Maeve Binchy once said, “The great thing about getting older is that you become more mellow. Things aren’t as black and white, and you become much more tolerant. You can see the good in things much more easily rather than getting enraged as you used to do when you were young.”
The song “Eternal Sunshine” by Jhene Aiko is the epitome of this quote.
Despite the singer being 27-years old, she starts the song off by crooning, “Is it strange for me to say that/ If I were to die today/There’s not a thing that I would change/I’ve lived well.”
She goes on to acknowledge that she has made mistakes and been hurt, but still claims that her life has been “well”. She also recognizes that in reflection of her life, she is only able to “recall all of the good things” that occurred.
The pre-hook and hook of the song is what really mirrors the ideology of the quote by Binchy. Aiko sings about how the more she experiences, the more knowledgeable she becomes. Besides this revelation, the song and quote also acknowledge that with age, comes a sense of euphoria.
You begin to hone in on the good things in your life.
What makes you happy?
Who makes you smile?
For those reasons this song inspires me to be a good person so that I can reflect on my life with the same appreciation that Maeve Binchy and Jhene Aiko have about there’s. Listening to this song, you may have a similar revelation or a different epiphany entirely.
What makes her #GIRLBOSS certified: She is the Co-Founder, Creative Director and CO-CEO of the natural hair company, Miss Jessie’s and an author of Miss Jessie’s creating a successful business from scratch-naturally.
Figure out what works, regardless of conventional wisdom. Just because something has been done a certain way doesn’t mean that it should continue. The most successful business owners are also the greatest nonconformists.
-Miko Branch
Don’t be ashamed of self-promotion
Many entrepreneurs shy away from promoting themselves, which is why it was so refreshing to see Miko’s Instagram feed filled with images and quotes of her book. Her love for her own work made me want to go and buy her book and fall in love with it.
Pay it forward
Miko takes the time out to pay it forward and help other inspiring entrepreneurs start up their business. She is constantly speaking at events that are for entrepreneurs, and her book is a whole guide on how to start a business from nothing.
Honor your story
Miko’s feed is filled with pride of her story. Be it, the good things, like her Asian heritage or the struggles, like her sister and business partner passing away in December, she wears her scars with courage and transparency. She doesn’t shy away from her story but instead embraces it and by doing so helps and inspires so many others.
“I stopped feeling like I didn’t belong anywhere, and realized that I actually belonged anywhere I wanted to be.”
—Sophia Amoruso
I’m an avid reader, but very rarely does a book make me stay up all night reading it until I’ve finished it. #GIRLBOSS definitely was one of those books that kept me up in the late hours of the night until I finished it from front cover to back cover. Sophia Amoruso is not your average CEO, therefore you immediately feel welcomed and comfortable around her. I say her, because #GIRLBOSS literally felt like you were sitting down and having coffee with a friend who had valuable information to share with you. Sophia didn’t come from a wealthy family, didn’t get a fancy college degree and wouldn’t have been anyone’s first choice for a CEO, but with a spirit of excellence, hard work, and trusting and believing herself and her own path, she managed to become the CEO of one of the world’s fastest growing companies, Nasty Gal, a $100 million plus online fashion retailer with more than 350 employees.
Her book is filled with advice on how to work hard even when no one is looking, how to handle your money, and how being an outsider is okay, and possibly your best weapon. She gives us lessons based on her life story, from digging in dumpsters for food, being a hitchhiker, stealing from stores and how all her valleys have helped her not only get to her mountain tops but also taught her how to handle her mountain tops with humility, grace and confidence. If you’ve ever felt like you weren’t good enough, didn’t fit into the world, and an outsider then Sophia’s book is for you. It will encourage you that even YOU can have what you want if you are willing to believe in yourself and put in the sweating hours to achieve it. Her brand is not successful and excellent by chance, it’s that way because she put in the work to have it become that way. She teaches us to take chances, work at the beginning stages of your business as if it’s already a successful empire and to always stay true to yourself and your brand. If you are an entrepreneur, a business girl, an innovator or just a girl who wants to know how to be more confident in life and the work place, pick up this book! It will motivate you in every area of your life and inspire you to become a #GIRLBOSS with every move you make in life!
You create the world, blink by blink. It is entirely yours to discover and yours to create.”
SoulStyleBeauty is my platform name. It’s the name of my blog, YouTube channel and all other social media outlets. I have changed my name so many times! SoulStyleBeauty is what I came up with after 4 years of blogging and I think this is “the one”. As a blogger, you realize that as you grow it causes your content to change and even sometimes your blog name to change. Throughout the years of me blogging I finally came to realize what I truly had a passion for which is faith in Christ, mental hygiene/inner beauty, style and makeup.
~What does Soul Style Beauty represent?
SoulStyleBeauty represents a lot of things starting with my love for Jesus Christ. I am a Christian, before anything else. In addition to speaking about topics regarding spirituality and my walk with god, I love to discuss inner beauty. Character is so important! SoulStyleBeauty represents beauty starting from the inside out. I really want my viewers/readers to know that their outer appearance isn’t their best asset.
~When did Soul Style Beauty come about and when did you decide to present it to the world?
SoulStyleBeauty came about after I drew close to God in March 2014. I used to think about only outer appearance and my own good, totally ignoring inner beauty and individuals around me. Knowing that I was once an individual suffering from insecurities and self-value, I know how it feels and I had to speak up about it. I then decided to change my platform name to SoulStyleBeauty which better represents what I truly stand for.
~Why inspire/branch out via YouTube and social media?
YouTube and social media is extremely important at the moment. I feel that it is a way to reach people/brands from all around the world. I get extremely excited when looking at my demographic reports because I can see exactly where a viewer is in the world and that is truly amazing! That is exactly why I joined social media and YouTube. I want to inspire and serve people all around the world to become better individuals.
~Any inspirations? / What are you inspired by?
I am inspired by everyday life experiences and the issues that we as individuals go through. Truth is, we all have things that we struggle with and we are more relatable than we think we are. Sometimes all it takes is discussing your issues and what you go through. That discussion, that video that post can actually change someone’s life.
~What can we look forward to with Soul Style Beauty?
The next thing to look forward to with Soul Style Beauty is my Ecommerce business and women empowerment groups (online and offline). I would love to give individuals the encouragement they need by creating groups to discuss issues that they may face. I also would like to have my own Ecommerce website selling inspirational products such as books, apparel and items for surfaces in your home/office.
~1-3 Youtubers/ social media pages you could not go without viewing? Why
I have a lot of favorites YouTubers, but the below ladies are my favorites. Whether it’s driving women to Christ, giving women advice on everyday struggles, or even showing women that they can do it all, all of the below women best exemplifies a role model.
God has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11
Time. A four-letter word that means everything in life. Time is defined as, “an appointed, fixed, or customary moment or hour for something to happen, begin, or end.”(Merriam-Webster, 2015) In life, there is truly a time for everything, and I have come to learn that whether we are prepared or not, when that moment arrives there’s nothing that can stop what’s meant to happen at that moment. Time is truly a gift, when utilized properly it allows the opportunity to prepare for what’s to come. It is often the defining factor in whether endeavors succeed or fail. Especially, when we don’t allow ourselves to embrace the process that is vital to the maturation of our dreams, goals, purpose, and plans.
“God has made everything beautiful in its time.” There is an appointed time for all things to happen, begin, or end and when we allow God to prepare us for that time, we will see the results that we desire. We will see things happen in the way they were meant to unfold. How often have you have allowed yourself to move before it was time? What were your results and were they favorable to your desired outcome? Consider what would happen if you were to move your car into traffic before you had the right-of-way, before the light changed, and gave you the signal that it was time to safely proceed. In the same way that you wouldn’t move your car into the danger of bustling traffic, you should exercise the same caution when pursuing various endeavors in life. Timing is everything!
Fear. A different four-letter word that can have profound effects on the very trajectory of your life. It can derail your plans and hold you back from your goals, dreams, visions, and greatest aspirations…if you allow it. I know, because for many years, honestly for as long as I can remember, I allowed some element of fear to control me. I realized that it was the element of the unknown and my desire to control outlying factors that grounded me. That weight held me down and kept me from fully pursuing ALL that God had for me. Then one day, I read a quote by T.D. Jakes that I’ve since started to see everywhere in some variation or another. “Feel the fear and do it anyway!” That day, life changed forever. I realized the time had come for me to face my fears and do what was necessary to fulfill my purpose; in spite of the fear I felt.
When you allow yourself to feel the emotions necessary to fuel your dreams and plans you can truly be unstoppable. In the same respect, when you allow an emotion as daunting as fear to hinder you, you can disfigure your life in ways that some never recover from. Time is fleeting, and with every passing minute you have the opportunity and responsibility to defeat fear. Take it! Every single chance you get.
Believe in the unknown. Not because you fear it, but because you EMBRACE it! Believe there are many good things specifically set aside for you-even if you can’t physically see them yet. Everything won’t always be a fight or a struggle, but know that you are prepared to deal with either. Have some confidence, good things can and will happen for you; furthermore, understand that these things will come to you in the time they are meant to, and not a moment before. These things are for your advancement and your purpose to show you that there’s beauty beyond pain, beyond failure, and beyond mistakes! The lessons that you are yet learning are for your good. It’s neverabout what you’ve “lost” and ALWAYS what you GAIN, because what’s meant for you will ALWAYS find a way! Never stop picking up jewels along your journey. Wisdom and discernment are granted to those in a position to handle them. Rather you believe it or not, you had to experience it to truly learn from it! So, believe in the lessons, believe in yourself, but most importantly believe GOD! With your whole heart, trust that you are ready for a time such as this.
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