Greetings, Good Afternoon Everyone,
I hope all is well and that you've had a wonderful weekend! I'm so fired up for my purpose today! It was hot, and this July heat was so disrespectful this weekend, LOL! If I weren't wearing braids my hair would be a disaster! I couldn't even leave the house on Sunday because, I didn't want to be assaulted by this inferno of hot weather, LOL!
I was so excited to write this post today because, I'm literally still beaming from the energy I received this weekend. On Saturday, July 20, 2019, I attended the BlkWomenHustle Networking Brunch & Mixer, in Lanham, MD. I also had the sincere privilege to be a "Underground" Sponsor for this event. It was such a fantastic experience for me as a author, writer, and creative. If you ever have an opportunity to attend an event hosted by this amazing company, I highly recommend it.
As an self-published author, entrepreneur, and creative it's important for me to attend events, such as this because, they keep me motivated and inspired. I was so inspired by the energy in the room. It filled me up, and reminded me of my purpose. I needed that, and I needed it at this time. I was able to "reset" and refocus as a result of this event, and I know that I'm on the right path. I always try the positive in every situation, and I believe in the law of attraction. So, in other words, whatever energy I put out into the universe, that's what I get back. I feel like the universe answered me this weekend because, I received nothing but good vibes. There is nothing like being in a room with other women that look like you (and that's huge and important to me); you're all sharing your experiences; and best practices of Black Entrepreneurship.
Overall, I learned that this journey for us as Black Women Business-owners is exciting, challenging, and has moments for us where it is highly scary and emotional. There isn't always a space where we can turn to answer the hard questions, and this felt like a bridging of that gap. It felt like a sense of community and camaraderie. Even though we are making moves and creating a lane for our own existence because, we still deal with all kinds of barriers as business-owners. Especially, Black Women Business-owners. So, for me, it's so refreshing to hear the voices of other Black Women Entrepreneur's journey. It lets me know that I'm not alone. I've spent the better part of my first year as a author and business-owner, trying to convince myself that I've made the right decision, and to not give up. I've written a number of previous blog posts about it. During the panel discussion, BlkWomenHustle, founder LaShawn Dreher, expressed a real moment for her this year in February, when she had to make a hard decision of whether to continue her journey with the BlkWomenHustle business venture, and that hit home for me. Personally, I'm happy she decided to keep going, but from a business perspective, I understood where she was coming from. I've been there. Everyone in the room was in a different phase of their business journey, and I felt that everyone was able get a little something this event. I know going forward, I need to continue attending events like this because, it reinforces the lessons learned and "How-To's" of Black Business-ownership, financial literacy, content creation for each other, and quite honestly, this is how it should be. I'm open to learning from "others" in the business space, but it is much more impactful learning from my people.
After attending this event, I'm more inspired to hear from Black Business-owners and Creatives. I want to do more to connect and support this community. I feel like I found my tribe. My "table" was dope! I met two travel bloggers, a Licensed Esthetician, Registered Nurse/Trainer, and Motivational Speaker. This weekend was a full-circle moment for me. I remember a year ago, when I'd just created my Instagram business account for Creative Calfuray, and I stumbled upon the BlkWomenHustle IG page. They had maybe a few hundred followers at the time. It's always been about being intentional to connect with people, businesses, and entities with positive messages. So, I immediately began following BlkWomenHustle, I believed in the content that they were putting out into the social atmosphere, and it was first entity that I connected my business with online. I'm so thankful to this platform. I'm proud to be associated with them because, from the very beginning they were supportive of my efforts, and vice versa. I'm thankful and grateful for the connections I've made through them, and exposure to a reading audience for my work. Through these moments I'm able to live up to "M.A.I." mission: "To M.otivate, A.spire, and I.nspire my readers and beyond to live their lives with intention, purpose and full of passion." I want to leave you with a quote that I posted today on my Creative Calfuray Instagram Page. It was mentioned by BlkWomenHustle Networking Brunch & Mixer Panelist, Jolie Doggett, as she spoke about staying true to your purpose because her quote resonated with me. I will say she dropped all kinds of gems, but this one stayed with me and I wanted to share it because, it is the "M. and the M.otivate" in "M.A.I."
"Your purpose is not what burns you out, it's what fires you up!" - Jolie Doggett
I hope that you enjoyed this post today! Make sure that you're participating in opportunities that speaks to your purpose and fires you up! This certainly did for me.
Peace and have a blessed and wonderful #MondayMotivation!
Thank you for reading my blog this mornin. Hey, do me a favor, if you like or love this post, comment on it. I’d love to hear your feedback. Also, please feel free to share it with your family and friends in the social media universe. I greatly appreciate the support.