How I Overcame Myself and My Fears

For 21 years, I built a safe career, working in the same place, with a well-defined succession plan and a salary that was comfortable for my reality. At 38, my life seemed set, with a relevant position that gave me status and access I had never imagined. In that context, there was no need to expose myself, to speak in public, to give talks, or to seek relevance on social media. I was already relevant in my own universe.

But the pandemic, or the famous midlife crisis, brought an unexpected turn. I made a radical decision: to abandon my comfortable life and start from zero. At 44, I came face to face with a frightening world. Suddenly, I was no longer relevant, I no longer had power or security, and, hardest of all, I was now constantly being evaluated.

Reality knocked at the door: I needed to expose myself in order to start again. Came the interviews, a psychological torture in which your future is analyzed in a few minutes under intense pressure. Then, networking, walking into rooms not to ask for something, but to show who I am and what I know. And finally, the understanding that the market is a bubble where getting in is only the first step.

Faced with that, I realized I needed to change my approach. I had always been an avid reader, but my passion was fiction, not technical books. Even so, I took ownership of my story. I decided to step even further out of my comfort zone, embracing the mantra: be comfortable in discomfort. I started saying yes to everything I used to say no to.

Want to give talks? Before, no. Now, yes.

Want to appear on social media? Before, no. Now, yes.

Want to write? Before, no. Now, yes, even being dyslexic and struggling to organize my ideas.

That was when artificial intelligence came into the picture, helping me structure my texts with clarity. Today, I have articles and texts that add value. I am not Cortella yet, but I will get there.

Summing up what I learned on this journey: continuous learning is mandatory. We must be comfortable in discomfort and learn to say yes to new opportunities. It is essential to have clarity in our goals and to deliver real value, avoiding doing things just to do them. Challenge yourself, grow daily, and never stop learning. Life will not let up.

If you follow me, you know my message is always the same: prepare yourself and never stop learning. That is the secret.