Helena Estrada sat at a table in an Argentinian shopping center to sign copies of her work, hoping to receive people’s support, but no one attended the event. She posted a photo on social media to highlight what happened and to show that it’s good to normalize these kinds of situations.
Everyone has dreams they want to achieve, but the fear of failure is what usually stops them. It isn’t easy to dare to take the first step and start that project or plan you have in mind, especially if you need the support of more people, but there have been examples that show that all is not lost if things don’t turn out as expected.
Some take it as a reason to give up and not try again, while others accept it very naturally and decide to continue, like Argentinian lawyer Helena Estrada did after presenting her book.
Helena is a woman who is dedicated to many things. On top of having a master’s degree in Capital Markets and Finance, she gives conferences, has a podcast, writes op-eds and is a consultant specializing in women’s empowerment. She enjoys her life fully and this has given her the confidence to write books.
After publishing «Saltar por nosotras», she wrote «Dueña de tu dinero», which she promoted in different local media and presentations, being very well received according to her own words on Instagram, she even signed some copies in bookshops.
However, this didn’t seem to have any relevance at the time of launching her new book at a shopping mall in her country since the number of people who showed up was very different from what she expected. «With some books on the table, I settled in, and there I stayed. No one came,» Helena said on Instagram.
She posted a photo where she was seen alone, with no line to accompany her as she’d hoped for. A moment that could’ve frustrated her became an opportunity to show that failure is normal and it’s good to accept it. «It’s part of the journey. Similar things have happened to me in the past – and surely will happen in the future – and I don’t think I’m the only one,» she wrote in the post.
Although she hesitated to post the photo on the professional network Linkedin, she took the jump and it didn’t take long for her to receive praise and positive responses that multiplied by the minute, reaching up to a million impressions, as she said on Instagram. «Your story went viral because it was authentic, brave and human. And the simplicity with which you told it makes you an exceptional person,» said someone on the social network.
Messages like these are appreciated by Helena. «It’s worth reading the comments. They have so much food for thought. Many value my ‘bravery’, and I’m embarrassed to contradict them. It wasn’t an act of courage, but more one of complicity,» she commented on Instagram.