Need Inspiration? Beyonce’: Year Of 4

So once again I’m gonna get a little personal with you guys. Like I stated before in “From My Heart To Yours”, I try to keep Confessions about all things fashion & beauty, but lately I’ve been leaning towards sharing more of my story. I would like to thank Beyonce’ for helping me with this post…no seriously she helped push me to finally write this. We all know that she recently released her latest album ‘4’ and last night she shared with us a very personal documentary ‘Beyonce’: Year Of 4′. As I did with the Nicki Minaj documentary ‘My Time Now’...I cried. Everyone that knows me, knows that I am far from an emotional person, but when something touches my heart & my spirit…the tears get to flowing!

I can not and will not ever compare my story to Beyonce’s, but there are certain things that she said that resonated and related to  things that are going on in my life right now. Every day I wake up and I’m thankful for every single ounce of all that I have and that I’m able to do! Beyonce’ opened up and showed us that stepping out on her own is a very risky and scary thing to do, but shows us that it’s possible. With running my own business everyday is a struggle. I constantly get asked questions about “how do you do this” or “can you help me do that” and I have absolutely NO problem helping any and everybody…but the first thing I let them know is that it’s not easy!! Running your own business is not for the weak or the impatient. Looking for others to do the work for you, will NOT work. I am currently a “one man show”, from designing to delivery… I wear the hat. And still have to keep you guys updated every day for your daily dose of Confessions Of A Glam-Aholic 🙂

One thing that B stated in her doc was “I’m one human being…it’s a lot. I wanted to be a businesswoman, I’m a businesswoman. Independence is not easy but it’s gonna get easier as I get my team.” It hit me heavy and makes me look forward to the future of my business. Sometimes I wanna throw my hands up and just say “forget it” but I think about the many people in my corner that live through me and my vision. When I started Glam-Aholic Lifestyle, never in a MILLION years did I think it would take off the way that it did. It started as a “let me see if I could really do this.” Everything that I planned previously while writing in my little notebook, was nothing compared to what actually took place when the reality of it began. Another thing I always let people know is that everything does not always go as planned, but you have to ride that wave because it can most certainly lead you to bigger and better things. I went from a bag & cosmetic pouch, stumbled into a t-shirt and got inspired to create a hat. Were all of these things a part of my plan…no way! But it lead me to further expand my vision. Keyword: MY VISION. Always make sure it’s your own and not someone else’s!

I’m having an emotional time writing this because it really means so much. When the African dancer asked Beyonce “What’s your name?”, it let you know that even when you are somebody…you’re still nobody. Only someone with a humble heart could appreciate that. Those guys just love to dance, didn’t care if it were for Beyonce’ and the world to see, they just find joy in doing what they love. When she cried…I cried, because you can honestly see how happy they were to experience and be a part of something so great! Often times people tweet, email and text about how much I inspire them and honestly I get inspired from each one of those. Beyonce’ says “I’m learning so much and I’m making mistakes and I’m learning from them. I embrace mistakes, they make you who you are. I say all of these things and now I’m getting tested.” So much of a true statement that it gives me chills. Often times people give up once things don’t go the way the want them to, but instead of taking the time to rethink the situation they quit. Baby if that was the case for me I would’ve been gave up! lol! But truly mistakes and mishaps make you who you are and even smarter than you were before, because you learn from them! Have you ever heard the saying “work smarter not harder”? It’s absolutely something to live by…

One more thing before I go! King B also says “My focus is not bigger, it’s QUALITY. And I wanna make sure that’s it’s something I’m proud of years from now.” I could have stopped the show right there! It was nothing more for me to hear! As I grow more everyday, bigger and better changes are being made. I have a very small budget to work with, no investors are backing me (at this time), so I have to make the right decisions that’s best for me and my business. Let’s take the ‘Same Girl…Different Hair’ t-shirts for example. They are my highest selling item no doubt.  I’ve sold out 3 times and they have been out of stock for over a month. Wanna know why? Because of quality. I’m sorry ladies, but I’m currently ensuring a better quality of an item that is sure to make me even more proud.  You know they say “you can’t rush greatness!” and after hours & hours of talks with my right hand, my better half & my bff… furthermore let’s me know that my decision to do so is what’s best for my brand and my customers..

If you look in the dictionary under the definition ‘humble’, there will be a picture of Beyonce’. This is not an ode to her, but more of a thank you for showing how much hard work it takes to make your dreams come true. Sorry for talking your ears off but after watching this documentary it was on my heart to write this…