Remember why you started: Don’t let imposter syndrome keep you from forging a new path in your life. Sometimes reminding yourself why you started in the first place can help re-ignite your passion.
The Fear of Failure is one of the most common restraints that holds people back from pursuing great ideas. Imagine if we could become totally free from the fear of failure. Imagine what we could then manifest and create. In this interview series, we are talking to leaders who can share stories and insights from their experience about “Becoming Free From the Fear of Failure.” As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Breanne Millette.
Bree is the founder and CEO of BISOULOVELY, a jewelry brand inspired by all things magical. With a background in game development, Bree has no formal fashion or business training but is quickly making her mark as a designer. She has caught the attention of major fashion publications, such as Vanity Fair, VOGUE, ELLE, and GQ, as well as several runways within less than two years of operation.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?
Of course! I don’t have the traditional fashion background one would expect from a jewelry and fashion designer — far from it! Before starting BISOULOVELY, I worked as a game developer, but I’m so grateful because I wouldn’t be here today without that experience. The fantasy and magical elements that I love about gaming inspire my designs today.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
I remember the first time I received an inquiry for my jewelry to appear on a runway. Watching my pieces walk up and down the catwalk was one of the most surreal moments of my career. It was a beautiful moment to see my hard work paying off in real time.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Three traits that got me where I am today include creativity, tenacity, and natural curiosity. I wasn’t afraid to push the envelope when it came to creativity in my designs. My tenacity pushed me through moments when I questioned myself, as all entrepreneurs do. Finally, I have a natural gravitation toward learning about business, and this helped me as I self-educated on the million and one things I didn’t know when I started.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the concept of becoming free from failure. Let’s zoom in a bit. From your experience, why exactly are people so afraid of failure? Why is failure so frightening to us?
I think many people believe they need to be experts before pursuing their dreams. They feel they don’t have enough expertise on paper and that others will question their validity. The problem is that the only way to gain experience is to start.
What are the downsides of being afraid of failure? How can it limit people?
Anything worth learning is going to result in some failures along the way. Part of the journey is learning how to pick yourself up after making mistakes and learning from them. Failure is what propels us forward, and without it, we cannot grow into who we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to create.
In contrast, can you help articulate a few ways how becoming free from the free of failure can help improve our lives?
Challenging yourself every day will open up new possibilities for your life. Every Olympic runner, at one point, started as a beginner and lost races. We see their gold medal and the finish line on TV — but their success was born from failure. You can’t fail at something you don’t start, but it’s also true that if you don’t start what you’re naturally drawn to, you’re inhibiting your growth.
We would love to hear your story about your experience dealing with failure. Would you be able to share a story about that with us?
I wouldn’t be the up-and-coming jewelry designer I am today if I let fear win. With no formal fashion or business training and a background in game development, I certainly endured a fair share of skepticism from myself and others.
It’s not every day that you wake up and decide to start a business, and much of the process involves asking yourself if you’re up to the challenge. Fashion has always been a creative outlet for me, yet on paper, I couldn’t calculate how my lack of experience would translate to people trusting my expertise.
How did you rebound and recover after that? What did you learn from this whole episode? What advice would you give to others based on that story?
I reached a point where I had to ask myself if I really believed I could do this. Am I up to the challenge of building a fashion empire within a very niche aesthetic market? I knew I was, and the mere fact of asking myself these questions motivated me. Anytime I felt self-doubt or even doubt from others creep in, I stayed focused on how I answered that initial question. I have been led here for a reason, and I’m going to give it my best shot, and I couldn’t be happier that I did.
Fantastic. Here is the main question of our interview. In your opinion, what are 5 steps that everyone can take to become free from the fear of failure”? Please share a story or an example for each.
- Face your fear head-on: Acknowledge that what you’re feeling is fear.
- Remember why you started: Don’t let imposter syndrome keep you from forging a new path in your life. Sometimes reminding yourself why you started in the first place can help re-ignite your passion.
- Accept the worst-case scenario: You’re afraid, but what’s the worst that could happen? You will pick yourself up and start again.
- Stay motivated: Listen to podcasts, read books, and surround yourself with people who believe in themselves and you.
- Keep going: Take a ‘one more day’ approach. What would happen if you pushed through one more day?
The famous Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, “It is possible to fail in many ways…while to succeed is possible only in one way.” Based on your experience, have you found this quote to be true? What do you think Aristotle really meant?
I believe he meant that success is only possible through failure. Our true failures are the chances we don’t take to avoid making mistakes. However, these mistakes are what help us grow.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would encourage everyone to listen to their heart more. Sometimes our minds like to run wild with all of the things that can go wrong when we challenge ourselves. Give yourself more credit, acknowledge that you are capable, and don’t listen to the self-doubt. Believe in yourself.
We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can visit our website at https://bisoulovely.com/ or follow us on Instagram at @bisoulovely
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
Thank you very much for talking with me. It was my pleasure.