Hey Family,
It has been difficult to get this one out. Of course I have my fare share of adventures with Friends and Family. There have been a couple of high end fashion shows, some great castings, there have been a ton of rejection letters… there has been a jolt of energy from the resurgence of big business opportunity and collaboration in the sport and entertainment industry from some Living Legends and Rising Stars. There have been plenty of tears and then there was heartbreak. Every time I was moved to write something different occurred and where I was hit hurt worse than the previous blow. I’ll spare you all the gory details for my book that’s still in the works Chronicles of a Homeless Beauty Queen Pageant Secrets Revealed.
When I graduated from TCU I shared my experience with one of the younger classes – in my extensive letter to them I discussed the gift of the opportunity, the power of knowledge and the almost unexplainable feeling and pride that comes from having the opportunity to walk across the stage to receive ones diploma.
With that framework and knowing more of the grittier details of my journey you can imagine the weight and disappointment I felt when I had to send the email and say I could not attend my graduation. It was disappointing a heartbreaking. At first, what was more heartbreaking was that I felt like no one even tried to acknowledge my feelings and the accomplishment. I felt belittled… I had a few people that told me that “they really didn’t think that I would finish” and that they thought “ I as joking …. Playing.” I had someone very close to me say “too bad you can’t take out another student loan so that you can [feel comfortable] making the turnaround trip necessary to get there to graduation and back.” There were a few that said congratulations and that they were proud of me. Of course the Facebook “likes” and encouragement always makes you feel warm and fuzzy but I guess I just expected more….
I received one gift after graduation – it was very thoughtful. One of my Associates brought in the gift in a TCU gift bag, there was candy, some smell goods, the coolest scarf/warp (that I will of course be doing a photo-shoot in), some earrings and a card. What she wrote on the inside of the card said, “Congrats on your “Masters” you inspire me. I’m so Blessed to have meet you.” The outside of the card read, “Success is not about the car you drive – it’s about the place you’re going. It’s not about how you look – its about how you see yourself. It’s not about who you know – its about who you are…And you are, by every definition of the word, a success. Congratulations. The gift and her sincerity touched me so – I looked at the gift and the card daily for weeks -
After a series of interactions with my staff and a homeless woman I had my moment of clarity and my peace. In hind sight it actually worked out for my good that I didn’t travel out of state that weekend… I also came to find that I didn’t need the act of graduation to validate my accomplishments or my ego. My mother worked too hard for me not to be great. My father sacrificed so much so that I could simply have the opportunity to vie for my dreams. So many of the hands that raised me shared and took less so that I could have more – then there were others who got dirty and got on their hands and knees so that I could climb on top of their backs… like stairs. Why, because the stairs to opportunity for a girl like me didn’t exist so they used themselves and created them for me….
Little girls with Big Dreams grow to become Powerful Women with Vision when they are Encouraged to be Epic. When we empower our daughters with knowledge, equip them with the tools so that they can perfect their craft and show them how to invest they become the force that changes the world, the force that uplifts humanity for the greater, the force that builds a nation.
Thank You for the Gift. Thank you for the Lessons Learned. Cheers to our Education. Cheers to Growth. Cheers to Legacy. Cheers to the next chapter – Beyond Mastery
XOXO
Rachael Yvonne Davis
P.S.
What’s a difficult task that you’ve recently accomplished? How did you do it? Have you shared your story? If not, why?
~Rachael Yvonne Davis
P.P.S. Thank you in advance for sharing this post - Also let me know about your next event and exciting opportunity and leave your comments and questions below. I just may answer your question in my next post. I'm also available for consultations, coaching and speaking engagements. Contact me if you would like for me to present a workshop or program to your organization or youth group. I can even customize a program and train group leaders so that you can facilitate and present your own workshop over a period of time.
Some workshops and speaking topics also include ways to help bring out self confidence, how to overcome challenges and obstacles graciously, etiquette, model behavior, finding purpose, goal development, business and career strategies etc... Not to mention my mother and I have a very raw, real, candid and very Hilarious talk we do for Adults on Education, Literacy and what we can do to stop delaying our children’s growth and progression called "Diary of A Mad Black School Teacher"
~Cheers~
RYD
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