But in the city it's a bit different. I still think twice about people who tell me how good they are and do speeches about how amazing their achievements have been. Drawing conclusions about people doing this is a pasttime that many people have become use to.

However, telling your story is different and it's how you tell it that really defines who you are.

When I was young 'my story' was going to be very different and everything about my life told me that that would be the case. Then something changed, and I changed.

Through my experiences I was exposed to people I admire, things that made me think to myself that I would like to try that, and travel. Combined, it changed my thinking and the more I became exposed to people who were successful, the more I wanted it to be like them myself.

I am not a natural leader. I am not an overly talented entrepreneur. I am, however, a person determined to do everything I set my mind to to the best of my ability and that in itself has led to success.

I use to not take risks until another entrepreneur called me out on it. I hated being told that I play everything safe, so by default I started taking risks, being a bit more braver and pushing myself a little harder.

It's amazing what happens when you do this. 

In the past 5 years, I have hit a point where I am more successful than I ever hoped to be in terms of how my business has grown and continues to push boundaries and lead the market. But it is success by my standards and someone else may not feel the same way as their benchmark may be higher.

Your story, is your story. Never make it someone else's. It's ok that I didn't grow up in the city. In fact, it is a blessing. It's also ok that I didn't take the normal path into business, that I made so many mistakes that I don't care to mention, and that I continue to strive for excellence in every area of my business, but miss the mark on occasion.

What isn't ok is when you are afraid to tell your story or share it, because you think that it isn't good enough. Or you think that it may not be seen in the best light coming from you personally. 

If more people had shared their story when I was younger, I would have known that being an entrepreneur was an option. I also would have known that the most important thing in the world and the thing that I would be judged on would not be whether or not I got married and had children. Instead, it would be what contribution I make to the world, and how I put myself out to make it a better place.

If you have some time to yourself this week, think about "what you story will be" and work out a plan on how the dialogue will go. You will be surprised at how much closer you will get to being able to say that story out loud.