We can be heroes

There's a teenager living in my basement so I know that most students are already off for the summer.

But...if I were to get in front of the class of 2023, here's what I would tell them.

First, that I'm shocked that their school asked me to speak (hypothetically).

Because I have been nothing if not a mess-up. 

I barely graduated from high school. In fact I think I had to finish off at summer school and some alternative centre to get my diploma because I was so checked out.

Next I took the following year off—and worked dead end jobs while all my friends lived it up on campus.

It made me hungry to go back to school, though, so I could get a real job—unfortunately no one told me Journalism was already dead so I picked a dinosaur career path that was doomed from the get-go. I LOVED every minute of it, though--learning to build websites and run magazines, write and interview bands. That part was a blast.

College wrapped quick, and most of my friends were still in university. So I decided to sign up and waste time, following my curiosity and taking completely impractical courses on dystopias and fables, French literature and Spanish history.

Which prompted my third year university roommate to ask me, “Why are you so old?”

I was 25 then and already engaged to be married.

Don’t get me wrong—I’ve had incredible successes. I graduated Honours in university and climbed the magazine editor ranks until I was queen of the hill. I've been an entrepreneur for 10 years and love the freedom and creativity I've been able to tap and explore along the way. I've been happily married for almost 20 years and I'm the mother of 4 awesome kids that blow me away every day and are smarter and cooler than anything I could have imagined.

I’ve also hit rock bottom—a few times.

So what advice does a loser (aka, unconventional winner) like me have to offer a class like yours?

How about:

Be okay with making plans

And be okay when they don’t turn out

Be okay with layoffs, restructuring, pivots and transitions…

They may actually lead you to something that is ultimately more fulfilling

Keep moving forward

Keep committing until you find new things to be committed to

Keep leaning into your passions, your joy, your curiosity…they will lead you to your zone of genius and your happy place.

And know that even as you cycle through the highs and lows of life, you can count on an upward trend when you have faith, follow your heart and trust in your hero's journey. We can be heroes...

Cat xo

PS: I'm hosting my last free book publishing workshop before I break for the summer. Come join me this Weds June 28 at 12pm EST if you want to learn about writing, publishing and selling books--and stick around for the audience Q&A after! Click here to register and receive login link and details.