20 years ago this month I launched my speaking/education business with a full day seminar titled Career Alternatives for Nurses. Fortunately 25 nurses showed up and I am grateful to every one of them (plus the thousands that have followed) to this day.
But beforehand, I had quite a few people tell me why it was a bad idea, how it would never work, that I couldn’t run seminars without sponsors, that I wouldn’t make any money doing this, that it was the worst possible time to start a business and so on. I even had one person (an acquaintance, not a friend) say to me, “What could you possibly have to say that anyone would ever want to listen to?”
I went ahead with it anyway, figuring it all out as I went. Sometimes you have to jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down. Today that business, which has expanded beyond the original seminar, has taken me literally around the world, supported my family very comfortably, propelled me personally and professionally further than I ever imagined I would/could go, landed me on national television, led me to write 4 books, and placed me in front of audiences as large as 6,000. I’m so glad I took a chance on myself.
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©Donna Cardillo. All rights reserved.
