For a lot of us that identify as women of color, daughters of immigrants or first generation achievers, we are traveling through life without a map across uncharted territory… this certainly feels very true for me as being the first in my lineage to break a lot of barriers.
Just this past March, we celebrated women all around the world. It made me reflect about the women in my ancestral line and the differences between my life and theirs.
I come from a lineage of powerful, resourceful, graceful, and resilient women that lived lives that are very different from mine. They had to navigate war, living as refugees, long-term separation from their loved ones, tremendous losses, grief, and many more very real situations and circumstances in their lifetimes.
As a daughter of immigrants that was born in the west, I can only empathize with their experiences as my lived reality is very different from theirs.
I've learned so many important and valuable things from the matriarchs and women in my family but I would be remiss to not mention the huge gap between our life experiences. This type of gap can be challenging and confusing to navigate when you're the first in your family and lineage to create your life in a new environment with different values, social structures, and rules of engagement.
For a lot of us that identify as women of color, daughters of immigrants or first generation achievers, we are often the first in our families to pursue higher education, travel freely, have access to build financial stability, create self-defined careers, have the luxury to take care of our mental, emotional and physical well-being, and so on.
We have access to opportunities and a level of freedom that is unprecedented!
I often say that most of us are traveling through life without a map across uncharted territory, this certainly feels very true for me as being the first in my lineage to break a lot of barriers.
And so, what if you're the first in your family and lineage to have this type of access and you have no fallback plan for your success?
Whether that comes in the form of financial stability or access to information or a network of people and influence, there's a different kind of security and support that a fallback plan provides, that we can't get anywhere else. Because of it, we're given the guidance and support that we need. We're able to take bolder leaps. To take risks and have more room for mistakes. To become more confident. More fearless.
On the other end, having no fallback plan can be both a responsibility and a motivation. And I realised quite early that I had no fallback plan for my progress and success in life. I knew that I had to make things happen for myself.
Through a combination of joyful discipline, a fair amount of risk-taking, and taking consistent action, I've put myself through graduate school and earned a master's degree at a top school in the UK, built a dynamic international career in media, traveled to over 25 countries and 5 continents, pivoted into a second career as a coach, become a home owner, and I continue to take leaps through my entrepreneurship journey and the way that I design my life.
Having no fallback plan motivates me, it helps me remember that I need to get out of my head and make moves in the real world, pushing past my perfectionism and imposter syndrome in order to make things happen for myself.
Being the first in our families to experience this type of access, opportunity, and different sets of expectations, it isn't uncommon to find ourselves not taking action possibly due to fear. We push ourselves too much and feel the heavy weight of all those goals that we're not taking action on.
Here are 3 key factors that I've learned are essential when it comes to successfully reaching your goals and taking big leaps in life:
100% deciding that you want make a change in your life (gotta be all in)
Setting goals that are true to you, from the inside out.
Having support and accountability along the way.
Having these 3, you're well on your way to making your thoughts, ideas, hopes, and wildest dreams a reality in the material world. It just takes action to get there.
When it comes to deep self-development work, I've learned from experience how important it is to be in safe spaces where we feel seen and understood. This is why I've decided to create a coaching experience that honors the unique perspectives of women of color, daughters of immigrants, and first-generation achievers that have no fallback plan.
Taking the step towards investing in yourself and creating your own dream life, without a fallback plan, must start from within. If you're reading this and this is something you've been considering but feel you aren't ready for in this exact moment, I’m happy to share that the waitlist for the Self-Leadership 1.0 group coaching program this September is now open.
Grab the opportunity to take your life to the next level, overcome fear and overwhelm, and create the blueprint of your own life, all while being supported by a community of like-minded women.
See you around!
Big love,
Ruthie
P.S. This April marks the beginning of the first cohort of Self-Leadership 1.0. Follow along on my Instagram page and stay updated on announcements and other things that you might find helpful. 🧡