In response to my last blog post, a woman encouraged me to continue this message of unapologetic success and shared her experiences of battling against media and society along her professional journey. Additionally, I was encouraged by the number of responses and comments I received through social media platforms. For that – I thank you. Your comments and feedback remind me this message is greater than me, and it is needed. So we will take this taboo subject and make it streamline – together!
My personal tagline is “I don’t apologize for success or failure,” this is an intentional statement, and I mean it! More importantly I want you to adopt the tagline in your life. It may seem radical for me, a believer, to tout a refusal to apologize. This is not a rude, snotty statement, but a radically honest and pointed attitude I am hoping more women will adopt. While there are many reasons for this personal statement, a video I recently watched reminded me of the biggest reason of all…. it isn’t just about me.
Just as the saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” I believe today’s failure may very well be tomorrow’s foundation for success. As a small business owner I have had failures. As an athlete I did not always win. As an employer, sometimes I make bad managerial decisions. I have entered into bad partnerships, spent too much outsourcing services, tried to do too much on my own, and even lost money to a point where bankruptcy was an option (that I did not take). But I believe each of those hurdles, challenges, and failures have built the foundation for the business professional I am becoming each day.
I am so thankful for the foundation others have laid before me so I have the right to make mistakes. I have the right to be a female business owner. I have the right to succeed and fail. For their sacrifices and their hard work, I am able to do so without apology. From the 300 activists who gathered in Seneca Falls, NY in 1848 to call for equal treatment of women and men and voting rights for women, to my Mom who has balanced motherhood with being a ranchers wife and successful business owner over the years, to the teenage girls who have dreams bigger than Texas, I am thankful.
As a tribute to the women who came before me, I choose not to apologize for my success or failure. Imagine being one of the 300 activists, like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, who signed the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions in 1848, hoping to one day vote and be treated equally, yet never to see their dream come to fruition. Seventy-two years after the Seneca Falls Convention, the 19th Amendment, which gives women the right to vote, is ratified. Only one person who had signed the convention’s Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, Charlotte Woodward, was alive and able to exercise her right to vote. #ItCantBjustAboutYou
It is my hope to see the fruits of my labor, as I try to improve society’s view of successful women. It is my plea for you to stop apologizing when you earn a higher degree, raise healthy and successful children whom you are proud of, and own possessions you have earned through hard work. When you have something bigger than yourself to drive you – there is no excuse. There is no pain you cannot overcome and no criticism or judgement you cannot withstand. #StayFocused