Now it’s our time to shine
Now it’s our time to shine. Finding your passion or defining your dreams is one thing. Going after that passion or dream is a different experience. There could be various reasons behind this, such as the amount of time it takes, concerns about failure, financial concerns, and I hear a lot of women state “life just gets in the way”.
In many cases, it is found that the reason we don’t go after our passion or dream is us. We convince ourselves that we can’t do it and that we shouldn’t do it. It is selfish, and the list goes on.
What has been your reason?
"Follow your dreams, they know the way"—Kobe Yamada.
Last night, I had a conversation about pageantry with a couple of women. Someone remarked “I have always wanted to compete, but I never felt that I was tall enough”; another stated, “I am over 50 and never competed before, I am too old”.
I felt myself reflecting on all the things I have said to convince myself not to go after a dream.
I am not the tallest or even the average height for a woman. I am 5ft 2 on a good day. I am in my 50s and I was 100 pounds heavier at one point. I have used these three excuses to tell myself that a dream or passion isn’t in the cards for me. (Photo by Get Media Ready)
Your dream might be difficult to achieve and may have a long-time commitment, but I want to challenge you to consider the following aspects:
· Why do I want this?
· If I were to go after this, what are the actions I would need to take?
· How long will it take for me to achieve my goals?
· What are the goals?
· One of the most important questions is: who will I share this dream with that you know will support you and be your cheerleader and help keep you accountable?
A couple of my supporters
Creating a plan and putting it on paper is a commitment that you make to yourself and should give you a sense of “I can do this”. I set small goals for myself in order to reach the big target. In my weight loss and health journey, I find that smaller targets help me stay focused and I can also observe the progress. I love to run, thereby setting different challenges to support our veterans or running races both virtual and in person.
As I’ve already shared, being Ms. Woman United States was something I wouldn’t have imagined for many of the reasons that I listed above.
It is important to realize that it’s not selfish to focus on what you want and allow yourself to be placed first. While you are filling up your cup, creating a better version of yourself will help you in all other areas of your life.
If I had continued to lie to myself using excuses, I would not have been able to reach more people with my advocacy work with our veterans.
I wouldn’t have been able to have an amazing experience such as a photo shoot with designer Jonathan Kayne with my sister queens or share my stories with woman of all ages and hope to show others that it’s their time to shine.
Three beautiful souls that I am honored to share this year’s national journey represent what going after your dreams and struggles look like and how to persevere through them.
One of the beautiful ladies is into aviation and becoming a pilot in her early twenties.
One owns her own business motivating others in health, nutrition, and fitness.
Another has gathered all of her strength and not only got out of an abusive relationship but also made it her mission to help others by writing a journal and sharing her story to provide others with hope and guidance through ways to help themselves.
How many people have these three women reached because they didn’t let their inner voice convince them not to peruse their dreams and passions? That figure may never be truly known but if we impact just one, we make a difference.
You will get to know more about these amazing women in an upcoming blog. So stay tuned.
I challenge you today—what is the dream that you have been putting off for reasons unimportant? Put a plan together and go for it!
"Get out of your own way. Ditch the fear and absolutely own your magic and power"–Unknown.