Pick Yourself
There’s a blog post by Seth Godin I read over a decade ago, and I’ve never forgotten it. The headline? “Reject the tyranny of being picked: pick yourself.”
It hit me then, and it hits me even harder now.
We’re taught from a young age to wait to be chosen. We wait to be picked for the team, the job, the role, the promotion, the opportunity. But what if the person you’re waiting on never calls?
What if… you just picked yourself?
That’s what Amanda Hocking did when she self-published her books and made millions. That’s what artists and entrepreneurs all over the world are doing as they launch, create, and contribute—without anyone’s permission.
And that’s what I’ve done too.
I’ve spent 30 years as a stay-at-home mom with businesses on the side. My husband, Braxton, bless him, slogged through the corporate wetlands so we could have stability. He always had a job, we always had a paycheck, and I had the margin to explore.
And explore I did. I launched a mystery shopping company. Ran a small candy business. Bought and sold a Crumbl Cookies franchise. Now, with my co-founder Rhett and a talented team, we’re growing Yokl—a movement, a business, and a platform to support the small, local businesses we love.
No one hired me. No one promoted me. I didn’t need a resume or a gatekeeper. I chose myself.
And here’s the magic: when you pick yourself, you’re free to work as smart and as hard as you want. You stop waiting for a green light and realize—you’ve had the keys all along.
Yokl is built for people like that. People who are building something from scratch. People who don’t need permission to try. Our business partners didn’t wait to be discovered by a chain or featured by a big platform. They built their places, poured their coffee, cooked their recipes, and opened their doors. They picked themselves.
And you can too.
Whether you’re starting a business, a side hustle, or just a new chapter in your life, here’s your invitation: Step out of the “what if” wetlands and into the fertile fields of freedom. Choose you.
