My last post before the break was about risk and self-doubt. I’d like to report, albeit eight months later, that the event was a great success.

Not only did we have a great turnout, we also used the event to jumpstart a local professional organization, which I’m now the president. So was it worth it? Absolutely. I learned a lot—particularly that we should start planning earlier this year. Which, of course, we have. There is still quite some lingering self-doubt, but having done it once, I feel much more confident about the outcome. After all, I have a new organization behind me.

And so if there’s any lesson here it would be: persevere, persevere, persevere. Don’t let your self-doubt get the better of you; you are stronger than it and better than it. When you really push yourself, you’ll find that you have supporters where you least expect them. What’s more, no matter what happens, your work and accomplishment is so much sweeter because you know you pushed yourself.