HOLD MY HAND

When was the last time you decided to do something for the first time?

The past week has been such a highlight for me, I'm still recovering!

Just to take you back to the course of events leading to last week, earlier on this year I wrote down some things to set my year in motion. One of the things I did was decide to find wholeness within, and then set an intention to do what my sets my heart on fire.

I have to say that my new resolutions did not lack to present a set of challenges, but I had to hold on knowing that nothing great comes easy and without cost!

Between financial challenges, learning to confront patterns that have repeatedly presented in my past and setting new goals for the future, I have to admit that I got to a point of breakdown and doubted if I could really do this.

Had I set myself up for failure? Why not fall back and let things happen instead of trying to move mountains that seem so hard to overcome? What will people think of me?

I had applied to take part in a beauty pageant that aims to empower women and create long term friendships. In my heart of hearts, I knew that this was definitely my thing! Friendships? I needed more of those. In my journey to wholeness, I was certain that there are women who needed to hear my story. To find solace in a friend, and comfort in someone who hears them without judgement.

I found that when I focused on my why, I was able to overcome the challenges presenting.

Fast forward to the pageant week, I was introduced to a group of beautiful women who shared my passion for pageant and women empowerment. I learnt quickly from interacting with the different women that everyone was there because of a different reason. The commonality that presented was that so we could get out of our comfort zone, create friendships, and pursue something we enjoyed.

I remember thinking to myself how different we were in terms of age, background and experience, yet similar in our mission to make a difference! In between photo shoots, we would let our hair down and have some fun, take photos, hug each other tight (God knows I needed a hug), and even laugh at our silly . Our similarities drew us close, but more so our differences brought us closer!

By the end of the week, I felt such a deep bond of Sisterhood, that made parting very difficult!

With a crown in one hand and a sash on the other, I knew that nothing could ever replace the bonds created with these beautiful souls!

The lessons learnt from the pageant week were endless! From sleepless nights spent with the girls where we would share our life experiences, uplift one another and find lessons from past hurt, it all taught me the value of having someone hold your hand.

When my the strap of my heels came off during a photo shoot, my roommate held me down while I tried to 'wing it' for the camera. During the interview session, we would encourage each other, instead of seeing each other as competitors. We would see it as part of our overall mission to empower the other woman. I remember during the crowning night, while I was holding on to the hands of my other competitor, and she gracefully whispered that whatever happened we would be there for each other!

I breathed knowing that whoever was called out as the winner, we all had each other and our mission had been accomplished!

When women come together, great things happen. As I plan on the journey ahead, I'm certain that I got a tribe of women warriors, who will hold me down for when a need arises. As an individual I can only do so much but with my network, I can reach places where I have never even set my foot.

I encourage the woman reading this to find intention, find wholeness within, ignite a passion, and then invite a tribe of women to make it burn. Baby steps in the right direction with your women warriors will cover milestones as long as you keep holding hands.