The Challenges of Being a Bilingual Businesswoman

I have a confession: I tend to be a perfectionist. This might sound like a good thing, but it can also be exhausting and draining. When I first arrived in this country, I refused to go anywhere by myself because I didn’t want to make a mistake while speaking. I would basically stick to my husband so he could do all the talking for me. That was almost 11 years ago.

Fast forward to now— as a businesswoman, I need to speak on Instagram Lives, lead workshops, communicate with wedding clients, interact with bank tellers, deal with insurance companies, and work with bookkeepers, among many other things. I also meet and talk to couples frequently, and just a few minutes before doing so, I still get those butterflies in my stomach and wonder: *What if I mispronounce a word? What if I make a grammatical mistake?*

But then I remember a title from a book I read a few years ago: *"Do It Afraid."* That’s my motto. Honestly, after two minutes of talking, all of those fears melt away.

I would be lying if I said it’s not an issue anymore, but I feel incredibly blessed to have a business that challenges me and helps me grow more and more every day. I am proud of this new version of myself, and when the old me wants to take over, I remind myself of all the progress I’ve made. If you had heard me speak 10 years ago, you would have said the same thing.

I like to meditate on that when I feel down. I ask myself these questions: Has there been growth? Oh yes, there has been growth! Also, it's pretty awesome to be able to speak two or more languages — that’s one of my superpowers.

Cheers !!!