We all face our fair share of roadblocks on the path to success, and it's the big ones that can force us to decide if we're going to give up or keep pushing to achieve our goals.
Amy Oraefo, a practicing attorney in Atlanta, Ga., experienced such an obstacle when she failed to pass her bar exam the first time around. She joined HuffPost Live host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani to talk about how the setback inspired to her push even harder toward her goals, and how she maintains her renewed confidence in a male-dominated field today.
“My faith in God is what got me through, and just being malleable to what life has to throw at you, being comfortable, holding your integrity, standing strong and knowing that it all will work out,” said Oraefo. “The opportunities that I have been blessed with thus forth, I confidently believe I would not have had but for that experience in my life. My mother says, ‘Your setback is just setting you up for what is coming in the future.’”
After retaking the bar and becoming an attorney, Oraefo had to establish her presence in a male-dominated office and courtroom.
“There is a way to make yourself be known and be respectful and assert authority but get the job done,” she said. "Because at the end of the day, as attorneys, we’re problem solvers, we’re task-oriented individuals. It’s just a matter of saying, ‘I’m present, I’m here.’ But we as women sometimes, we’re not as vocal about our accomplishments as men can be.”
To hear more about how Oraefo handled one of her biggest roadblocks to success, watch the full HuffPost Live clip in the video above.