Growing up I had stacks of fashion magazines.
Vogue, Seventeen, Elle and InStyle magazines would often find their way into my bedroom. I would flip through pages obsessing over models, clothes, perfume, beauty tips and whatever else the publications had to offer.
I didn’t know what I wanted from those magazines. To model? Learn the latest fashion trends? Or were they just means to fuel daydreams of something else?
In reality, I thought it was all pretend play. I was just filled with silly dreams of New York, Paris and London that could never happen. For me, the people in the magazines weren’t real.
Recently, I had a conversation with my best friend who remembered reading magazines at my house. We reminisced about our teenage years and I joked about being so entrenched in fashion and a desire to want to be part of it somehow. She simply said, “No one told you that was obtainable.”
She was right.
No one told me that I could find my niche in the fashion industry. Even if I didn’t walk runways, there were so many other opportunities that could have presented themselves if I only had a little encouragement letting me know I could do it.
No one took the time out to access my skills and talents and guide me in the direction based on my desires and passions. No one told me that things didn’t have to be for play and there really were people who chased their passions and their lives were filled with joy.
I never really looked at it like that and now at 46 years old I’m discovering myself and also allowing my God-given talents to be utilized to improve my quality of life and my community. But I did waste time trying to perfect things that just didn’t come naturally.
“Most people go through life never discovering what their talents are. Most people never develop their talents,” said life coach and mentor, Les Brown, during his lesson Hungry. “Your gifts can take you many places if you develop your gifts. Most of us don’t like to do those things that come easy to us.”
In my lifetime, I’ve worked a ton of jobs. It’s true. I’ve worked in marketing, public relations, security, housekeeping, retail and fast food. None of those things really sparked joy.
I’ve learned that storytelling typically comes easy for me. Don’t get me wrong, I do suffer from the occasional writer’s block and life sometimes distracts me from my task but for the most part, I love the process of storytelling. I love getting to know new people, learning new things and also having platforms to share those stories, inform, impact and empower others.
I’m here to say, you can walk in your calling. For me, it wasn’t an easy journey but I am here. I also can admit that sometimes I’m in disbelief that I even made it here considering how limited my thinking was at some point in my life. Through this process, I have learned so much from people I have interviewed. I’ve been very fortunate.
Things I’ve learned
Dare to be different and walk in your authentic self
When I interviewed Amber Hasan, I learned how to really stop caring what others may think. Prior to that interview, I was walking in a space where I didn’t care what most people thought. Now I’m in a space of, “Hey y’all, look at me. I don’t care what y’all think, say or do.” Most would say this is easier said than done. I suppose but I stopped even thinking about what others may think. It doesn’t really even cross my mind. I might consider how others may feel. I don’t want to be hurtful. But think, nope that’s their problem. Not mine.
I mean look at Amber. She’s a co-wife, mother, activist, author, poet and lyricist who is traveling the country and sharing her lived experiences with others.
Jason Bey is another example of just doing whatever you want to do and making it work for you. This guy is farming bees on the north side of Flint, Mich. Who does that?
You are strong
When I interviewed Dr. K. Renee Horton, an author, mentor and NASA rocket scientist, I realized that we have the strength to do things we had once given up on or thought to be impossible. We just have to dig deep to find our motivation. Hers was her daughter.
Blessings come from strange places
Angela Stamps hit a financial hurdle that left her careless in California. One year her then-boyfriend gifted her a bike and her whole life changed.
“I use my bike for everything,” said Stamps, who now runs a program introducing Flint-area youth to bicycling properly at a local community center. “It’s funny how something can just transform your life. In that moment, I had no idea I would be here.”
That one gift shifted her journey and revealed her purpose.
Obstacles are only temporary
Darnell Ishmel is one of the most humble people I’ve met on this journey. Being an opera singer living in a predominantly Black city ain’t for the weak. But through his journey, he has touched so many lives and works to continue to give back through work in Africa.
The time is now
If there is something you are good at, if there is something that you do and it almost feels as natural as breathing, I want you to embrace it, develop it and practice it. I don’t care if you are 18 or 81.
Ask yourself these questions
Do you even know what your talents are?
What opportunities are there for you to master those talents?
How can you use your talents to better your life and the lives of others?