Hey there, lovely readers! Welcome to CareerInstitution.com, I’m Derica Jude, an Introvert Branding Specialist on Camera Phobia and Social Anxiety.
I use combined business and writing coaching to help introverts struggling with camera phobia and social anxiety to forge a unique, fulfilling and impactful career path that they’ll be passionate about.
Although I have many techniques for achieving your desired results, one of my popular methods is “Storytelling”.
What I mean by storytelling isn’t prose or drama, I mean the authentic purpose behind one’s entrepreneurial journey. I want to help people find and stick with their authentic stories and use them in self and career development.
I don’t just help you get over these problems, I help you create a unique career model that perfectly suits you personally and which will work in tandem with your experiences, vision, voice and values.
My ideal clients have unsuccessfully struggled for so long trying to get over these limitations. These setbacks have hindered them from having the kind of careers they want, standing up for themselves, being themselves, making money, and many more issues they’re struggling with.
I chose this career path because this is who I used to be, and I feel so much compassion for those in a similar situation. I used to be that girl with so many issues, constantly sad, self-sabotaging, and all that, but after consciously working through these problems, I’m happier, I have a thriving business, and have healthier relationships. I want this for you too.
My passion and purpose is to assist individuals who have tried to overcome these struggles on their own but have been unsuccessful in doing so. They are seeking a way to turn their challenges into strengths and create a fulfilling career path rooted in storytelling.
Categories of persons who can benefit from my business include:
1. Introverted creatives: Those who struggle with expressing themselves on camera or in social situations, hindering their ability to showcase their work and talents effectively.
2. Entrepreneurs: Individuals who are looking to build a unique brand but are held back by camera phobia and social anxiety, preventing them from effectively connecting with their audience and growing their business.
3. Writers: Those who want to enhance their storytelling skills to create a more authentic and compelling narrative for their personal or professional development.
4. Aspiring influencers or content creators: Those who aspire to build a strong online presence and engage with their audience through visual and written content but are held back by their fears and anxieties.
I’m focusing on these target groups because it ensures that I’m able to tailor my services to cater to their specific needs and provide valuable guidance and support in their journey towards developing a confident and impactful career path.
I help them to go from unsuccessfully struggling for a long time trying to get over their fears to building a formidable and profitable business that they’ll be passionate about.
I’m there for them when their fears have become setbacks which hinder them from having the kind of careers they want, standing up for themselves, being themselves and making the kind of money they want.
Right now you’re worried that you might never succeed in business and have almost given up. Everyone says it’s your fault, they think you’re weird. I know how hard it is to cope with all these. You’re at your breaking point, a place I used to be, and I’m here to pull you out of that ugly situation, it’s not where anyone should ever be.
Those who have never been in our shoes will not understand us. They think we’re cowards, but they don’t know how much effort we’ve put in, they don’t know what we deal with every day.
Do you know why I understand how you feel? Because I’ve been there, and it’s a constant struggle that you have to win over and over again every single day.
In my case, I didn’t enjoy looking at the mirror, not that I don’t like my reflection, I just feel weird watching myself stare back. I’m an INFJ, in other words, an ambivert, however, with an introverted core.
I couldn’t make video calls, not even with my family. If I ever got on Zoom for any reason, the camera must be off.
I hardly took pictures, there were times when years could pass without me taking a single photo.
Even when I was very little, I was aggressive in front of the camera and would always run away, it’s a fear I grew with.
As for my social anxiety, I remember my mother encouraging me to do public speaking and all that, it was very difficult, but I became one of the best in high school, even the lead actress in several school plays. It was tough, but I kept pulling.
At the university, something horrible happened that stole all the confidence that I worked so hard to build over the years, and I had to restart all the way from scratch.
When I became an entrepreneur, it was almost impossible to succeed because I couldn’t find the courage to tell anyone about my venture, I was scared of many things —scared of failure, scared that people would laugh at me, would call me too young and stupid or discredit my ideas. For the first few years, I couldn’t make a single dime. I kept losing blogs after blogs because I couldn’t pay for them over a year. I kept losing e-commerce after e-commerce because I couldn’t pay for next year’s domain and hosting. I kept deleting my social media handles because I didn’t want to become popular. I couldn’t post photos and videos on social media. In 2018, I deleted my Facebook account which had my pictures and which was gradually becoming popular after using it since either 2011, 2012 or 2013, not totally sure which year I started it.
I’ve always loved online business, but I hated the idea of posting or engaging on social media.
A lot was happening in my life and the self-battle was severe. I couldn’t live the way I wanted, I couldn’t do what I wanted, because I was scared of how others would see it. When people reacted negatively to me, I’d lose faith in myself and my abilities. When people said no, I’d believe it’s because I’m not good enough. At a point, I became a people pleaser, I’d do anything and everything to avoid offending anyone. I didn’t want anyone to say I was a bad person.
I didn’t want people to think I was different.
I lost my way so many times and began doing things like others, behaving like them, following their footsteps, but it never really worked out, because that is not who I am. Copying other people only led me into identity crisis, a point where I didn’t know who I was anymore, where I didn’t know what I believed in and what I wanted to do with my life.
The question is, how did someone with so many issues come to create an online space which of course, you’re currently reading at?
How did I gain entrepreneurial clarity?
How did I come to create physical businesses which involve meeting people face to face?
Have I totally changed who I am? No! Of course not.
However, I’ve become a fiercer version of myself.
How did I do that?
That is why I created this blog to help you achieve the same thing I have achieved and keep working on.
What exactly do I want you to achieve?
I want you to become a fiercer version of you, the type that takes the world by storm, whom they never see coming. The type that finds their true passion and individuality and does the kind of work they’re passionate about and truly enjoy doing.
One thing about us individuals with introverted core is that we never seem to realise the amount of power we possess.
A fully evolved introvert is a literal storm, a force to reckon with, a true enigma. I want you to become all these.
I want you to become the person who does the impossible, the person who gets things done, things others would never dare do.
We are the predators, not the prey; tigers who survive and succeed alone, not lions who need their pride before they can achieve anything meaningful.
There’s nothing wrong with being a lion, however, lions are extroverts, they’re not self-sufficient, if worse comes to worst, they can survive if left alone, but that will definitely not be their healthiest and happiest time. On the other hand, tigers are solitary animals by nature and are not afraid of existing alone and hunting alone no matter the danger lurking around.
In other words, healthy extroverts are crowd animals (pack, pride, etc), but well-evolved introverts are solitary and self-sufficient animals. There’s nothing wrong with either of them, they’re just being who they’re naturally built to be.
As an individual with introverted core, you have two options:
1. Become a “sloth” who is too slow and shy to mingle and hides away because they’d rather be alone than take chances. They know they don’t stand a chance at anything. Or,
2. Become a “bear” who is alone because they’re naturally built that way. Not afraid of being around others, but would rather live solitary because they know they’re strong and capable and nothing in the world can mess with them.
I made the decision to become a bear, instead of a sloth; a tiger, instead of a lion. Similarly, I created this platform for those who want to do everything possible to become bears and tigers.
We can channel this natural power of ours into entrepreneurship and the sky will only be our starting point.
Therefore, if the tenets of Career Institution resonate with you, I urge you to stay put and make this platform your home.
It’s my pleasure to help you find and unleash your hidden powers and succeed in business beyond expectations.