When Kristen Butler was a kid, she says she felt a sense of responsibility to succeed because her family was on welfare and struggling financially. The oldest of four kids, she was an ambitious seven-year-old who often took on leadership roles, whether that meant taking care of her siblings or selling jewelry to make money. “When I was little, I told myself I didn’t want to be poor.”

Her passion for writing emerged at an early age, and she aspired to write a book. When she was in third grade, her teacher told her she would never accomplish that goal, which motivated Butler even more. Years later, a supportive journalism teacher in high school helped to ignite her passion for writing and that encouraged her to pursue a degree in journalism.

Despite her initial success in college, Butler eventually experienced burnout and decided to drop out. Rather than give up, she used her passion for writing and her entrepreneurial spirit to start her own business out of her apartment. Her first venture was an eBay shop, which she built through hard work and determination.

One day she realized the key to feeling good was having a positive mindset and she started her company, Power of Positivity. 14 years and more than 30,000 pieces of content later, Butler has a following of more than 56 million people across her social channels and her 3 Minute Positivity Journal sold 100,000 copies.

Over the years, Butler says she’s learned that success is not about stepping outside of your comfort zone, but rather about being true to yourself and pursuing your passions and that inspired her to write her first book The Comfort Zone: Create a Life You Really Love with Less Stress and More Flow. Through her journey, Butler has learned that success is not about conforming to the expectations of others, but rather about following one’s own path and pursuing one’s passions with determination and dedication.

She sat down with Jessica Abo to talk about her new book, how you can realize your own potential, and shared the steps you can take to expand your comfort zone.