Self-Made
The term self-made is often glamorized, a glossy image of success wrapped in luxury, influence, and a story that seems to start at the finish line. The media has painted self-made as those who “made it” without help, who rose from nothing into a spotlight. But most people don’t identify with that version. I certainly don’t.
When I call myself self-made, I’m not talking about money or fame. I’m talking about grit. I’m talking about the ability to start over, again and again, and still come out stronger every time. Everything I have today came from my own talents, my own mind, and my own effort.
I’ve worked in many industries, collecting skills along the way that have shaped me into the person I am. These skills are transferable, adaptable, and powerful, especially when used with purpose. I’m creative, a problem-solver, and an innovator. I come up with ideas constantly, execute them, and build sustainable systems that grow and flourish. That’s what excites me, watching something I’ve built come to life and succeed.
I’ve learned that my energy helps others do the same. I have a gift for helping people pivot when they feel stuck. Maybe that’s why deadweight tends to latch onto me, because good things happen when people are attached to me. Projects thrive when I’m part of them. My energy multiplies success.
Because I’ve experienced poverty, I have no fear of failure. I know what it means to start from scratch. I can make something out of nothing, and I’ve done it more times than I can count. It doesn’t matter how many challenges come my way, I always find a path to rise again. Even when others want me to believe I’ve failed, I know better.
I know my talents.
I know my value.
I know what I bring to the table.
I know what I produce.
I am self-made.
And I don’t need validation from anyone but myself.
Deadweight ≠ Self-Made
Last week, I wrote about deadweight, the people and patterns that hold us back from our growth. This week, I’m standing on the other side of that realization. Deadweight taught me how to let go. Self-made reminds me what happens when I do. I’m standing firm in who I am: self-made. The two cannot coexist. One drains potential, the other multiplies it.
Deadweight depends on others for movement. Self-made creates momentum from within.
Deadweight waits for opportunity. Self-made builds it.
Deadweight clings. Self-made creates.
Releasing what no longer serves me made room for everything I was meant to become. I stopped shrinking to make others comfortable and started trusting the power within me. I no longer carry what drains me, I build what sustains me.
That’s the real definition of being self-made:
Not wealth. Not status. But freedom, the kind you create for yourself when you decide you’re enough.
