Because while I was navigating life's curveballs, I was also testing, pivoting, and shaping what The Purpose Post could be.
I often felt like I was all over the place. Flailing, flaky, and to be honest, I sometimes felt like I was failing, too.
And here's the story I had to catch, check, and reframe. βοΈ
I'm not starting over, and I'm not behind.
I'm starting fresh with every lesson, relationship, and version of this work I've built. πͺπΎ
That's definitely NOT failure. It's foundation.
But I couldn't see that clearly until I stopped letting society's timeline or my own fear write the story for me.
That's exactly what Tabe Wesley pushes back against in this week's story.
Growing up in Cameroon, Tabe spent years trying to become the doctor his absent father always wanted him to be.
He failed the science exams twice, and it was only after those doors closed that the path he was actually built for finally came into view. π£
Today, Tabe is a filmmaker, actor, director, and entrepreneur based in English-speaking southwest Cameroon.
He's the founder of the High Creative Film Academy, director of an NGO, and completing his first book, The Creative Compass: How to Navigate the Creative Industry in Africa β all built on one move: owning his identity and telling his own story, even when the world had very different plans for him.
Tabe's story is set in Cameroon, but the move he made is universal.
At some point, most of us inherit a story about who we're supposed to be, what success looks like, and what we're allowed to want.
And a lot of the time, we don't even question it. We just keep running the program.
This week, try this: write down the story you're currently telling yourself about where you are in your business or career. Then ask yourself β is this actually mine?
You don't have to have the answer right away. Just the awareness is the move. π«ΆπΎ
purpose + our people.
Last week, I had the honor of co-leading a session for the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship's Mind, Body, and Business series for women founders.
Twenty-plus women founders gathered to get honest about the stories we tell ourselves: about what it takes to succeed, where we are versus where we thought we'd be, and what we've been holding back because of a narrative we never even chose.
I shared some of my own story in that room, and watching other women recognize themselves in it, then pick up a pen and write a new version was SO powerful.
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That's the inner work that makes the outer work sustainable. And it's exactly what Tabe's story is pointing to, too β the move always starts from the inside. β¨
"The most common form of despair is not being who you are."
P.S.Know a founder, creative, or professional making moves on their own terms? Hit reply and nominate them to be featured on The Purpose Post. Our next profile might be someone in your circle. π
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