I was told my whole life growing up as the oldest and only girl in my family with 2 younger brothers, that I could not do anything my brothers did because I was a girl. I was told I would never amount to anything, and just needed to find a man to take care of me.
Ironically, as an adult I started a collection agency which was, and still is, an industry dominated by men. I overcame those barriers because even as a child being told that I couldn’t do things because I was a girl – I didn’t believe it and thought I could do anything.
As an adult starting my business, I would ask other agency owners (men) questions about starting my business and they would tell me not to waste my time and that I would never be able to be successful. That was all I needed to hear to become one of the Top 5 Women in collections for 2 years in a row (never been done before!) and starting and running a highly successful collection agency for 8 years before selling it to write full time.
I have now authored many books and recently wrote the first text book for the collection industry. I teach at Plymouth State University and write 10 columns. I can do anything and so can anyone else.
Here is a link to my personal story and why I am a success story:
http://michelledunn.com/michelle/about.html
Find me at: http://www.MichelleDunn.com
6 comments
Michelle Dunn
I have always wanted to box, I used to watch boxing on Friday nights with my dad and watch my brothers learn to box with my dad. Now that I am a boxer, I wish I could have been doing this my whole life. I just love it and love how it makes me feel and look. I feel as though boxing makes everything better for me. It is my drug of choice.
gretchen
A boxer? How cool! Feel free to submit a boxing story to us any time! The boxing design is one of the more popular ones in my shop so I know there would be a lot of girls interested in hearing what you have to say about it.
Michelle Dunn
I should have mentioned I am also a boxer – when I was a kid my dad was a boxer and both my brothers received boxing gloves for Christmas one year and I was told I couldn’t box because I was a girl. As an adult I am an awesome boxer and just love it – it is great fun and very hard which results in self confidence, strength and gives you a positive attitude to deal with anything in life.
Michelle Dunn
Gretchen,
Thank you – when I was living it I thought I would never escape and look at me now! I have never felt stronger or more confident. Thank you for allowing me to share my story – I hope it can help others realize their dreams and know that nothing is impossible.
gretchen
That’s what this site is all about. I get lots of feedback from visitors saying they enjoy stories just like yours. It brings them the confidence they need to be successful.
gretchen
Wow – what a fantastic story of turning negative feedback into positive results. Congratulations on your achievements, Michelle!