How This One Bold Choice Amplified My Voice And Led Me Here

She sat on the edge of Kurraba Point Wharf in North Sydney, her feet dangling into the water, smoking an early morning cigarette.

As this young 18-year-old girl watched the early morning commuters disembark from the 7.30am ferry, she locked eyes with a young woman her own age, dressed in a navy blue suit, crisp white shirt, and high heels.

Instantly, she felt self-conscious in her $1 thrift shop dress, wondering, "Who is that woman, what is her story, who am I and what am I doing?"

In that split second, she realised there was more to life than the one she was currently living......

She also knew deep down inside that the life she had left an ocean away would also stifle her growth and keep her small.

What to do?

The choice she had made a year earlier for independence had also opened up a huge chasm of growth she now knew she needed to cross, yet she was struggling with knowing how to do it.

And it was in this moment she also understood the life-defining decisions needed to grow into the young woman she now aspired to become wasn't about the 'how', it was about the 'who'.

The young 18-year-old sitting on Kurraba Wharf was me.

In that moment, I didn't realise it but I was standing at the crossroads of my past and future, wanting to find my own voice and having the courage to make it heard, regardless of past conditioning or what others thought.

And a question I often suggest we ask ourselves in all contexts of our lives - especially when facing decisions, choices, and the fear of others' opinions - is this:

Do we pack up our tent and run for the hills, or do we pack up our tent and pitch it somewhere else?

Choices.

Whether it is moving out of home, leaving a marriage, selling a house, re-entering the workforce, resigning from a job, placing your children in daycare, buying a business, liquidating a business, moving to the other side of the world, evolving your career.....

Someone, somewhere will be unhappy with your choice.

And someone, somewhere, will be ecstatic with your choice.

The truth is....

You can't please all the people all the time.

Nor should you try.

Because if you do....

You risk losing yourself.

You risk being caught in drama.

You risk missing the joy waiting for you because of man-made guilt and self-inflicted shame.

The truth is....

You are not responsible for other people's mental health, physical health, or emotional health.

Like you, they have the luxury of choice.

Yes, most definitely feel empathy, care, and love.

But also set boundaries.

That is self-love, not selfish.

Choices.

And just when you think your choices move you forward

They can also cause you to fall on your butt backwards, fast!

Where all you want to do is run for them thar hills....

?? ?? Whether it’s that fashion faux pas of realising you are wearing one black shoe and one navy shoe and swear you will never get dressed in the dark ever again!

?? ?? Or when you realise you really should stop at two drinks no matter how much you swear you can drink someone under the table!

?? ?? Or when you discover that heart stopping moment you send a private email to your husband only to discover that there is someone with the same name on your work's global email list on the other side of the world!

We've all experienced cringe-worthy moments we'd rather forget.

But these moments remind us that we are human and that we all share the same feelings around the choices we make.

There is also always a lesson in those embarrassing moments ... if we look for it... that will move us all forward ??

Removing our ego

Realising that nobody else really, truly cares!

Choices.

None of us know what is beyond the next five minutes.

And that, to me, is exciting.

Because we can choose to make it whatever we want.

And there is one more thing I know to be true

We cannot drag negative energy with us into the future and hope life will be different.

We must find a way to release it.

To let it go.

If we don't, then the only things we will experience are obstacles and enemies.

Even if they are people close to us.

Choices.

Find people who will feed your soul.

REALLY feed your soul!

And give yourself permission to step into your zone of joy and genius.

? Name it!

? Claim it!

? Proclaim it!

Choices.

Reflecting back, I often think of that young girl on Kurraba Point Wharf, unsure and self-conscious, but ready to embrace the unknown.

It was because of the choice she made that day to pitch her tent somewhere else, the boundaries she set, and the courage to always move forward that defined her journey and continues to do so today.

By welcoming fear, embracing feedback, and having a deep knowing and faith ~ I am on the path I am supposed to be on - one that continues to be based on fun, growth and fulfilment.

My question to you is...

What choices will you make today to shape your tomorrow or what choices did you make yesterday that have shaped your today?

As Always,

Be Brave, Bold, and Brilliant!

Bernadette

I bring an extremely powerful and relevant message to the front of the room or to the wider market designed for leaders and sales teams with my Signature Keynote - 'Deliberate Disruption: Because Bouncing Back Doesn't Cut It And Resilience Isn't Enough'.

Because if you are not disrupting yourself in the way you think, feel and act - then something or someone else will!

My message is designed for business owners, leaders and salespeople to shift from uncertainty and hesitation, to a mindset of courage, conviction and choice, enabling you to drive growth even in tough times.

Message me this week to speak at your next sales meeting, SKO or Association meeting.

Visit my speaker site BernadetteMcClelland.com