Author : Alexandria Traylor | Thesouthernmuse.net
- When you have found your calling you won’t have to force it
Once you have found your purpose or your calling, operate in it. You won’t have to second guess your choices or your next move. Functioning in your calling will be second nature and seem like a second skin. When Simone Biles discovered her love for gymnastics, she made an effortless connection and focused on proper training that allowed her natural, innate skills to freely be cultivated and matured. In growing your purpose, operating in your passion will not seem like a chore or a mundane routine that must be accomplished day in and day out. You won’t have to flaunt fakeness or force any chemistry with creating and portraying your vision. While expressing myself verbally can be a challenge at times depending on the setting, writing down my feelings, vision, and goals has been an easy outlet to allow my creativity to flow.
- Practicing preparation will pay off
Within each calling, there is an element of preparation that must be completed before you reach the fullness of that promise. There is a preparatory stage that you cannot skip. You have to be willing to go through the failures, the mistakes, and the eff ups in order to reach where you are meant to be in order to shine. Prepare by organizing your life while doing the simple tasks so that when your plate fills with more responsibilities you will be equipped to manage it all gracefully. Simone Biles and Simone Manuel put in countless hours in the gym honing in on their innate skills. There were times that Simone Biles fell flat on her face, sustained bruises, and even got her feelings hurt when others in her same competition beat her fair and square. I am certain that there were moments that Simone Manuel raced with herself against the clock only to come up short or outraced by others.
- It may take years for your purpose to develop
Spending time preparing to execute your craft doesn’t automatically make you the absolute best. It will take time, even years, for you to become a master in your purpose. In the Novice to Expert theory, coined by the nursing profession’s own Patricia Benner, it will take you two to three years to become competent which is two stages below being called an expert. In developing your life’s work, practicing patience is key. While being patient, consistently execute tasks to reach your goals and milestones. Achieving these milestones will pay off when it is time to publically perform. During the time you are developing, you are gaining priceless experience that you cannot be gained in any other form. Biles and Manuel did not rush their training. They understood the skills they had to learn at each stage of development and how these tasks built upon each other collaboratively to eventually achieving several gold medals.
- When you’re vision minded, it’s easier for you to develop your goals into gold
While you are developing your purpose and evolving your skills, the perfect platform is being assembled. When you are clear about exactly what you want to do and why, you can focus catering your talents to reach a specific peak. When you know your vision, you can’t help but to want to share it with others. With focus, you can eliminate what isn’t necessary and cut the distractions. By cutting the crap, you can really hone in on what matters to achieve your goals and take the necessary steps towards the desired results. Biles and Manuel knew that attending the 2016 Olympics was the goal and was definitely achievable. They didn’t stop their ambitions there, however. They knew they wanted to be deemed the greatest in the world and did everything within their power to be just that, including focusing on the vision of the gold way before rocking the Olympic trials.
- Do it even when they don’t support you
Being a minority in any arena is tough. You will have to face and overcome overt and covert biases on top of the pressure to represent your craft superiorly than anyone else to ever do it. Be ready for the naysayers and the doubters. Tune out the critics and the pessimists. By facing obstacles and overcoming them, you will be able to break down barriers of ignorance for some while building a path for similar individuals to tread behind your legacy. Biles and Manuel did not shy away from gymnastics and swimming because they lacked support from the masses or failed to be recognized amongst the ranks of men or the majority. They both traveled towards that they knew their purpose was and took their squad with them. Biles and Manuel built a following and gained respect because of their honest workmanship and humble spirits. People will gravitate and recognize you when you can consistently deliver quality. Many respect quality talent opposed to wayward words. Now, due to their purpose driven efforts they were able to not only win the gold but set world records as a standard for black girl magic.
