We were lucky to catch up with Eilis Olson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Eilis , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
This might sound cliche, but developing my confidence and self-esteem required one important step: doing things scared. I struggled a lot with self-esteem when I was younger, as many kids do, and it wasn’t until college when I finally started to see myself for everything I was and could be. Although it took until then for me to acknowledge my unique strengths and view my weaknesses as areas of improvement, I had been laying the foundation for years. It started with small steps when I was younger, like getting over my fear of public speaking by always volunteering to go first for class presentations. Then, I moved onto bigger steps, like interviewing for jobs that I wanted but originally hesitated to apply for out of fear of failing (or worse, succeeding and having to prove myself). Now, I embrace what scares me because I know major growth is on the other side.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a copywriter and marketing strategist for health professionals. I’ve always loved writing, but for the longest time, I thought I couldn’t make a great living from it. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. I decided to pursue it after I saw an ad for an amazing course and community. My business was up and running within a month and I had my first client less than three months into the course. I’m two years in and it still feels surreal. I actually get excited to work. Before I started my business, I was working in a field that I wasn’t passionate about. I loved the company I worked for, but the work often felt tedious. Now, I get to combine my love of writing with my passion for health and wellness. I’ve had quite a few health issues, which is why I’m particularly passionate about women’s health. I know I’m not the only one, so it’s my mission to help health professionals who truly care about their clients grow their businesses with ethical marketing and empathetic copywriting.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities/skills that I couldn’t have made it this far without (and won’t make it any further without) are self-awareness, empathy, and self-discipline. The first two are often underestimated when it comes to business and leadership, but their importance can’t be overstated. Self-awareness isn’t a destination. It’s a commitment to being humble despite knowing your strengths and being willing to learn and improve upon your weaknesses. It’s acknowledging that your viewpoint isn’t the only one that’s correct and others can teach you something. Then there’s empathy, which is truly an underrated skill. When you show it to yourself, you learn to love and respect the person you are, while believing in the person you want to be. You show others how to treat you. When you direct empathy toward others, your relationships, both personal and professional, are more meaningful and based on mutual respect. Your pursuits become more purposeful and intentional. Finally, there’s self-discipline, which is mostly self-explanatory. Motivation can come and go, but discipline keeps you going when the initial excitement wears off. It helps you push forward when the journey isn’t as easy as you thought it would be.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
This is going to sound corny, but the best thing my parents did for me was believe in me and support me. No matter what I choose to do, they offer me encouragement. They’re honest too, which has helped me so much in the short term and long term. There are a lot of outdated beliefs about what being an entrepreneur means, but my parents never subscribed to those. As soon as I told them what I wanted to do (after years of working a normal full-time job), they immediately had my back. Besides my husband, they’re my biggest supporters.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://eilisolsonagency.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eilis-olson-healthandwellnesscopywriter?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
