Women of Power: Don’t Let Fear Paralyze You


day-to-day things you do in order to achieve your dream do matter (whoever says it doesn’t can continue to daydream). You have to put in the work. You have to take action. Roberts did and we all can too.

“Get your plans together, get yourself together,” Roberts encouraged. “You’re going to get the break, but when you do are you going to be ready?” A relevant question and concern that some don’t consider. You see, we all want the dream but do we know just how much work it takes to actualize it? I honestly don’t think we do. Roberts is a testament to the fact that it will seem a bit uncomfortable but that’s okay.

“I wasn’t 100% sure of myself,” she admits to feeling during her transition. But interestingly, though the most difficult thing was not feeling confident, she says most surprising was “just how much I enjoyed it.” And we all want to be able to enjoy the process and watch ourselves evolve for the better.

Having faith, support, and an eager spirit are just some of the tools needed to do it. And what about the four-letter word that keeps most from getting there? “Fear is limiting,” Roberts reminded us all adding that it’s not that you don’t have fear; it’s how you face it. And she continues to face it head on in both behind and in front of the camera adding, “One thing I wasn’t afraid to do was try; in order to get ahead, you’ve got to get started.”

Roberts left the attendees with a challenge. It is something seemingly so very simple, but too often, it is hard to achieve daily. “Be happy,” she said before leaving the stage to thunderous applause.

The Women of Power Summit runs Feb. 11-14 at the Ritz-Carlton, Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida.

Tennille M. Robinson is the small business editor at Black Enterprise magazine.


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