Think BIG, Believe in Yourself!

Let’s talk about the importance of your environment and the impact it has on personal development. This blog post will encourage you to reflect on your own experiences and empower you to pursue and achieve the online success you deserve.

A personal share

I recently traveled to Holland 🌷 (my home country) to visit my family. From the airport I take a train and notice that I don’t stand out being 6 feet tall- the Dutch people are among the tallest in the world. When I arrive and get out of the train I see my father and I hug him tightly – the last time we saw each other was 3 ½ years ago. We were so happy to see each other.

We walk over to his tiny car, my suitcase barely fits in the trunk and I am laughing as I’m used to driving a boat on wheels (a large truck). When we get to his house I’m sipping tea from a tiny mug and after a refreshing shower a shower I dry myself off with a small towel that looks more like a hair towel than a towel for my body. I couldn’t help but chuckle 🤭 at how everything seemed small. But was it really that small or had my perspective shifted? 🤔 My “normal” has changed- I now live in a world where everything is large, I’m an American 🇺🇸.

Dutch People are often perceived as open-minded and the Netherlands is known for its liberal and progressive social policies. But there is another side that feels narrow minded to me. My personal experience has been that people get a little nervous around individuals that think big and are ambitious. It’s not encouraged to achieve greatness, you shouldn’t stick your head out of the crowd. The Dutch people have a saying “ Just be normal, you are already weird enough”.

It would be completely inaccurate and unfair to generalize that all Dutch 🇳🇱 people are like that. All Individuals have diverse goals and levels of ambition, irrespective of their cultural background.  I am merely describing my environment during the time that I was living in Holland. Pursuing greatness wasn't encouraged; my parents never asked me if I wanted to  go to a university or pushed me to play and instrument or excel in any sport. If I had been born and raised in the States I would have been encouraged to be a volleyball/basketball player or swimmer with my long limbs and athletic build. But in Holland nobody ever mentioned that I had a body best suitable for those sports. The only sport available was soccer and bowling.. 🎳 and I did those two things. haha for real I’m not joking. I had my own bowling ball and shoe’s etc-. I didn’t have a lot of options and opportunities were limited and I was aware of that. When I got invited to start a modeling career in Milan it felt like a ticket to freedom. And what I thought was going to be a year abroad turned into a long time international modeling career.

Meeting people from different cultures, background and lifestyles really opened my eyes, and what felt really appealing was the American way of thinking. A strong emphasis on entrepreneurship and working hard in pursuit of your dreams. When an idea was shared among friends it was encouraged to take action, and it felt supportive. Nothing was too crazy!

The environment you are in matters

The environment you are in matters, A LOT. The people you interact with and the places you visit, can inspire and motivate or feel uninspired and discouraging. What environment did you grow up in? Did you feel supported in your dreams and desires or did you start blooming when you moved to a new environment to study work or live in? What is your current environment like? It’s very likely that you too are someone that may be what we call The Black Sheep of the family. You are different from the rest of the family in certain ways and you may recognize some of the following personality traits, often associated with the black sheep:

1. Nonconforming

2. Independent

3. Rebellious

4. Creative or artistic

5. Outsider

6. Risk-taker

7. Resilient

8. Strong sense of self

Additionally, the black sheep's journey may involve personal growth and self-discovery as they navigate their distinct path in life. Sounds familiar? 😉

When I think of myself,  my husband and my friends; we are all black sheep! We have created a life on our own terms and do courageous things and even though we are all very different in how we express ourselves we attract very similar vibe people in our lives. It’s clear that having a supportive environment significantly influences our pursuit of dreams but I’ve also come to understand that self-belief and empowerment are vital to realizing our potential.

BELIEVING IN YOURSELF 🌟

Everyone else can believe in you but it won’t matter if you don’t believe in yourself. It takes work to build confidence in your own abilities, to know your self-worth and to feel deserving of all the thing you desire to experience in life.  And online success is part of that too; you are reading this because you know you have greatness in you, you have knowledge and expertise that you already share with people, but you know that more people could benefit from all that you have to offer and it would bring you a lot of joy, purpose and satisfaction if you can do what you do on a larger scale and make a larger impact. Right?

And let’s be honest, throughout our journey disempowering thoughts can creep in when comparing “I’ll never be as successful as her” or “Am I not wasting my time investing all my time and energy into this?. To combat disempowering thoughts I’d like to offer three affirmations 🗣️ to help you shift from feeling small and insignificant to feeling large and expansive:

1️⃣ "I am worthy of greatness and success, and I embrace the limitless possibilities that life offers."

2️⃣ "Every day, I grow stronger, more confident, and more capable of achieving my dreams."

3️⃣  "I radiate positivity, and my presence in this world is a source of inspiration and empowerment for others."

These affirmations can help you cultivate a more positive and expansive mindset, encouraging you to believe in your potential and take steps toward achieving your goals. What inspired action steps are you taking to get to the next level in your journey?

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