Giving Back Through The Power Of Storytelling

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LatinosConDedicacion #CollectiveBias

Throughout my childhood, my dad was an entrepreneur, so maybe I caught the entrepreneurial spirit at an early age because I wanted to be like him – after all, I still have a desire to emulate him in many ways.

I saw my dad grow his business, and get a reputation as the go-to furniture builder in our town, but it wasn’t about that. He was extremely passionate about what he did, and I could see a sense of pride and joy whenever he showed me a sketch, a work-in-progress creation, or a finished product.

The whole process was exciting to him, not just the paycheck. He always came home for lunch, and took a nap, too, and, oh how I cherish those meals and moments with my dad!

I don’t think you choose entrepreneurship as much as entrepreneurship chooses you. It usually comes from a dream so big that it can’t be contained in a job description or a C title. I didn’t just have people who allowed me to dream, some of them even dreamed for me, showing me a bigger vision than I could have thought for myself.

I dreamed big and I achieved big, but I also buried my entrepreneurial efforts in my childhood. College, marriage, moving to the U.S.A., and becoming a mom, happened all too fast and absorbed all my time and energy.

Even eagles need a push… and that’s exactly what I got when I became a single mom and my only option was to leave my two precious toddler girls in daycare while I worked my nine-to-five. Though I was grateful for the opportunity to develop my skills and earn a living, it was also an unsettling experience. I wanted to be home with my girls.

I didn’t set out to become the next immigrant mompreneur, I just decided to believe in the vision God put in my heart, not just for me, but for my children – for my posterity.

Starting a business while working forty-plus hours, managing a household, caring for two babies in diapers, (and still carrying the burdens of shame, low self-worth, and fear as a single mom), was intimidating, to say the least.

Having witnessed my parents’ dedication when I was a child living in poverty, I somehow knew it would work out, and decided to embrace the challenge. I was terrified!

Just as I suspected, starting, running, and growing a home-based business wasn’t an easy feat, but unlike others said, it was not impossible, and I was not crazy (well, maybe in a good way, I was).

The truth is that being a mompreneur requires an exceeding amount of dedication. I like the way Usher talks about this:

“Success is about dedication. You may not be where you want to be or do what you want to do when you’re on the journey. But you’ve got to be willing to have vision and foresight that leads you to an incredible end.”

The meaning of dedication is “a devoting or setting aside for a particular purpose,” because your WHY is what will keep you going when you’re weary, disappointed, and about to throw in the towel.

Many people will tell you there’s a formula, a code, a blueprint to success, but I believe success is more about a set of attributes that you commit to developing, whether you want to be successful in your sacred role as a mother, run a home based business, be devoted as a wife, or homeschool your children.

If there really was such a thing as a recipe to success, dedication would be the main ingredient, because when you want to succeed, you’ve got to give it all you’ve got.

This is what dedication looks like: belief in yourself, a clear vision of where you’re going, an unwavering passion for what you do, the willingness to work more than you’ve ever worked before, openness and eagerness to learn, a tremendous amount of self-discipline (because you call the shots!), commitment to results, patience, humility, great communication skills, and undying faith during the inevitable times of fear and struggle.

Being dedicated to a pursuit means that it becomes a priority for you. You suddenly drop all the excuses that show up, because following your dream becomes non-negotiable.

Many people have “reasons” why an endeavor won’t work, why it can’t be done; they have statistics to prove it, and articles in major media (or even books) to prove you wrong.

It may sound cliché, but when you follow your heart, it may lead you to an unconventional path, but it doesn’t lead you astray. I’ve learned to trust myself and to remember that sometimes you need to take a step back in order to take a leap forward – a leap of faith.

How did I manage to do it all, and completely on my own? Just like you eat a watermelon: one bite at a time. I’ve walked my journey one step at a time.

As a mompreneur, I’ve taken risks. I’ve failed. I’ve burned myself out. I’ve overwhelmed myself. I’ve neglected myself to the point of physical illness. I’ve given up entertaining hobbies. I’ve left some friendships behind. I’ve caused my family to be worried because I didn’t have a steady income.

I’ve felt tempted to get a “real job.” I’ve felt frustrated trying to explain “what I do for a living.” I’ve felt the pressure of everything depending on me as a solopreneur. I’ve felt the pressure of my team’s income depending on me.

As a homeschooling mom, I’ve felt inadequate, unqualified, and flat-out clueless. I’ve failed. I haven’t followed the most traveled path. I’ve overexerted my energy. I’ve second-guessed myself. I’ve felt afraid “they” could be right, and my children “should” go to school. I’ve explained myself way too much.

The lists go on. And that’s just the intangible side of things. Creating a life on your terms – which is what I’m dedicated to – is a daring adventure, every single day.

The good news? I’ve learned! You don’t have to be perfect or have all the answers. When you follow your God-given purpose, the obstacles and the uncertainty are fogged by the rewarding, meaningful, and fulfilling sense of accomplishment.

At the end of the day, my satisfaction is not only in seeing my younger self come full circle by following in my daddy’s footsteps and by seeing my own daughters live the life I always dreamed of, but in seeing that I can also give back, and impact the community… and the world at large!

I’ve been blessed to build a platform that allows me to promote goodness and partner up with brands that do the same. Honey Bunches of Oats® (which is actually a nickname I used to call Elisha and Elyssa when they were little lol) is known for their continued dedication to serving the Latino community, and knowing that embedded in our culture is a deep sense of dedication in everything we do, they’re creating a movement to showcase stories of drive and passion to follow dreams.

As a passionate speaker and storyteller, I love this initiative. As a human, I love the purpose behind it: each use of the hashtag #LatinosConDedicacion will provide 11 meals to Feeding America®! Feeding America® is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States.

Whether you’re Latina, part Latina, or just love us and our culture, I invite you to tap into the power of storytelling to share your story of dedicacion to inspire and motivate other moms around you, and to use the hashtag #LatinosConDedicacion so that, together, we can reach the campaign’s goal of 110,000 meals donated!

Remember how I built my business all on my own? The truth is, though I was certainly physically alone, I really wasn’t. The stories and lessons of success I’ve heard and lived, that of my parents, the mentors of my youth, my college professor, my grandpa, authors I’ve read, and stories in my scriptures… I always have those with me, and they inspire me to dream and live big. Paying it forward is the WHY of what I do today.

What inspires your spirit of commitment and dedication? Share a story on Facebook or a short snippet or brief list on Twitter, and use the hashtag #LatinosConDedicacion, so you can help Honey Bunches of Oats® feed people in need (spiritually and temporally!)

Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results and help others do the same. Dr. Elayna Fernández is a single mom of 4, an award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 5x TEDx speaker. She has spoken at the United Nations, received the President’s Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award, and was selected as one of the Top Impactful Leaders and a Woman of Influence by SUCCESS Magazine. Connect with Elayna at thepositivemom.com/ef and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.

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