What happens when you’re unexpectedly inspired by someone half your age? Maybe it’s in the determination we see in them, as we grow weary from trying. Maybe it’s recognizing the excitement of possibilities in their eyes, where our own vision has grown distorted or jaded?
We were patient, like we’d been instructed, and yet rewards didn’t flow into our lives like a waterfall. So, instead we give up. Our motivation is lacking. We’ve tried. We’re tired. It wasn’t meant to be…
That’s when it helps to look through a fresh pair of eyes.
There are days I wonder how a young, teenage girl with a growing business is more confident than half the entrepreneurs I know. What if their confidence builds your own self-awareness? What if you could find that spark deep inside of you again, and keep going?
Motivation. Inspiration. It can come from the most unexpected places. I came across a story about a young girl named Lexi P. who not only wrote books and made a difference in her community by mentoring other girls, but also got a hair care business off the ground. She’s thirteen. Yeah. Thirteen.
And here I sit, wondering how this young teen has come this far and has the drive to do it all. Did I have that much drive when I was younger? Where did it go? Into hiding? Why do I constantly wonder if I’m strong enough, smart enough, and question myself relentlessly while Lexi powers forward and changes not only her life, but other young girls? She’s mentoring people at thirteen. Seriously. Do you know what I was doing at thirteen? And here I sit as an adult, searching for my why, what, and how. I pushed ahead, built a business, but somewhere along the way I got lost.
And then, I came across her story. There are so many others like it. There’s vibrance in youth, and maybe a lesson that we can take as older entrepreneurs. She’s still driven not to give up. She’s got a fire inside that keeps her motivated. She wants to impact lives. And you know what? She’s not doing some earth-shattering thing like curing cancer, but in her own way, she’s reached young girls who need help finding their confidence. If you ask me, maybe that is earth shattering.
If more young girls learn self-acceptance and self-love because of this strong, young woman, then she is doing something earth-shattering. She’s making a difference.
Are you?
Now, here’s the fun part. She’s doing it in a way that’s all her. That’s about what she believes in. What do you believe in? Some days, I’m not sure I know anymore. Maybe it’s the barrage of news and non-stop information we as adults get lost in. Maybe it’s the weight of responsibility. Or is that an excuse? She runs a business, and still goes to school, mentors other kids, and writes books. She’s on her third. Did I mention she was only thirteen? Yeah. That number baffles me when I see it. She has such a bright future, and good for her.
What I can take away from this profound moment is that Lexi is going places. She doesn’t think she can’t do something. Why do we as adults put limitations on ourselves? We find reasons we can’t, rather than reasons we can.
So, as I sit here, freshly showered, I think about this girl who has grown a business with books and hair care products for girls like her. You know what she did? She found a solution to a problem. Something that we as adults know we’re supposed to do as business people. Be the answer to somebody’s problem. It’s as simple as that. Well, that’s what Lexi did. Maybe I over thought it when I started out.
Did Lexi? Nope. She was bullied growing up about her natural hair, so she wrote a book about it to help other kids going through the same thing. She shared her experience openly, with the thought of helping other kids. Her goal was simple: help other young girls with natural hair find acceptance and confidence, rather than self-loathing and listening to the bullies.
When was the last time you shared so openly as an entrepreneur? When was the last time you did something to make a difference? I’m rethinking so many things. She simply reached out…while most business people I know work on perfecting marketing emails, SEO, or other variables, hoping another person might find them online.
Maybe we need the innocence of adolescence again to look at our adult businesses through the goggles of a teen. Can we unlearn the habits that became so ingrained in our ways?
Simplicity. The desire to make a difference. Lexi gets it. How many newsletters did you unsubscribe from this month, because it’s another person trying to sell you something? Maybe if we did things with a desire to help, to make a difference, and to mentor, we’d see the growth that this young teenpreneur is finding through being herself.
The message she’s sending out to other girls is inspiring. Love yourself. You’re perfect just the way you are. So, as I sit here typing this story, Lexi a Curlanista as she calls is impacting lives. It’s time for this old dog to learn some new tricks and take a good hard look at the “why” behind my business. And if you want to read Lexi’s story, which inspired me, she’s over at Curlanistas.com. As for me, and the rabbit hole I went down on the internet that led me to stumbling on her story…yeah, you’ve gone down a few rabbit holes, too…ha, days wasted on the web…either way, this time it ended up leading me to a place of reflection, which is never a raw deal.