Billie's Lesson: Success is individually defined but universally obvious.
If Billie were here she would tell you that you have to write your own definition of success. When she was a child she decided that she wanted to dance. She was not supposed to be able to become a dancer at the time because she was poor, with little access to formal training and she was not white. But from the moment she decided what success meant for her, she started taking steps toward making it happen. She listened to the little voice within her that gave her purpose and it never let her down. This is important because defining success for yourself is the key to fulfillment.
Billie would also tell you that one trait of successful people is being able to use your background and experiences to your advantage. Billie's path to success was built upon the things she learned as a child growing up in segregated Indiana. She never forgot that she was poor as a child. She never forgot that she was a person of color who was discriminated against. She turned those experience into inspiration for her dance. She used them because they made her different. She used them because they were a part of who she was, and it was those experiences that made her successful.
Comments