I was at a conference last Friday and there were lots of very inspiring speakers. The two that stick in my mind both had messages to give about being okay with exactly who you are and where you’re at, no matter what other people might think.

The first was Jennifer Celerier, she of last season’s The Apprentice, who, as a result of pretty heavy editing on the show, came across as tough and not all that nice. She's actually a sweetheart, and was very gracious about her experience, despite the fact that many people who had watched the show leapt to easy judgements about her based on a reality TV show. The second was Liz Warum of Te mple Spa who talked about the early days of building a business and how important it is to hold on to your inner confidence even though the results might be taking a while to come through and people around you are preaching doom and gloom on your behalf.

Sometimes you don't get a great press and often the conditions of your market, whether it be in business or in job hunting, aren't that favourable and people will tell you to give up. If you hold on to your sense of self and the big WHY that is driving you, you'll see it through and emerge smiling. It's never between you and them, it always between you and your sense of self, so hold on in there – you're doing just fine.