Meet Willie Bell

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Willie Bell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Willie below.

Willie, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I learned resilience early. I learned it from my mother. She is resilient and I learned to behave in a manner that displayed resilience which afforded me success. In spite of having low socioeconomic status, my mother provided all needs. In spite of what obstacles, she faced, she carried herself in a manner that displayed grace, and we were provided for in a manner that we (her children) did not know or understand that we were poor. Coming from a small “one horse” town, the majority were in the same situation, yet I knew I did not want to get “trapped” in that small community. In spite of it all, I was relentless in gaining an education because to me and for me education was the key to success. Some things can be stripped away from you but once you get an education that is one thing that cannot be taken from you. My mother and other family members would often call me professor due to my ability to hold conversations with adults or respond to adults with knowledge even if they were “talking over my head.” The fear of being isolated or secluded in a small town that I knew I would outgrow because my mindset was already ahead of what I was being taught provided me with the resilience to proceed in spite of any obstacle that I would face. Resilience is not just falling down and getting back up, it is a character trait to succeed against any and all odds.

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 am a licensed professional counselor and have been practicing for approximately 7 years in private practice with about 25 years total in the mental health field. What is most exciting to me is that I have exercised courage in doing speaking engagements as I do not consider myself as very talkative at all which is sometimes hard to imagine considering my line of work. I have spoken at universities and events recently and I am enjoying it. It has allowed me to grow emotionally as I know and understand myself to be an intellect. I function best on the intellectual side of the brain with the understanding that I must balance intellect with emotion. I am working on launching my own LLC of which I plan to continue my journey of growth and expanding myself, my business and develop into a brand.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

My three qualities that I view to be most impactful in my journey are resilience, discipline and determination. The advice that I would give is to develop your own niche, be an ever evolving learner and consider all feedback and how it applies. Making the necessary adjustments along the journey aids in the resiliency, discipline and determination to overcome any and many obstacles that occur along the way.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

My colleagues and the clients that I have served over the years have definitely aided me in overcoming challenges as well as build the skills that are necessary to provide the services that I do with integrity. Both my colleagues and clients have helped me to be introspective in developing the interpersonal skills to have the integrity that is needed in being genuine in my line of work which provides me the ability to provide a great product,

• Linkedin: Willie Bell

Image Credits

DokkSavage, Latonya Duncan