Posting your opinion on LinkedIn feels scary. But asking people for money publicly?
That's a whole different level.
Last Saturday, I started a GoFundMe campaign for a dog shelter in China.
And honestly, I struggled with it.
I had to share it with friends. With colleagues. More than once. Sometimes more than twice.
And every time I wondered:
Am I asking too much? Am I annoying people? What will people think of me?
I'm used to sharing my thoughts publicly. But asking someone to actually give their money to something I care about felt very different.
Still, I did it.
Because this time, it wasn't about me.
It was about the animals.
And then something happened that I didn't expect.
Some of the messages I received made me cry.
Not because of the amount of money people donated, but because someone took the time to say:
"I see what you're doing. I want to help."
It reminded me of something I'm also learning as a leader:
Sometimes, doing what you believe is right means being uncomfortable.
You can't control how everyone will react.
You can only be clear about why you're doing something — and keep going.
So this is another lesson from my first year as a leader:
Don't let the fear of being judged stop you from doing something meaningful.
Even when it feels uncomfortable.
Especially then.
And to everyone who has donated, shared the campaign, or simply sent me an encouraging message:
Thank you. ❤️
You have no idea how much it means.
PS: I can't help but tears in eyes this afternoon when I received one message from a colleague. The link of the GoFundMe and YouTube video will be shared again in the comment.
This is part of my "100 Days of Year One" series. Follow along as I share what I've learned in my first year as Head of Data and Cloud.