A fellow veteran once said to me: "You're such an accomplished woman."
My actual response out loud, "Am I?"
I wasn't being falsely modest. I genuinely didn't know. Because I don't think much about my credentials:
B.A. in 2005—that was a long time ago
M.A. in 2022—took forever to finish
Military service—yet I never deployed to combat
Building this business—we're still small
Let me pause on that last one. Do you know the actual SBA definition of a "small business"? Depending on your industry, you can have 500 employees or make millions in revenue and still be classified as small.
But I was using "small" like it meant "not enough yet." Like it carried shame.
Being shameful and being humble are not the same thing. Humility recognizes gifts received. Shame dismisses value earned.
Nicole performed air assaults during her second deployment and says the experience allowed her to distinguish herself as a reliable and competent soldier and pilot. "I had a couple of engagements with the enemy because of the nature of our unit's presence." Nicole supported the movement of Special Forces / Rangers / British/German SAS Troops to a high value target's location, in order to capture people.