People often ask me for advice on how they can succeed in business. Some people may assume I’ve had things easy in my life and in my career, and that’s what has led to my success. I want to be very clear: I have not had things easy. My challenges have helped me amass hard-won wisdom about how to succeed at work, and in life.

Growing up with a single mom raising four of us kids left me feeling “less than” other kids who had much more than I did. My mother worked hard at multiple jobs to keep food on the table, and even as a child I was able to see clearly that some people were successful, while others were not. I began to take note of those around me and I tried to figure out what I needed to do to succeed.

As an adult, I made a vow: I would not have to struggle financially the way my mother had. I decided to outwork everyone and put myself on the fast track for success—in all aspects of my life.

I’ve gathered my top 10 easy tips for helping you outshine others and set your-self apart for this blog series, How To Succeed in Business and Life. With each tip, I’ll address in detail how to become more successful in all that you do.

Tip 4: Create, Cultivate & Share Those “Crazy” Ideas

Early on in my career, I decided that I was a good sales person and therefore must not be a creative person. This was a limiting belief that I imposed on my-self; it’s just negative self-talk. I am not sure where this came from, if this was something that someone told me or something that I read or dreamed up—but I was wrong.

Just because something may be a truth for someone else does not mean that it has to be your own truth. We are all different and unique! Years later, as my confidence began to grow, I started to notice that creative ideas would come to me in meetings but I was too nervous to share them at first. This went on for a while. One day, I was so frustrated with myself for not speaking up, I blurted an idea out only to find that my boss loved it!

That day changed everything for me.

Today, I am known for being an innovator and agent of change at work. I con-stantly pride myself on coming up with crazy, different, creative ideas. I have a unique perspective and others around me find it very valuable.

Your perspective is valuable, too. A silent person at a table is not highly valued, and may find remaining silent is a huge impediment to success. So share your perspective and your crazy, creative ideas and elevate your personal brand—at work and in life. Don’t wait like I did!