Be kind to yourself.

Speak gently to yourself. What you say to yourself has a direct impact on your behaviour. I am a very forward and direct person with others, and I treat myself the same way. The one thing I have had to learn was to be true to myself and put myself first. I use to do for others that would not make me happy, and I quickly realized that my own happiness mattered. “You can’t give from an empty cup.” I felt that.

Learn how to have difficult conversations with grace

This has been a very interesting lesson. My role as a leader, taught me a lot about having hard conversations with others, and I have learned to accept those as teachable moments. As a business owner, I have had to adapt the same philosophy when negotiating, or advising my clients about decisions that are not always favorable. They are ultimately necessary to have, so why not learn to deal with them that allows for everyone to find peace?

Be vulnerable

I have been opening up a lot lately about who I am with those I hold close for a few years. Allowing people to really understand who I am, my struggles and areas of improvement. My personal development journey has really allowed me to use my own life lessons as tools for others. You know how, by sharing your own personal experiences makes you that more relatable? It also creates deeper relationships and allows for others to show up and support you.

Scary things get easier over time

I started enjoying the challenges I was facing when I started my business. I really began to enjoy the person I was becoming and my breakthroughs have been amazing. I look at every challenge as an opportunity and with my business I have been enjoying the amount of growth I have been experiencing. Making me a stronger leader in my personal and business life, and adds more tools in my toolbox.

Start before you’re ready

You will never be ready if you wait. I still don’t have a logo for my business and yet here I am, with a 5 star testimonial rating on google, and recurring business through word of mouth. If I waited until I perfected my skill set of being a travel designer, I would still be trying to start. And what fun is it, to start something when your perfect? There’s absolutely no growth in that, and we all know comfort and complacency ain’t it!

Try new, uncomfortable things

If 90% of your time is spent in your genius zone, devote the other 10% to stretching yourself outside of your comfort zone. It’s empowering to do the things you’ve told yourself you can’t. This is where breakthroughs happen, personally and professionally.

Surround yourself with people who are compatible with you

One of the reasons why I started The 3lle Collective. I realized being an Entrepreneur was lonely, despite the many people I had friendships with. My friends just did not understand what I wanted out of life and my focus. I really had to re-evaluate the people around me, and if I wanted something different I had to make that change. Trying to get my friends to think business oriented so we could all be “boss babes”, did not fulfill their needs but my own, so I needed a different circle of people who really understood my challenges and experiences. I also wanted to level up and not make the mistakes others made of starting a business, so I made a conscious effort to build a new team of people that understood and supported my trajectory. You get to choose who you work with and with the right people (clients, team members) you can create magic together. Similarly, in your personal life, pay attention to the people who feel good to be around – and those who don’t.

Get to know yourself better

Self -awareness and feedback is one of the best ways to learn about self. I kept hearing the same thing that people would tell me about who I was. I began to pay close attention to my thoughts and feelings. Looked deep within myself to learn my own triggers and emotions and connected with a life coach. Spent a lot of time alone which really helped me understand who I was becoming. I really love myself including my “Flaws”

Give back

Helping others, especially those who are less fortunate, is one of the most fulfilling things we can do. Find a cause you’re passionate about – whether it’s children, education, animals, or women’s rights – and donate your time, talents, and/or resources.

Invest in your network

One of my favorite sayings is, “Your network is your net worth.” Brainstorm ways you can add value to someone who you want to connect with. Sometimes we can feel like we have nothing to offer people, but the truth is everyone needs help! Someone who’s thriving in their career may be struggling with their health or romantic relationships. No one has it all together.

What are some of the things you’ve learned over the years? Drop a comment below.
Stay Safe,
<3 Camiel Duff

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