As a young girl growing up in an impoverished inner-city housing project being raised by a single mother and having an absentee father who struggled with addiction, I felt like I had three strikes against me from the start. Every day that I stepped outside of our apartment in the high-rise building we lived in, I became more aware that I was in an ominous environment of extreme poverty, crime, and addiction. I was constantly reminded that I would likely become “just another statistic.”   

It seemed like my destiny had already been preset and everybody was counting me out. People had written their script about how my story would end – impoverished, addicted to drugs or alcohol, a teenage mother, involved in a life of crime, or dead – solely based on the path of other youth from my neighborhood. Thankfully, my mind was my strongest asset growing up in that environment, and I refused to be counted out! I convinced myself that my destiny did not have to be defined by my past and that anybody counting me out simply could not count. I gave myself permission to be the author of my own story and to write new chapters filled with limitless possibilities. 

I stayed laser focused despite the many distractions around me. During my junior and senior years in high school, I was selected to participate in a paid work-study program that allowed me to start generating income and gaining valuable work experience while still in school. In hindsight, I realize that I was already breaking generational cycles and proving the naysayers wrong even as a teenager in school. 

After graduation, people still counted me out and assumed I would fail because I didn’t attend college for higher learning. Immediately after high school, I entered the workforce to financially contribute to our household and help support my mother who was a blue-collar worker barely earning above minimum wage. Unlike the naysayers, I didn’t view my lack of a college degree as a setback. I viewed it as a setup for something greater. I kept “placing all bets on me” and was determined to prove that with a growth mindset, perseverance, consistency, and discipline I could defy all odds. 

My first job was as a receptionist working for an accounting firm earning just enough to cover necessities, but I continued advancing in my career through hard work, skill mastery, initiative, and a strong work ethic. Ultimately, that led me on a path to becoming a legal secretary for one of the top law firms in the world earning six-figures without a college degree. Still, I knew my best was still in front of me.  

After 15 years of working in corporate America, I took a big, bold risk and launched a t-shirt business in 2009. In the beginning stages, I questioned if I was good or smart enough to succeed in business, especially without any prior experience. But I was more fearful of staying stuck in life than taking a chance to explore a new possibility with the potential of failing. So, I launched the business, failed, bounced back, made mistakes, learned, and refused to be counted out!  

On September 18, 2010, after 18 months of operating the t-shirt business, I stepped into an unexpected and unfamiliar opportunity to speak onstage to share my story at a women’s conference. That was the day when all my hard work, effort, commitment, and mental toughness paid off. Because on that day, I discovered that speaking was what I was born to do! Despite being extremely nervous and feeling inadequate to take the stage, I did it anyway because sometimes opportunity only knocks once. As I took the mic and began sharing my journey, I scanned the audience and could see the women taking copious notes. I could see attendees wiping tears from their eyes as my message resonated deeply with them. I felt like my soul was ignited that day because I was making a difference in other people’s lives. And I knew I wanted to feel that way for the rest of my life. 

I kept playing big, taking risks, and investing in myself by hiring coaches who could teach me how to become an unforgettable speaker. As a result, today I am proud to say I own and operate a seven-figure speaking and coaching business that allows me to travel the world full-time doing what I love the most – speaking life into the dreams and possibilities of others.  

I am grateful that I consistently refused to be counted out because I would have missed out on a life filled with purpose and impact.

The great news is: if I can defy the odds, so can you.

Regardless of your upbringing, your past, or current unfavorable circumstances, you have everything it takes to soar above other people’s thoughts and perceptions about what you can achieve and who you can become. You are the author of your own life. So, I challenge you to pick up the pen and start writing. Be your own biggest cheerleader, keep doing the work, keep taking the shots, and refuse to count yourself out! 

What will you do when you don’t count yourself out?