Making a risky decision is hard – putting yourself out there for the world to see is even harder. As a young child, teen and young woman, I lived a life of very little risk. I only applied for one university my senior year of high school – I was afraid of rejection. I was accepted, but didn’t go, because I was afraid of failing and not finishing. So many times throughout my life, I refused to take a risk because I was afraid of failure, afraid of messing up, and afraid of the consequences. At the root of those fears was my true fear – being vulnerable.

In reality, vulnerability is your greatest strength. Being honest about your faults, owning up to your mistakes, fixing them, learning to grow and improve yourself takes incredible strength and determination. Someone who admits they screwed up, and shows you how they recognized it, learned from it, cleaned it up, and ultimately grew as a person – that is a true leader – and someone I would follow in a heartbeat.

Once I realized this and recognized my own faults and vulnerabilities, I realized I needed to start taking risks – and I did… and they paid off! I started to progress faster at work, being looked at for leadership positions, being asked my opinion on projects and issues, and leading my own teams and projects. My husband and I started having more open and honest conversations with each other – leading to deeper connections and understanding of each other – strengthening our overall relationship and love for each other. I became a better parent, less stressed and more understanding of my kids and their vulnerabilities, being more apt to help them learn from their mistakes rather than just lecturing them or punishing them. I went back to school, working and finally finishing my Master’s Degree in Human Services, focusing on Leadership and Organizational Management. All of this culminated in taking the biggest risk of all – changing my career.

I applied for essentially an internship- but paid, and learning about other career paths in the Air Force. But the bigger risk was separating our family – my husband would be at a different base than where my new jobs was located. While in reality, we were only 2 hours apart, it usually felt like he was halfway across the world. Being a single parent to a pre-teen and a teen during the week almost had me calling it quits a few times. But in the end it paid off – and very well. I received a promotion, and after several different job offers, an amazing position working and advocating on behalf of something I found even more passion for then Childcare. My husband also benefitted from the risks, receiving his own promotion, and a new job which allowed our family to reunite and become whole again.

Risks can be scary – but regret is even scarier. I used to say it was luck that I landed in the positions I did – I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Now I know it was consequences of my own choices – when I took a risk, and chose to be vulnerable by not letting fear hold me hostage, and allowing myself room to grow. That scared little girl who couldn’t accept the college acceptance letter finally took her life in hand to become an accomplished, successful career woman – who took another big risk to write a blog about the lessons she has learned and share with others.

I know some regrets will linger, but now I can embrace the vulnerability and put myself out there – and accept the consequences, whichever way they fall. What risk are you willing to take?