Erica Zens

Keep Betting on Yourself

If there's one piece of advice I'd give to women entering the workforce—or anyone navigating their career—it's this:

Keep betting on yourself.

It sounds simple, but it's a mindset that has shaped every step of my own journey.

When I first started my career, I didn't have a perfectly mapped-out plan. I followed my curiosity. I volunteered for projects outside my job description, learned new skills whenever I had the chance, and embraced opportunities that felt just outside my comfort zone. Looking back, none of those moments seemed career-defining on their own.

Together, they changed everything.

Growth Happens Long Before the Promotion

We often celebrate promotions, new titles, or major career milestones, but we rarely talk about everything that happens beforehand.

• The late nights spent learning a new skill.
• The project you volunteered for because you wanted to understand something new.
• The difficult conversation that helped you become a better leader.
• The class you took because you believed your future self would thank you.

Those are the moments that build careers. Success isn't built overnight—it's built through consistent investments that compound over time.

Invest in the Person You're Becoming

For me, investing in myself has taken many forms.

Sometimes it meant learning a new platform or technology. Sometimes it meant raising my hand for a project I wasn't entirely sure I was ready for. Today, it means balancing a full-time career, pursuing a master's degree, and coming home to my biggest role yet: being a mom to my two-year-old daughter.

I'll be honest: there are days when it's hard. There are late nights spent studying after bedtime, weekends dedicated to coursework, and moments when I question whether I'm stretching myself too thin.

But then I remind myself why I started.

I'm not pursuing these goals because I think I have to do it all. I'm pursuing them because growth is one way I care for myself—and because I want my daughter to grow up seeing that learning never stops, that becoming a parent doesn't mean becoming stagnant, and that it's okay to pursue the things that challenge and inspire you.

None of these investments have produced immediate results. But each one has expanded what I'm capable of doing next.

That's the thing about investing in yourself—you don't always see the return right away. Sometimes the greatest return isn't the next promotion or career opportunity. Sometimes it's becoming the kind of person—and the kind of example—you hope your children will one day remember.

Because every investment we make in ourselves becomes an investment in the people who are watching us, too.

Investing in Yourself Isn't Hustle Culture

I also want to acknowledge something important.

When I talk about investing in yourself, I'm not talking about glorifying hustle culture or believing you always have to do more.

Life moves through different seasons. There are times to push yourself, and there are times to rest. There are seasons for building your career and seasons when your energy is needed elsewhere. Neither makes you any less ambitious.

To me, investing in yourself is an act of self-care.

• It's choosing to learn something that excites you.
• It's protecting time for your own growth, even when life feels busy.
• It's believing that your goals and aspirations still matter, whether you're early in your career, leading a team, or raising a family.

Investing in yourself isn't about proving your worth through constant productivity. It's about recognizing your worth enough to continue growing.

That's a bet worth making every time.

Confidence Is Built, Not Found

One of the biggest misconceptions about career growth is that successful people felt ready before taking the next step.

In my experience, confidence doesn't come first. Action does.

Every challenge you take on, every skill you learn, and every time you choose growth over comfort, you build confidence for the next opportunity.

Don't wait until you feel completely qualified before pursuing something you're excited about.

• Keep learning.
• Keep growing.
• Keep betting on yourself.

Your Future Self Is Counting on You

I think we sometimes underestimate how much our future selves benefit from the choices we make today.

• Every book you read.
• Every mentor you seek.
• Every new skill you develop.
• Every uncomfortable challenge you accept.

Those investments shape not only your career but also your confidence, your perspective, and your ability to create opportunities for yourself and others.

Your career doesn't have to follow a straight line. Mine certainly hasn't. What matters most is that you keep moving forward with curiosity and intention.

One day, you'll look back and realize that the opportunities you have weren't created by one big moment—they were created by hundreds of small decisions to keep investing in yourself.

A Challenge for You

This week, make one investment in your future self.

• Take the course you've been putting off.
• Reach out to someone whose career you admire.
• Volunteer for the project that stretches your abilities.
• Learn the technology that feels intimidating.
• Or simply say yes to an opportunity that excites you, even if you don't feel 100% ready.

Not because you need to prove yourself.

Not because you should always be doing more.

But because you're worth investing in.

Because your future isn't defined by one big moment. It's shaped by the choices you make every single day.

Your career is the sum of the investments you make in yourself.

So keep learning.

Keep growing.

And above all—

Keep betting on yourself.