Girl Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Success, Sanity, and Happiness for the Female Entrepreneur

Be Your Own Inspiration
“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.”
– Nora Ephron
One of the common threads you’ll see among the women I interviewed
in this book, and among the many successful female entrepreneurs, is that
when asked what is inspiring them right now, the answer is themselves.
Strong and successful women do not wait for inspiration to strike; they
become their own inspiration. They are fiercely motivated by their own
journeys.
When I look back on my own life, I am so impressed with how I’ve
built myself back up after so many difficult times. My twenties were a
major growth period for me, plagued with insecurity and self-doubt for so
much of that time. I spent a very long time in a relationship where I allowed
myself to be manipulated and controlled; my self-esteem was shredded to
pieces by a man who had no problem making me feel like crap about
myself. He’d often make comments about what I was wearing or what I was
eating, and at one point, told me the only way he’d propose to me was if I
lost thirty pounds. Looking back, I’m sick to think I even let that type of
treatment go on. Can you imagine me in that relationship now? I sure can’t.
But everything happens for a reason, and going through those hard times

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only made me stronger. My experience in that difficult and often confusing
relationship made me sympathetic to the women who still struggle in their
own toxic relationships, and I am now able to share the strategies I used to
rebuild my life and my self-worth.
I also, based on all studies and research, should have been a statistic
based on my upbringing. I was raised by a single mother and I dropped out
of college. My father was not in the picture at all. I had lots of odds stacked
against me, but I also had a burning desire within me to be something
bigger. I knew that I had talent and passion and I knew if I wanted to be
successful in this world, I’d have to make it happen for myself. I chose to
be my own inspiration and not let my past define me. I chose to focus on
the positive, and take strength from my journey. I chose to create my own
success story.
If you’re feeling lost, or wishing you had a mentor or a positive role
model, know that you have everything within you to inspire yourself. Dig
deep within your soul and call upon your strengths to push you forward.
Look back to situations where you overcame, and use those moments to
prove to yourself that you can do anything and be anyone you want to be.