I have another guest today – the final one in this series around guiding words for the year. I met Bianca Bujan in 2012, during the same dinner I met Natalia who shared her words here last week. Since then I’ve only had the opportunity to see Bianca a handful of times at various events, but have followed her business journey and family life online. Actually, when it comes to family, Bianca and I call each other ‘twinsies’: we have the same number of children, the same gender order, born practically at the same time! In fact, our older two kids are born within a month of each other and our youngest tykes are about 6 months apart. And from the stories she shares about each of her kids, it seems their personalities are quite a match. It’s actually a really cool experience to know there is a mom out there who ‘gets’ so much of my own family dynamic. And who knows that having 3 kids does NOT suck! 🙂

Bianca is a marketing maven with a flair for storytelling, and I truly admire her. So, I was really pleased she was willing to take some time and share her guiding words for 2016 with you. And, after I read her post, I have to admit, it made me feel like we have even more in common. After reading her words, I invite you to check out Bianca via the links below.

I’ve only recently realized the importance of self confidence. For many years I allowed myself to get lost in trying to impress others. I liked the pizzazz of having a flashy job title, and focused all of my energy on trying to make my family happy. I didn’t lose sight of my own dreams, but at the time, I thought they would remain just that – dreams.

I knew that I loved to write, but I didn’t believe in myself. I didn’t think that I could actually write something that others would want to read, so I continued to write privately, as a hobby. I had friends who were leaving their corporate jobs to pursue their passions – who were getting published and recognized for their writing, and getting paid to do something that they loved to do. And while I was happy for them, I was overtaken by feelings of envy and self doubt.

I’m often inspired by quotes, so when this quote on envy came to my attention, I realized that I was wasting valuable energy on being envious of others, instead of directing that energy towards finding my own unique capabilities.

 “Envy is a symptom of lack of appreciation of our own uniqueness and self worth.  Each of us has something to give that no one else has.” 

– Elizabeth O’Connor

Over the past 3 years, I’ve built up my confidence. I’ve stepped outside of my comfort zone, swallowed my pride and tossed my insecurities aside to pursue my dreams. And because of that, I’m now one of those people – I’m earning an income doing what I love to do.

And I’m not done! I still have more dreams to achieve. So this year, my guiding words are these: DON’T JUST DREAM IT, DO IT! Instead of talking about the things I wish I could one day accomplish, I’m going to dive in and start working towards achieving those dreams today. And I encourage you to do the same.  Toss those insecurities aside and pursue your passion. This is your year.

Connect with Bianca on her blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!