So. Have you ever had an idea or dream and fear paralyzed you from taking action? Has that desire stayed with you, but you just don’t know where to start or how to bring it to fruition? Sha, me too!! In the past year, I’ve been contacted in my dms, via text, and via comments often about the audacity that I had to leap. So many amazing people have shared that they have these amazing ideas and desires that are waiting in the wings, but they are petrified to be vulnerable enough to put it out there. The only advice that I will ever give is JUST LEAP!! Easier said than done?? Maybe not.
In 2019, I wrote a post on my personal fb page that got a bit of traction. Someone made note that I should consider starting a blog due to my comfort with transparency and my mental health background. That post was literally the same wording I used for my first blog post on my website. Now, two years and some change later, I have a site with several different components, an IG page that is gaining traction, a blooming self-care/empowerment merchandise line, regular bookings for community speaking engagements and outreach opportunities, and even more opportunities unfolding that I NEVER would have added to my to-do list. I say that to say JUST LEAP!!
Listen! Full disclosure?! I don’t know what I’m doing half the time. I don’t have a solid business plan that I created before I dove in. Ideas and opportunities come to me on the fly and I listen to my intuition about accepting or declining. I don’t have the concrete path laid out in front of me to keep it going. I get tired. I get weary. I almost accept defeat. I have won. I have failed. I have asked God where is this even going. But, no matter what, I just kept pressing. I take breaks when I need them and I collaborate often, because why reinvent the wheel when you can team up with another amazing woman to provide an even more abundant service. I don’t have all the answers or the keys. What I do have is a passion, a vision from God, my credentials, my life, and my connection to people. And from that very humble place, I JUST KEEP LEAPING!
I decided at the top of 2022, that this would be my year of yes….personally, professionally, and regarding my passion project. And, although I will say no when I feel that something does not align with my purpose, those yeses have yet to steer me wrong. I started this venture alone. In spite of wanting to collaborate from the start, I found that many people were still in the space of protecting their own thing. I get it and that’s cool. But, this year, God started sending people to me! I’m going to say that again! GOD STARTED SENDING PEOPLE TO ME! The growth that I am now experiencing with my blog site and services is no work of my own. It is fully because of my obedience when He says add this item or send this message or take this offer. I listen when He says JUST LEAP!
The thing about fear is that it will keep you right where you are, for better or worse, if you let it! But, fear can also be a strong force in propelling you forward. I’ve learned that if something doesn’t move me with a bit of nerves, it’s not for me. Dreaming big is supposed to make you nervous because in that discomfort is where your growth lies! My ultimate goal is to leave my footprint on this community and this world. That’s it! And if I can encourage one woman to take better care of herself for herself in doing so, then I’ve done my job!
One thing about leaping is that it one hundred percent leaves you vulnerable! People might judge you. They might reject you. They might even try to steal your lil shine! But, you see the power in owning your story, your talents, and your gifts is that they won’t have the power to take your light. What’s for you is for you! And as long as you continue to stand in your truth and your gift, space will be made for you! Don’t believe it? Ask anyone who has ever succeeded at anything! My passion project may end tomorrow. It might not ever go further than the four corners of Alexandria, LA (it already has, but just for argument’s sake). But, when I leave here, my legacy, my name, my work will remain in some way, shape, or form.
At the end of it all, if you are staying awake at night thinking about it or reminders just keep coming to you that your dream is deferred, then that’s a sign. Don’t leave this side of Heaven with that still in you. Whether the birth of it lasts 2 days or 20 years, JUST HAVE THE AUDACITY TO LEAP! No-one will believe in you until you believe in yourself. But, be ready for the overflow, because it will pour.
Light and Love…..