S12 E1 Why You Don’t Need Approval to Chase Your Dreams

On the latest episode of Successfully Chaotic, I dove deep into the powerful truth that no one will magically hand you permission to live authentically or chase your dreams. For years, I waited—seeking approval, over-explaining my choices, and letting others' doubts become my own. But when you realize the only approval you truly need is your own, everything changes.

Here are my top 3 takeaways for anyone feeling stuck:

• Permission is Not Required: You don’t need anyone’s validation to start a business, pivot your career, or live authentically. Trust yourself to lead your own life.

• Discomfort Leads to Growth: Every time you choose yourself and take action (even if it’s scary or awkward), you get stronger. Real breakthroughs happen outside your comfort zone.

• Surround Yourself with Expanders: Seek out those who inspire you, push you to dream bigger, and remind you of what’s possible—rather than people who project their fears onto you.

If you’re still waiting for a sign that it’s time to choose yourself… consider this it. 💫

Are you ready to be unapologetically YOU?

Listen to all episodes of Successfully Chaotic at: https://www.successfullychaotic.com/

Be a guest on Season 12! https://www.successfullychaotic.com/be-a-guest

Episode Transcript

(00:07):
Life is a winding road?
No telling where it goes?
Driving through days and nights?
Won't stop for traffic lights?
And I, I really want to
know, really want to know?

(00:31):
If I let me figure
out where the road goes?
Even if I'm falling down? I will keep on searching for
my highs?
You can say I lost my mind? I will keep on holding my
head high? Even if the sky is

(00:55):
falling down.
Hey there. And welcome back to Successfully Chaotic, where we embrace the chaos of
business, life, and everything in between. I'm your host, Maria Daniels, and
today's episode is for the ones who've spent too much
time waiting for permission. Permission to be themselves,

(01:17):
permission to chase their dreams, permission to stop explaining
why they do what they do. Because here's the truth. No
one is coming to give you permission. And the moment that you
realize that, something shifts. You stop waiting.
You start doing. And that is where the magic happens.
So today, we're talking about the freedom that comes when you stop

(01:40):
asking for permission to live your life authentically.
Because why wait for approval when it holds you
back? Like, and. And why wait to step into your
power? And what do you think is going to happen when you
start leading your own life instead of seeking validation?
So go ahead and grab your coffee, your tea, or whatever keeps you going, because

(02:02):
we're about to dive into this. All right,
first of all, let's be real. Most of us were raised
to be good girls or team players, right? And we're taught to
play by the rules, to not take up too much space, to make sure we're
likable. And for years, I did just that. I asked for
permission without even realizing it. I waited for other people

(02:25):
to validate my ideas before I felt confident enough to even
pursue them. I let the opinion of others really
dictate my next move. I shrank myself down, thinking
that I had to earn my place at the table. I looked around
at all the other people who are doing these amazing things, and it looked like
they just, like, walked on clouds of awesomeness when I was,

(02:47):
like, tumbling down a hill and bursting into flames and clawing myself up the
other side. All of this waiting
to be like everybody else, all of this waiting to belong.
It got me nowhere. Because here's the thing.
When you wait for permission to be yourself,
to live authentically, to embrace all of your scars and

(03:10):
flaws and the way that you think differently than other people, you are
handing over control of your life to people who are not.
Not living your life. You are letting people
who don't know your vision, who don't live your
life who don't know your fire, who don't know
your goals, tell you what is realistic, and you

(03:33):
know what happens. They project their own fears
into you. Like, are you sure that you really
want to start that business? Oh, gosh, it's. It's really risky. I
don't know. You know, maybe you should wait when the timing or the economy
is better. What if people don't take you seriously?
Are you sure you want to do that?

(03:56):
All of the sudden you hear these things and you're stuck.
Not because you don't have what it takes, but because you have
let someone else's doubts become your own. But
here's a truth bomb for you. You do not
need anyone's approval to live your
life. So how do you start actually

(04:20):
waiting at or stop waiting, I guess I
should say. So how do you actually stop waiting and start
taking action? You know,
one of the biggest shifts that I made in my own life
was deciding to stop over explaining. Now,
trust me, I'm an ADHD gal that likes to word vomit,

(04:43):
dump all kinds of oversharing. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm
talking about justifying why I'm doing what I'm doing,
justifying why I think the way I think. And
so one of the biggest shifts that I made in my life was to
stop over explaining why I think the way I do. Because you do not
have to explain why you're starting a business. You do not have

(05:07):
to justify why you're deciding to do
anything that you're deciding to do. You don't have to ask permission to
pivot, to grow, to evolve, to stop. You do
not have to explain yourself. If
someone doesn't understand, that's okay. It is not their
journey. You know, there's nothing wrong with seeking guidance and.

(05:28):
And, you know, like, I have people that I consider, you
know, gurus that I have, you know, ran something
by that. That's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about those people
that are doing their own thing that wants to come in with their little judgments,
or maybe they're doing their own thing, but it's not the exact same. You same
thing you do. And you get those little side

(05:51):
comments. I know you know what I'm talking about. And if you close your eyes
right now, you're probably thinking of somebody in your mind right now that has done
that. And it made you feel, you know, super small, made you question,
why am I doing this? It made maybe cry. I mean, there's been times where
I've cried about stuff people have said. But you know
what? The truth is that stepping into your own

(06:12):
power feels weird at first. It does, because when you stop
seeking the validation and you start making the decisions, some people's
not gonna like it. And you're still gonna have that little voice every once in
a while. It goes, yeah, but what if. But you learn to shut that little
voice up. But it feels weird at first. It
feels awkward at first. But here's what I've learned.

(06:32):
Discomfort is part of the growth. Every time that you choose
yourself, every time you stop waiting and start moving, you
get stronger. So instead of avoiding
discomfort, lean into it and get used to it, because that's where
breakthroughs start to happen. You don't need someone
else to give you the green light, but you do need

(06:54):
people who inspire you to keep going. So, you
know, I mentioned those people that I like to reach out to, to seek guidance.
Surround yourself with those people, the expanders, the people who
show you what's possible. The people that say, yeah, it really
freaking sucks sometimes, but guess what? You can do it
anyway. You know, like, think about maybe, you

(07:15):
know, I have somebody I know that literally built her dream from
nothingness, absolutely nothingness. And if you knew her story, it's. It's super
inspiring. Or maybe you. You have a friend who just lives
her whole life unapologetically. I've got some people like
that, too, and I'm just, like, in awe. And. Or maybe it's a
mentor that challenges you to think bigger, that maybe they even

(07:38):
tell you, though, you're thinking too small, you can do more. Those are the people
that you need around you, the people who remind you that you don't need permission.
You just need the courage to start. So
what actually happens when you stop waiting for approval?
Everything. Everything happens. You start
making bold moves. You trust yourself more. You stop wasting

(08:01):
energy on people who are never going to get it. You build the business
or the life or the freedom that you've always wanted. And let me tell you,
there is nothing more powerful than a woman who knows her worth and
goes after what she wants. So if you're still waiting for the sign,
this is it. You know,
I think that the universe sends us signs all the time. And if you're listening

(08:24):
to this podcast, like. Like, take that as a sign. Just. Just stop. Just try
to push out all the naysayers. Try to push out all the. Your own
negative thoughts on things. It's okay to be scared. It's
okay that today you tried your best and you fell on your face and you
just clawed yourself up the other side because you came up the other
side and you're bruised and you're dirty and you're possibly

(08:45):
crying and you want to quit because it's so hard.
But you've got this. And you do not need anybody's permission.
And don't compare yourself to anybody's glossed up story
because I'm going to tell you the truth here. It is freaking tough out there,
but you are tougher. I want you to do

(09:07):
something today. Stop asking for permission. Post that thing.
Who cares if you're cringe? I don't care. Like don't like be cringe. Oh my
gosh, send it to me. I will love all your cringe.
Launch that business. Maybe you don't 100 know how it's going to end,
but if you don't try, you are going to spend the rest of your life
wondering why you didn't start. Set that boundary.

(09:31):
Those people who are pulling you down, lay those boundaries
out because you don't need their permission. I don't care who it is.
And it may hurt because we say set those boundaries. Like it's super easy, but
sometimes it's the hardest thing you will ever do, but it's so worth it.
And take that leap. Jump out and just try.

(09:52):
You may get hurt. You may fall on your face. I mean, honestly, if
you're just starting out, you probably will. I mean, I'm going to be that person
that tells you I've fallen on my face more times than I can count and
I'm stubborn enough that I get up and go, well, that sucked. And I keep
going. Because at the end of the day, you only get one
life and the only permission that you need to do
anything is your own. If this episode

(10:15):
resonated at all with you, I really encourage you to share it with a friend.
We're going to be talking just about this very topic and I'm going to be
having on some amazing guests talking about this. Some amazing people who
are living their own lives unapologetically. And
let's keep this conversation going. You know, make sure you follow on TikTok
or Instagram and you know, sharing that cringe

(10:36):
stuff that you're afraid to post with me. I. I love all the things
cringe. And don't forget that successfully Chaotic is about
embracing all the messy, unfiltered, beautiful chaos of life
and business. So go out there and just live your life on your own terms.
All right? Until next time. Keep choosing yourself and keeping
unapologetically you,

(10:58):
Sam.