I’ll never forget the day I got the email to speak on the panel for 21Ninety’s EmpowerHer Panel Tour sponsored by Ford. I was prepping for my bachelorette party, tossing clothes about the room, getting distracted by social media and emails. I, immediately, got excited and danced around the house tossing clothes like confetti. It was a celebration to be had that Morgan Debaun had recognized my work. Let’s face it, sometimes when you’re a creative, no one really cares how much you contribute to putting the best content out. They don’t even understand the entrepreneurship that drives the passion of blogging! So when the founder of a well-known news outlet, Blavity, came calling, I acted. I’ve always loved public speaking, but this was a blessing. It gave me a taste of what I’d like for the rest of my life to look like. Brace yourselves, I don’t tell very many people my end all goal, but I’ve decided that it’s time to start speaking it in order for it to happen.
As we sat there on our panel chairs, mics in hand, fancy backdrop, an eager crowd of women out front waited to hear who we were and how our stories became our truths. It was invigorating. I’m usually not a nervous public speaker, but speaking to a group of women so passionate about living their best lives will make your hands think they should perform like clouds, profusely letting out droplets of water. We each took turns answering questions from the audience. One question that stood out to me was, “People tell me that I should start a blog, but I don’t know. Should I?” I answered, “if this is your passion, then yes. If it’s not, then don’t do it.” My answer might’ve not been what the room wanted to hear, but it was the truth. Often times in life, we find ourselves working towards what looks like it’s working for other people. That’s why we grow up saying I want to be a doctor. I want to be a teacher. I want to be a preacher. Those are the roles we’ve most commonly seen as adolescents. It’s inspiring to us. It is what we see that’s working for the individuals we know. In the age of technology, everyone is seeing multiple facets of success being derived from an array of talents or non-talents. We see rappers building their own fan bases through social media. We see bloggers become company influencers without the traditional modeling contracts. We see singers making a name for themselves via SoundCloud. Everything seems assessable and it is. However, at the end of the day, if it isn’t even a notch on your path to your end goal, don’t waste your time. I wanted the EmpowerHer audience to know that they didn’t have to be me or anyone else on that panel to live their best lives.
When you look at the grand scheme of your life, what does that look like? Seek and enact the baby steps of that walk to get there. It will take time and energy. You will receive tiny breaks along the way. You will invest more than you get back sometimes. You may even be shot down by a dream killer. You may be lifted up by an unexpected opportunity. Always remember, the mile-markers on that walk need to make sense. If they do, you’ll eventually get there and avoid all the roundabouts.
When I grow up, I want to be a blogger, an author, a public speaker. I want to transform lives through words! I want to travel and live my best life by all means necessary. I want my passion to remain and my brand to grow. I’m in this. Thank you Blavity and 21Ninety for helping me confirm my dream. The opportunity was my tiny break. Continue following my blog to see my big breaks because they are coming.
