I watched a movie called Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker, and honestly, it was one of those movies that leaves you thinking long after you've finished watching it.

Someone recommended the movie on Substack, so I decided to give it a watch. And honestly, it caught me off guard.

It tells the story of a woman who started with very little, almost nothing, but had a dream bigger than her circumstances.

One thing that stood out to me was how she started. She was a washerwoman, and even when people tried to discourage her from pursuing something bigger, she didn't allow their opinions to become her reality.

She did it scared.

She experimented with different hair products, tested her ideas, made mistakes and kept improving until she had something she could confidently sell.

And one thing about this woman is that she knew how to tell her story. She didn't just sit around waiting for someone to believe in her. She believed in her idea enough to work on it.

Another thing I learned from her story is that believing in yourself is not enough. You have to act on that belief. Everybody is a dreamer, but it's those who act on their dreams that get results.

She faced competition, rejection, financial difficulties and people who didn't take her seriously. Even the woman she once worked for became one of her biggest competitors. Yet she kept going and kept building her company, even when things weren't going her way.

I also admired how audacious she was. There were meetings where she could not talk in because women weren't allowed to talk but she would walk in confidently explain why people should invest in her business. She took chances, put herself out there and refused to wait for opportunities to find her.

One lesson that really stood out to me is that building something isn't always going to be a smooth journey. There will be ups and downs, unexpected challenges and moments when things don't go according to plan. You just have to keep going and not allow every setback to get the better of you.

Even when she was diagnosed with kidney failure and the doctors said she was dying, she was still thinking about the future of her company. She was scared, too, but she still had plans. She had a legacy to build 

Of course, she wasn't perfect. She made mistakes, but she also learned and grew from them.

At some point, she wanted to choose a husband for her daughter because she believed that was what was best for her. Eventually, she realized that her daughter deserved the freedom to make her own choices. I found that interesting because growth also means recognizing when you need to change your own thinking.

What I learned from this movie is that growth is not always beautiful or convenient. Sometimes it means starting before you're confident, learning when you don't know enough, making mistakes and continuing even when the results aren't immediate.

I loved this movie, and I would really love everyone to watch it. Please, go and watch it ❤️