Remind yourself that you cannot fail at being yourself

Wayne Dyer

I was in my early twenties when I moved to Rome on a life adventure to immerse myself in a different culture and learn a new language. It was like landing on an alien planet, far away from everything I was used to and had grown accustomed to back home as I navigated the uncharted territory—optimistic explorer, black girl, east Londoner with proud Jamaican heritage.

I stood out in crowds of native Italians as I voraciously explored the cobbled streets of historic city centres and marvelled at awe-inspiring monuments that captivated my attention and stopped me in my tracks at every turn.

I was dizzy with the excitement and trepidation of journeying into the unknown, walking my path anonymously, even for a short time initially.

It was refreshing and liberating, yet more often than not, intimidating and overwhelming when loneliness and self-doubt set in.

I wasn’t confident enough to communicate in Italian in my first year in Rome. I wondered, will I ever meet people like me who I can relate to with similar interests? Then one day, I sat at a table outside a bar and took the plunge.

When the waiter came, I ordered a cappuccino. He asked where I was from, and in my best Italian, I replied, “I am from London”. His enthusiastic reaction caught me by surprise! He thought my home town was legendary, and I couldn’t believe how impressed he was with my feeble attempts at speaking Italian.

That encounter taught me a valuable lesson. When you feel isolated and scared, like you don’t fit in, that’s the moment you must dig deep.

Be yourself with all your imperfections.

It pays dividends when you own the spotlight as your authentic self

It’s the same thing in business. Owning your uniqueness, having the courage to strip yourself bare, being who you are, speaking up, using your voice and sharing your unique perspective openly and honestly, even when it feels uncomfortable, is a strength, not a weakness. I was embarrassed about speaking Italian in Rome in the early days because I was worried I’d sound ridiculous and scared of being judged.

I didn’t see how much my efforts to communicate in a foreign language would garner so much love and respect from the Italian people.

I didn’t fully understand or appreciate just how valuable my country of origin, cultural background and upbringing were.

When I began to embrace every little aspect of myself, my luck changed in Rome.

Standing tall when I felt small, held back by my insecurities and vulnerabilities, and emerging from that by simply being me, fully inhabiting my cultural identity, were qualities that endeared me to people.

It was how people found me and how I connected with them and how I eventually became part of an eclectic, international community of friends and colleagues that led to me living some of my greatest moments.

It pays dividends when you own the spotlight as your authentic self.

Be bold and do things your way to attract your tribe and inspire

Having a second language and the experience of living in a foreign country can open doors in business that lead to establishing long-lasting relationships with other business owners. I didn’t give it much thought before or shout about it, but as I’ve evolved in my business journey, living in Italy and speaking Italian has become a significant part of my story.

People love a good story, and having a good story in business can work wonders for your brand. What’s your business USP? What’s the thing that sets you apart from your competitors you’re not talking about but probably should be?

Is there something you’ve been unintentionally hiding relating to your personality, unique skills and know-how because you think it’s too easy? Could that thing be the key to opening up new horizons?

Opportunities can be born from a shared interest, a lived experience or simply because energies are aligned. Ask yourself what that could look like for you.

It’s about embracing every aspect of who you are and leveraging the things that come naturally or are a true representation of who you are at the core to elevate your brand and extend your reach for a broader appeal.

Sometimes the thing you’re unsure about is the thing that resonates with people, the thing that could change everything.

Don’t be camera shy own the spotlight centre stage

I connected with Ivan Weiss on LinkedIn and quickly became a fan of his headshot photography. I admired his work and made a note to get some professional headshots done by him. We scheduled a date, and I took an Uber to his studio.

When I arrived, we sat down to discuss the shoot over a cup of coffee from his espresso machine and then looked through the outfits I had brought.

We decided what might work best and made a start. I was nervous and shy about standing in front of the camera. Sound familiar? But Ivan’s a pro and came up with creative ways to put me at ease. We discovered we had a great deal in common during the shoot. Coincidently, we are both fluent in Italian and have lived in Italy, and there were many other points of overlap. All of this made for lively and engaging conversations, which helped to loosen me up!

We got some beautiful shots, and the experience taught me, moreover, reminded me not to be afraid to show vulnerability and stand in my power. It dared me to let go and to care less about feeling awkward or uncomfortable in front of the camera. Be yourself and be in the moment. Ivan will do the rest and capture you at your best.

A great thing from that session is how we established an ongoing business collaboration. Being ourselves and not being afraid to share subtle, seemingly unimportant details about who we are, not necessarily related to business, sparked ideas. Realising we had similar outlooks on life and shared interests motivated us to explore ways of working together as business owners.

There’s more to our stories than our job titles

I wrote on Linkedin, “I am not my job title”. It took me most of my career to entirely understand that there is so much more to us, and it’s that essence of who we are that we should extract and sprinkle into the narrative of our brands and businesses because you never know where that might lead.

Show up with all the quirks and unique characteristics that make you human and thus more approachable and relatable.

A comment you made on Linkedin, a personality trait, or a fun fact someone found memorable at a business function or networking event could potentially launch your business into spaces you might never have thought possible.

Keep moving through self-doubt and be on the lookout.

Your next client could be watching.

New adventures in the making.