Why Not Me? How Curiosity and Being Memorable Opened Every Door
Curiosity and being memorable. These two concepts, along with my faith walk, have really impacted my life and opened up so many doors.
Here’s what I mean:
A promoter friend in college bought a house and rented out the bedrooms. I thought, “I could do that.” So I bought my house at 23, rented the bedrooms (via Craiglist), and paid off my student loans by 24.
While everyone gave the standard introduction to our wing commander, I mentioned I was stationed there with my mom. That 10-second introduction evolved into a 5-minute dialogue, an article in the newspaper, meetings with Delaware politicians, my words on marquees throughout the base while I was deployed, and so many other opportunities.
I saw a men’s fellowship flier while deployed to Afghanistan and wondered why there wasn’t one for women. I asked the chaplain. He said, “Start one.” So I started a Bible study group with women from Australia and the Philippines. In the middle of a war zone
I wanted to write a children’s book but had no idea how. So I emailed New York Times Best Selling Author Peter H. Reynolds, and he recommended the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. I’ve since sold 20,000 copies of my books (The Wealth Playground Series), been featured in Essence and Parents, and Harvard University used my book to create an economics curriculum.
I saw a group of salespeople in Union Station and asked, “How can I do that?” I became one of 70 businesses to display a booth in Union Station during their annual holiday season.
Either I saw a problem that irked me enough to find a solution, or I was exposed to someone and thought, “Why not me?”
Here’s my challenge to us both: lean into curiosity, take up the space you deserve, and don’t apologize for your presence.
As someone once told me… sometimes it’s okay to suck the air out of the room.
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