I thought there was a chasm separating us. I had watched them design and create leather goods out of thin air... sample boxes pouring in weekly. Fascinated with their trend meetings, leather swatches, trips to Asia I stood in awe of them.
Though I was head of a department which assisted their sales team during market week, I felt like I was missing out. I loved the design department where I had started out 3 years earlier. I loved the graphics, the "tins", the product - I loved everything about the company and my place in it.
I'm not sure when the seed was planted. It may have been when I was talking to one of them about what she did before she designed leather goods.. she was a web designer, had worked for MTV at one point, had been an artist in college. Another one of them had studied painting in college and ended up in leather design. I came to work one day in a new pair of shoes from American Eagle Outfitters, had some papers to drop off at the desk next to his, and on my way out of the cube he asked to see my shoes. He was surprised to see his design as a freelancer on my feet.
The seed got planted. I had studied art. I had an idea that I could do more than manage a support team. I knew that I could be doing what they were designing product for the company, and I wanted to be one of them.
I saw them interviewing for a position recently vacated by a woman on maternity leave. They interviewed quite a few people and this one I was certain they were going to hire. I knew I had to jump in between him and them and throw my desire into their lap. So, I pulled the lead designer aside and told her I wanted the job.
I made a project - and looking back it wasn't good at all... but I did my confident best never doubting I could get the job. I was hired! My pay went up slowly with the company but faster than if I had stayed in my old job as manager.
Since then I have more than doubled my salary. I have traveled the world. I have seen my designs for sale on the web, on random strangers, on new colleagues at other companies and on myself and friends as we wear old samples.
The difference between me and them was nothing.
The moral of my story is: I thought I wasn't qualified to achieve the success I wanted. When I realized there were more similarities between us than differences I walked confidently toward my goal. I walked confidently into that dark room of the unknown and built a new life from the ground up. Despite the ups and downs that have come since, my life maintains an upward trajectory - of which I am confident will never change.
If there is anything in your life you want never doubt or compare yourself. You are everything you need to achieve your goals - it's in you now - JUMP!
