We Dare You To Choose Courage

When we tell people about MCREY, we get a variety of responses. Most often we are met with support and find ourselves overwhelmed by the amount of encouragement and cheer people offer. Other times we are met with some skepticism, which isn’t a big surprise considering over 80% of start-up companies don’t succeed. We have to maintain a certain amount of hindrance ourselves to ensure we take well-informed and measured steps for the growth of our company. But then there are people who show little to no faith that we can make our dreams come true. 

“I wouldn’t start a business with my sibling. You’ll ruin your relationship.”

“You’re starting a business during a global pandemic? I wouldn’t have done that.” 

“There isn’t a big enough market for your idea.”

“You’ll be lucky if a bigger company buys you out.”

“You can’t beat the businesses that are already out there.”

Though we have a strong inner circle of supporters, hearing these negative comments over and over can be exhausting. It’s difficult not to question yourself after hearing them several times. Are we doing the right thing? Can we do this? What if we don’t make it?

What if…

I would argue those two words together are the most daunting combination in the English language. We could dive into the depths of our greatest fears if we continue exploring these 'what if' scenarios. But that’s the thing, all our worries and fears of the future are just theoretical scenarios playing out in our heads. We won’t know what happens till that future meets our present. The cliché comes to mind where one person asks, “What if I don’t succeed?” and the other person responds, “But what if you do?” 

You see, we have a choice. We are the writers, producers, directors, and main star of our own movie and we choose how we want it to unfold. I am not saying we can control all of the external factors around us or what life throws at us. Actually, I’m implying the exact opposite. The minute you can let go of the idea that you can control the things around you and, instead, harness the power of choice in your own decisions and life, that is when the game changes. When you start believing in yourself and choosing to create positive scenarios in your head instead of negative ones, that is when you start to manifest the life you have always dreamt of living. But it takes courage and confidence to believe you have this power within you and that it can change your life.

The majority of the population will not harness the courage within themselves to take the leaps necessary to live this life to the fullest. Harsh, but true. 

If you take a minute to think of the number of people in your life who are staying at their mediocre job or staying in their comfortable relationship or making excuses for why they can’t reach their dreams, I bet you can think of more than one. Probably a lot more than one—and to be clear, I am not judging anyone else’s life or choices. We all grow through a different set of experiences that form a different set of perspectives, and I could never fully understand the intricacies of someone else’s goals or life even if I tried. It’s our individuality and our diversity that makes this world so interesting. No one has it all figured out and if you meet someone who thinks they do, please run away from them as quickly as possible. RED FLAG! 

All I can say for my own life is that I am certain I do not want to settle. I don’t want to worry about our company not being able to compete with the big dogs. I don’t believe that there isn’t a place in the market for us. I refuse to think we won’t make something of ourselves as a company and as women in the business and extreme sports world. If we believed any of the doubts people told us, we might as well give up now. What would be the point of continuing if we didn’t believe in ourselves against all odds? 

Paige and I have learned that people speak from a place of their own experiences and we are all mirrors for one another. We react to what someone else does or says based on what we know. So if someone wouldn’t take the risk of starting their own company, they’re probably going to speak from a place of fear. They wouldn’t do that so they’ll tell you that you shouldn’t either. And if that's what they think when they see their reflection in our mirror, so be it. It’s not good or bad, it's just what they think and we think differently.

We choose to harness our courage and take the risks necessary for our company to succeed. Ultimately, we hope our story will inspire others to do the same. In fact, we dare you to choose courage.