world is desperate for your passion. In my case, I went to CUNY to help working class kids get the information they needed to be able to start creating careers worthy of their highest ambitions and, of course, I was the one who was truly grateful. To receive an email reading, “Your words have inspired me to really step out my comfort zone. Thanks to you, I have slowly let my ideas, feelings, and likes come afloat.” Whoa. You know me; I have been known to cry at Simpsons episodes when the dog was in peril, so of course I got that email and became very emotional.
So I wonder…how many lives could you change if you trusted yourself and your abilities? How many lives could you positively impact if you had confidence in your talent? Imagine what would happen if you stopped censoring yourself and just went for it. Could you even change your own life?
