Do you know what it means to experience hell? Do you know what it feels like to cry, to beg, and to plead for your life to change? Do you know what it feels like to fail?
Is this a safe space? Can I be honest for a second? Life has not always been a "fun experience." I’m sure many of you can resonate with that. I have been poor. I have been homeless. I have been physically and emotionally beaten time and time again. I built OFFYOUGLOW without a home of my own. Without safety or security in my life.
Don't get me wrong, my gratitude is overflowing. I have a roof. I have food. I am safe. But I am also acutely aware of my reality.
When I first had the idea for a beauty vending machine, I researched and planned until I hit a psycological wall built of fear. I stopped. I thought: “What if I fail again? What if it all goes wrong?”
I sat in that feeling for a long time. I simmered in it. Soaking in the juices of doubt. Then, a quote found me on Tiktok: “If you’re going through hell, why would you stop there?”
Think about it. If you are already in a place of pain, why would you choose to set up camp and stay? Why would you settle for it?
Many of you reading this have experienced your own personal hells. Some of you are in one right now. What are you actually afraid of? Have you not experienced failure before? Have you not felt humiliation? Have you not lost before?
You have. And did it kill you?
You are literally here, reading this. Do you know how god-damn strong you are? You have survived battle after battle. If you "fail" at this new venture, you simply remain where you are now. But what if you don’t fail? What if you actually succeed? What if things finally go right?
Stop waiting for perfection and just start the damn thing. Learn as you go. Beyonce wasn’t built overnight. Every business, every parent, and every artist is just a product of trial and error.
When you eventually do mess up (and mind you, errors are inevitable), ask yourself: “The last time I stumbled, did it kill me?” Remind yourself: “I’ve been here before. This is not an unfamiliar road.” When you realize that failure is actually familiar territory, your mind will remember exactly how you navigated it last time. You are truly an expert at getting back up.
It’s okay to feel fear. It’s okay to be cautious. It just means you care. But those feelings cannot be allowed to hinder your ambition.
My brand is #OFFYOUGLOW, but my message is #OFFYOUGROW.
Dearest reader, I hope you become the best version of yourself. Pour so much love into your mission that it dilutes your fear. I can’t wait to see what you become.
Signed faithfully with love,
K
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