Is there one thing in your life that you feel completely, utterly, and wholeheartedly dedicated to? 

For me, it’s been a lifelong struggle to pick one thing – just one – to which I can confidently and happily give my time and effort. Oh, to rid my mind of the constant nagging voice that says “What if this isn’t your thing? What if there’s something else out there?” 

Maybe it’s self-doubt, maybe it’s undiagnosed ADHD, or maybe even a touch of imposter syndrome; whatever you want to label it, I felt shackled by its constrictions. 

And then one day, liberation came in the most unexpected form of all: an Instagram post. It wasn’t an easily digestible quote or a viral clip of an inspirational podcast from a man who only wears black t-shirts. 

Funnily enough, it was a picture of a long queue forming outside a newly opened romance-only bookshop in New York City. 

That’s right, a whole store filled in its entirety with romance novels. 

The Ripped Bodice had been operating in LA for over 7 years before the owners, sisters Leah and Bea Koch, decided to take the leap to the East Coast and set up the second branch of their romance wonderland.

The thought of someone deciding to declare their undying love for, well, love so loudly left me in awe. Not only that, but going all in on this niche and actually investing money, time, and resources into a brick-and-mortar bookshop in this day and age? Couldn’t be me. 

My internal monologue would have instantly shot the idea down like a bitchy book editor behind a big mahogany desk. 

“Too niche, too silly, too gimmicky,” it would have said, rolling its judgemental eyes at me. 

And yet, the Koch duo’s dedication had proven their venture to be a damn good one. This got me thinking, Where would I be now if I’d had half of that conviction in my own passions?

What would I be doing if I hadn’t given up on the dozen books I’d started writing in fear of my storylines being too romantic and predictable? Or if I’d stuck to my blog posts instead of crippling myself with the fear that my writings were flying too close to the ‘self-help’ category? What unchartered roads would my life have swerved onto if I’d taken my illustrations seriously and stopped belittling my talent? 

Where would I be if I believed in myself? 

It sounds so simple, and yet it had taken me nearly 29 years to understand: the first step to success was simply believing in your passion strongly enough to persevere.

Mind you, I didn’t even believe in my passions enough to start. 

But seeing The Ripped Bodice in all its pink, romantic, fairytale glory made my internal critic drop the attitude, sit upright, and take notice. So what if it’s too niche, too silly, or too gimmicky? There will always be someone out there, like the romance-heads lining up for their next love story, who think your idea is just what they’ve been searching for all along.