3 minute read
My Identity in Business by Eryn Erickson
DAY 10 MY IDENTITY IN BUSINESS
By Eryn Erickson
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Musician and founder of So Worth Loving.
@eryneddy
It wasn’t until several months after becoming the founder of the lifestyle apparel brand So Worth Loving, when someone asked me; “Eryn, what exactly do you do?” that I realized that I do not take myself seriously enough. Instead of going into the details of what I do and about my company, the incredible team I’ve built, the lives that our community is impacting, and the vision I see for the future, I would give a one-liner and dust it off. Accepting the title of Creator or Founder was intimidating. For some reason, to me the title seemed arrogant or boastful. So instead of embracing it, I would say something that satisfied the question and move on to another topic.
It was at this time that I started wrestling with all these questions of why I do this. I am certain I’m not the only one to experience an emotional roller coaster of questions about my identity in my business. Where you fit, who you are, what you are doing, and why you are doing it. But if you focus on these things to the point of letting them become fears, they can sometimes get in the way of your growth. The way I see it, there are four major fears that can impede your growth.
THE FEAR OF BEING JUDGED BY OUR PEERS.
people will not agree or support you in the direction that you are going. They may not accept or agree with what you have to say or do. It is going to happen, the best place for you to be is to accept it and move on.
THE FEAR OF NOT FEELING WORTHY OF A PLATFORM.
It could be a past mistake or a lack of education, possibly an insecurity you grew up with. There is something you can always find to slow you down. Don’t allow these uncertainties to impact your future.
THE FEAR OF BEING PERCEIVED AS ARROGANT.
Humility is not achieved by putting down or belittling the work you are doing. You must believe in what you are doing. If you don’t then how do you expect to be able to sell it to the masses?
THE FEAR OF FAILURE.
Stepping out into the opportunity that is before you and ignoring this fear allows you to make a difference in your life and the lives of others. You have to determine that what you are doing is worth getting past all of these fears.
Fear can be the common denominator when we are achieving something new and different. It is the one thing that, if allowed, can take away any form of excitement out of what you are achieving. If you truly have something to offer and you believe it, engage with the people that ask what you do and allow that
spark to shine through your fears.
We all have a journey that we go through with our business. How we view the world, where we come from, and what kind of impact we want to make all form our businesses. I had to come to peace with the fact that no story is the same.
You are special in what you do. We all have a temptation to fall in the trap of comparing ourselves. We compare ourselves to the best of the best. We see where these people are now and fail to see the road they took to get there. It is easy to think that
where you see someone is where they arrived.
Women, we are sometimes our WORST critic and can undervalue ourselves. There is a fine line between being boastful about what you do and being humbly proud of what you get to do and what you’ve accomplished. I always feared being viewed as arrogant and boastful but along the way of “trying to be humble” I bashed my confidence to get there – and that is not humility, just insecurity. Self acceptance is knowing where you stand confidently. Start believing MORE in yourself. If we start to believe more in ourselves, our talents can be used for good and our impact on society will increase. Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of that? What do you want to be known for? Whatever it is, start! Pursue it confidently.
