By Lynesha McElveen
All my life, I remember growing up as a child, hearing my mother say, “You can do anything you want to do, reach for the stars, the sky is not the limit …you can reach beyond the sky.” This all sounded great, but as I got older, it became apparent that achieving my dreams would be harder than I thought. First of all, I had to identify what are my dreams? What do I want to do? Who do I want to become? What is my purpose?
I spent many years asking myself these questions and more. I asked myself, what is the thing that makes me most happy? What would I do for free? What is my passion? I found while asking myself these questions, I still couldn’t come to a clear and concise answer.
As time progressed, I found myself bothered by the fact that I was an adult and still didn’t know what I wanted to be “when I grew up.” What was even worse was that many of my friends didn’t know what they wanted to be either.
After spending countless hours in prayer, meditation, and experimentation, I finally figured it out. It had been there all along, I was just too scared to step out and do it.
My passion had always been finding deals! Finagling, negotiating, and bargaining. Wheeling and dealing! I LOVED finding a great item for less and I also LOVED telling any and everybody who would listen about it. I believed this world was created for us to live prosperously, but we needed to learn how to be smart about it! The question was how I spin this into something I can do for a living? The answer came once I pushed past the fear, leaned on the support of my husband, family, and friends, and decided to make a move. The answer showed up last night at my first major event, “Ballin’ on a Budget” at ClarkAtlantaUniversity.
This was for me, a dream come true. To be able to share my knowledge and experiences in a transparent manner, and have fun at the same time, was refreshing. I was finally in my element. I had finally found my niche.
It is an awesome feeling to follow your passion and fulfill your dreams, yet it can be a daunting experience when you are still searching to find that passion. I encourage anyone who is looking, to be patient, prayerful, and thankful. Try your hand out at different things, eliminate what you don’t like, and know that EVERYTHING happens when it is supposed to.
Be encouraged and keep chasing your dreams!
