Where Passion Meets Opportunity

October 22, 2018
I was always comforted by words, whether it was talking, reading, or writing. Mom was a journalism teacher so I grew up in a grammatically correct household and a mom with a red pen in her hand at any given time. She taught me to write like I speak, and to avoid getting too wordy. I vaguely recall one of my grandmas making a light assumption that I would make a great writer one day, as if I was destined for it. One grandma was an avid reader and the other was a well crafted poet and writer who was valedictorian. Writing became a part of my upbringing and eventually became a cathartic outlet for me.

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As I approached the end of my high school years, I grew more and more addicted to journaling.  I explored every single teenage feeling, and desperately trusted paper and pen over anything else. I may not have trusted myself, but I knew I had a lot of good material to explore. I wrote as if no one would read my words. I wrote from the heart. I dabbled with poetry later on, more when mildly depressed or romantically heart broken and questioning everything. I relied on words to heal me. It was surprisingly powerful and soon became my passion.
I love words. I love the play on words. I love alliteration and style. I love the vast freedom and variety of writing styles and tones. So many types and formats of writing. Something for everyone. (Why don’t more people love to write?) It is this passion that gave me the confidence to explore any and every opportunity to write, and write more.
In my day job, I get to write proposals. This is not necessarily a creative outlet because you have to follow directions and write to a specific requirement. For my side hustle, I get to play with words in the network marketing realm and running my own direct sales business offering cosmetics, skincare, and fragrances. I write short and sweet posts using social media meant to add value to the world. I write to engage, entertain, and educate, working hard to NEVER sound like a slimy used car salesman. I have two lines of content to make an impression on the reader. And I am thrilled to share that I recently started up my own website, www.DailyBeautyLane.com and my blog to help others feel more confident and beautiful and I am loving it!!!
Then I have my networking group–Girl Boss Networking–that I use to promote my business but has grown into more a circle of influence where I have developed life-long friendships. This is the best personal development tool. After being an active member for 3 years now, I am trusted in my role as a writer. This opened the doors to passion meeting opportunity and quickly changed the game for me.
While lunching with my beautiful friend Sandra Davis, Founder of Girl Boss Networking, I mentioned that a recent writing opportunity had folded and I was still hungry to write. I recognized that I needed that outlet and she needed another set of hands, preferably to write, and so I asked. I asked flat out “Can I own the newsletter, and what about the blog, and what else?” And she said “Yesssssssssss”, relieved and excited that I was excited! I am grateful that I get to explore writing as the Girl Boss Networking Social Media Maven. Not only do I get to post daily engagement prompts on social media, I get to blog and head up our newsletter to promote other members and promote the group overall.
I fed my passion throughout years and years, sharpened my skills along the way, and landed an amazing opportunity that lets me progress even more. It was the perfect combination of me putting myself out there enough, taking big steps with some risk, and making new friends. We all refer each other to our friends and support each other. So when I asked for the opportunity, it was an easy YES because it had the foundation of a solid friendship, with someone who knew me, and trusted my skills to take a chance on me. If my path took a different direction, we would not be having this conversation. 
So I challenge you to follow your heart,  be honest with yourself, allow yourself to excel where you have a passion, and foster that talent. Explore every opportunity, ask for it, be excited, and just do it. If you are passionate, a certain type of adrenaline kicks in and builds half the momentum for you. Enjoy the process, love the journey, and have fun with it. I can’t wait to hear your story!