It’s a little over a month since I attended a convention in Philly. A huge convention completed there about a month before ; however the convention I attended was a little different. The convention I attended was the International Leadership Forum at the Delta Phi Epsilon Convention. It was my 5th convention and I learned a lot about myself and being a leader during my time in Philadelphia.
The theme of the convention was “Be Bold, Be Brave, Be Revolutionary”. All of the main speakers were women. Every woman that spoke was revolutionary in the work they do. It got me thinking, “Am I being bold and brave” in my work as a therapist?
Being bold and brave, for me, doesn’t mean that I fight lions on the way to work. It doesn’t mean that I take leaps of faith without researching my options. Being bold means I step outside of my comfort zone and make an impact in my world. Often times, I see my blogposts as brave. Some of my topics are controversial and all of them contain my professional and sometimes personal opinions. Being brave means that I work with clients of all walks of life, not just the easy ones. Being brave means that I started a business from scratch, put in the work and then absolutely hoped for the best. Being revolutionary, to me, means being on the forefront of what is going on in the world. This is an area of my work that I would like to expand upon. I want to be on the forefront of expanding mental health services across the country and world.
I learned some valuable lessons during the weekend I spent in workshops. Each of the speakers shared their story and their collective stories taught me the following five things about being bold, brave and revolutionary:
1. Stop apologizing
Grace Killelea taught me to stop apologizing for things I didn’t do and don’t need apologies for. It was amazing to see how often I apologize for things in life that don’t need an apology.
2. Be your authentic self but be appropriate
In order to be successful in life it is important to be authentic but equally important to be appropriate. My authentic self probably wants to wear yoga pants and cute t-shirts to my office everyday but the appropriate side of my brain tells me to wear an outfit that is appropriate for a counselor. Side note, if I am seeing kids all day long or only have two sessions in the morning, yoga pants and cute t-shirt it is!
3. Go after your goals and dreams
Decide what you want in life and go after it. Your dreams and mine are going to take a lot of hard work and that doesn’t mean you don’t go after it. It means you do what you need to do in order to achieve your goals. Lorenza Ponce shared about her nutrition regimen which includes mostly fish and vegetables because she is a famous Violinist that requires her to be on stage in front of a lot of people. Is it easy to eat healthy all the time? No. But she’s living her dream and it takes hard work and sacrifice.
4. Give back to causes you are passionate about
The final morning of the convention was about philanthropic giving and all of the ways you can give back, both financially and with time. It reminded me to look for ways to give back at every step. Can I donate $1 at Publix every time they ask me to? Yes. Can I give one hour a month to a volunteer organization for mental health issues? Absolutely. Find out what you are passionate about and give back.
5. Stay connected to your purpose
My favorite part about this convention was the message about purpose. It’s the reason why I am a therapist and serve the population that I do. If you have a purpose and a “why” for what you do, it can take you leaps and bounds. For the female entrepreneurs who read this blogpost, stay connected to your purpose at every step of the way and if you find yourself lost, reconnect to your way.
Amanda Patterson, LMHC, CAP , Mental Health Counselor of the Year by the Florida Mental Health Counseling Association, decided to become a therapist while attending Nova Southeastern University. She saw the need to help people achieve the life they wanted to live, while creating a life of her own. She completed her master’s in Mental Health Counseling and started a career in the juvenile justice arena. Amanda has been a therapist for ten years and has a private practice in Wellington, Florida, specializing in depression, anxiety, relationship issues, and substance abuse in teenagers and young adults. Amanda is a believer in holistic treatment and she practices veganism, meditation and yoga in her life. Find out more about her practice here.
To schedule an appointment, call or text Amanda at 954-378-5381 or email her at amanda@amandapattersonlmhc.
