Pick Yourself: Stop Waiting and Start Building Your Own Path

There’s a blog post by Seth Godin I read over a decade ago, and I’ve never forgotten it. The headline?

“Reject the tyranny of being picked: pick yourself.”

We’re taught from a young age to wait to be chosen. We wait to be picked for the team, the job, the role, the promotion, the opportunity. But what if the person you’re waiting on never calls?

What if… you just picked yourself?

That’s what Amanda Hocking did when she self-published her books and made millions. That’s what artists and entrepreneurs all over the world are doing as they launch, create, and contribute, without anyone’s permission.

I’ve spent 30 years as a stay-at-home mom with businesses on the side. My husband, Braxton, bless him, slogged through the corporate wetlands so we could have stability. He always had a job, we always had a paycheck, and I had the margin to explore.

I launched a mystery shopping company, then a small candy business. Bought and sold a Crumbl Cookies franchise. Now we’re growing Yokl, a movement, a business, and a platform to support the small, local businesses we love.

When you pick yourself, you’re free to work as smart and as hard as you want. You stop waiting for a green light and realize you, with grit and a ton of hard work, (sometimes) make the light turn green.

Yokl is built for people who are doing this, people who are building something. Our business partners didn’t wait to be discovered or featured by a big platform. They picked themselves.

And you can too.

Whether you’re starting a business, a side hustle, or just a new chapter in your life, here’s your invitation: Step out of the “what if” desert and into the fertile fields of freedom. Choose you.