I’m not afraid to be seen trying.

This was my mantra for 2024.

And because I make the rules around here I might just roll this one over into 2025 as well. 

I don’t really have a mission or vision statement for my business. I’m not against them, I just simply have never thought about coming up with one.  

I read this line somewhere (probably on TikTok, let’s be real) and it really resonated with me so I adopted it as my own and it became my daily affirmation.

I constantly flip flop between this narrative in my head that says, “Nobody is thinking about you that much, Nicole” then immediately back to, “You’re doing too much, don’t take up space, someone out there is doing it better than you.”

Even writing that makes me want to hug myself because oof, it hits.

So that’s why I needed to say these words to myself everyday, on repeat.

I’m not afraid to be seen trying.

I’m not afraid to be seen trying.

I’m not afraid to be seen trying.

I repeated it every time I posted on socials promoting a project or sent out a Substack newsletter. Even though I’m very proud of what I do, sometimes showing my work on the internet gives me the same feeling as when I was a kid and I painted a picture then held it up to get approval that I did a good job. Only now that “approval” doesn’t come from my mom who is legally required to say my work is beautiful. The approval is measured in likes, comments and shares as I fight with a dumb algorithm to be seen. 

Choosing to believe that my words are worth sharing whether they get likes or not is a real work in progress I tell ya. 

My 2024 mantra wasn’t a cure-all for my fear of being judged, but it did help me hide a little less. It gave me the confidence to be okay with the fact that my work, my content,and  my personality aren’t going to be everyone’s vibe, but that doesn’t make me any less proud of what I do or who I am. 

I read once that the definition of bravery is when you don’t feel afraid so you take big risks or do dangerous things. While being courageous is feeling all the fear but choosing to do it anyway because there’s something more important at stake. The goal is not to be fearless, it’s to have courage and act in spite of your fear.

With that, I’m proud of how I showed up with courage to be seen this year. And I hope you are, too. There’s a lot of guys and gals who see us trying and wish they were doing the same. So here’s to being afraid, to being seen, and always trying. 

Xo, The Salesgirls