Oprah's farewell: A moving moment in television history

I must say, if you didn’t see the final Oprah show yesterday…you missed out!   From start to finish, the show was the most inspiring and heartfelt hour on television.  As long as I can remember, my mom and I have enjoyed watching Oprah together after school and have made watching her show a mother-daughter event.  In the past few days of her show, my mom and I have been brought to tears during every episode.  We were definitely doing the “ugly” cry that Oprah so often speaks of.  Oprah truly is an inspiration, role model, and amazing example for all of us and I hate to see her go.  I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes from her final show that truly touched my heart and inspired me.  I hope they will do the same for you!! 

"There's a difference between thinking you deserve to be happy and knowing that you are worthy of being happy. Your being alive makes worthiness your birthright. You alone are enough."

“Everyone has a platform.  Mine is a stage in a studio. Yours is wherever you are, with your own reach."

"You also have to know what sparks the light in you so that you in your own way can illuminate the world. You have the power to change somebody's life."

"Nobody but you is responsible for your life. You are responsible for your life. What is your life? What is all life? What is every flower, every rock, every tree? Energy. And you're responsible for the energy you create for yourself, and you're responsible for the energy that you bring to others."

If there is one single thing that Oprah taught me and so many others in the world, it is the power of giving.  We can all learn so much from this amazing woman and I will never forget all that she taught me.  Thanks for the years and tears Oprah!

The Confidently You Conference!

What a magical day!!  The second Confidently You Conference was such a success and a blessing!  The day was close to perfect, but it certainly didn’t come without some interesting predicaments.  While my dad and I were setting up one of the rooms, a cute couple walked in and asked if this was the room where the child-birthing class was taking place.  Ummmm…I don’t think so.  I frantically went searching for a supervisor to clear up this misunderstanding, but had no luck.  At this point we had close to 20 expecting mothers waiting impatiently for their class…and they were not too happy about this.  I finally found someone who looked official and the class got moved to the cafeteria area.  Crisis averted!  (whew!)

As the girls showed up one by one, I spent some time talking to them, taking pictures, and mingling with their parents.  After a short introduction, I broke the girls up into two groups.  The first group went to the “Fabulously Fit” workshop with Elaina James, a trainer at our local Wellness Center.  Elaina talked to the girls about the importance of healthy eating and lifestyles.  The group also discussed the misconceptions girls face about their bodies.  My main goal for this workshop was to show the young ladies that there is no perfect size, weight, or body type.  Every girl is different and unique, which is a good thing!!   As a woman, I know how hard it is not to compare yourself to someone else or wish that you looked a certain way.  It takes extreme effort to accept ourselves and our bodies just the way they are and to be not only content, but HAPPY with the way that God made us.  I want these young ladies to see the unique beauty that they possess and strive to be their best self!

Judy Garland once said, “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second rate version of someone else.”  Well put, Judy.

The second group went to the “Accentuate the Positive” workshop which was hosted by the beautiful, sweet, and adorable Christina Bostick, Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen.  Christina was a perfect choice for this workshop because I want the young ladies who attended to be introduced to other positive female role models in their community.  When I was their age, I was constantly searching for someone that I could admire and aspire to be like.  In today’s world it is very hard to find a young lady who can fit this role, but Christina Bostick is the real deal!  Not only is she stunningly beautiful, but she has a heart of gold.  I’m so glad that she could be a part of this day and I’m so glad to call her my friend!  Christina talked to the girls about having a positive perception of ourselves and searching for the things that make us the most proud.  It is so easy to see the negative in others and ourselves, but if we instead look for the positive we can change our entire outlook on the world.  We asked the girls to turn to their neighbors and give them a compliment.  Then we asked each girl to think of something positive about themselves, whether it was that they had a pretty smile or a good sense of humor, and write it on a sash.  The girls decorated their sashes with rhinestones and I asked that they put their sash up somewhere that they would see it every day and be reminded of what makes them special.  I made a sash too, it reads “Miss Big Smile” J

After the girls went to both workshops, we had a snack and then I presented my Confidently You message in closing.  As I was singing “Anyway” at the end, I couldn’t keep myself together.  I started crying and couldn’t finish the song.  I get so overwhelmed with emotion sometimes by sharing my message with these beautiful girls.  I believe so strongly in what I’m doing and in the potential of every girl that I come in contact with.  I am so unbelievably passionate about this cause, and I know this is something that I want to do for the rest of my life.  To be able to help girls find their full potential and believe in themselves would be a dream come true for me.  I can’t thank everyone who helped make this day possible enough!  My Kappa Delta friends, Christina, Elaina, Kathy Emmons, and most importantly my parents deserve so much recognition for the success of this project and I could not have done it without them.  

In honor of Oprah’s last episode, it only makes sense to share some of her wisdom with all of you.

 “The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” -Oprah Winfrey

Hebrews 12: 1-2

Ran across this verse this morning and found so much comfort in it, I couldn’t help but share! 

Hebrews 12: 1-2

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

In light of my recent college graduation, this verse seems more relevant than ever!   The Lord has a plan for each of our lives and in order to fulfill that plan we must overcome life’s many obstacles along the way.  No journey is perfect and no success can be found without commitment and perseverance.   After five years of competing at Miss Mississippi (yes, FIVE) I know the road can sometimes seem long.   However, when you truly believe in a dream you must keep your eyes on the “big picture”.  I have no doubt that the Lord has an amazing path laid out for me, and whether it is to be Miss MS or not, I am so excited to see what this next chapter of my life has in store for me!!!  I hope that whatever your dream is, that this verse will give you the faith and courage to continue to push forward and never give up! 

"Chaos is a friend of mine" -Bob Dylan

What a crazy week I have had!!  I was blessed with so many opportunities this week and now it's time to catch everyone up!

I had the pleasure of visiting the Hattiesburg Kiwanis Club this Tuesday and sharing with them my personal platform as well as advocating for the Miss America Org.  I thoroughly enjoyed spending time talking to the Kiwanis members and answering all of their questions.  They were so kind to invite me and they even gave me my own official Kiwanis coffee mug as a gift.  How did they know how much I love coffee?! A big thank you to Mr. Vance who was kind enough to invite me and his wife who gave him the idea, haha!

Later that afternoon, I joined the Hattiesburg Junior Auxiliary for their “Girl Power” event at the Boys and Girls Club.  There were girls from 7-17 at this event and I was able to share with them my Confidently You message.  I absolutely love working with the Junior Auxiliary and once again they have done a great job empowering girls in our community.  I’m so thankful to be able to be a small part of the work they are doing! 

To finish off the week, I visited Maddox Elementary School in Laurel.  These girls were so amazing and sweet, I could not have asked for a better audience!  One of the hot topics for this group was the importance of being nice.  Several of the girls asked me questions about how to deal with bullying and I shared with them one of my favorite philosophies: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”  This is something that we all have to work on, myself included…no one is perfect and we all say things that we wish we could take back.  However, I believe in the magnitude of small acts of kindness.  Being kind to someone else is sometimes the great self-esteem boost because it makes us feel good about ourselves.  On that note, I have chosen a quote from one of the most inspirational and loving women of all time:
Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. -Mother Teresa

COMING SOON!  I’m waiting to receive pictures from my conference before I post a new blog…stay tuned!

Say YES to the dress!

A few months ago, I was extremely inspired by a girl who was organizing an event to provide Easter dresses for girls in the Laurel area.  I was so impressed with her and the idea that I wanted to help and decided that I would start collecting dresses to donate.  I started by asking my Kappa Delta sisters and some of my 5^th grade friends at PCS to jump on board.  After several weeks of collecting, I was bombarded with dresses of all sizes, colors, and styles for this event.  With the help of my friends I was able to collect nearly 200 dresses!!  Giving a girl a dress is such a simple gesture, but one that really can go a long way!  

Yesterday, I attended the “Picture Perfect” Easter dress tea in Laurel and was overwhelmed by the love and commitment that went into this project.  The girls were so excited to receive their new dresses and could hardly wait to show them off!  I was able to talk to the group for a moment about what true beauty means. True beauty is not defined by a new dress, but by our character and kindness.  Yesterday’s event was truly amazing and made me think of one of my (many) favorite quotes:

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."  -Audrey Hepburn

This week is going to fly by!  I have several speaking engagements this week leading up to the BIG day!  The Confidently You Conference is this Saturday and I could not be more excited.  Stay tuned!

My Mississippi

Today I spent my morning at Petal High School as guest speaker for their “My Mississippi” program.  All I can say is…wow!  This was such an amazing event put on by the gifted studies program for the 5^th and 6^th grade classes at Petal Upper Elementary.  The program was designed to celebrate being from Mississippi and all of the wonderful things our beautiful state has to offer.  As the opening speaker, I shared with the group why I am so proud to be a Mississippian and my 5 keys to success: 

*Respect 

*Character

*Perseverance

* Hard work

*Dare to dream

To top it all off, I got a chance to meet a few hometown heroes who were also there.  Petal’s very own Kris Mangum, former NFL player for the Carolina Panthers, was there to give a few words of wisdom.  Not to mention (drum roll please)…the one and only ELVIS PRESLEY was in the building!  I was “all shook up” when I met him…ok enough with the corny jokes.  In other news, I have officially received 8 entry forms for the “Confidently You Conference” so far this week!  I’m feeling incredibly blessed and I hope to have a great turnout for this event!

This week’s quote was inspired by my visit to Petal Upper Elementary this morning:

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal.  It is the courage to continue that counts.” –Winston Churchill

Believe in YOU!

In my last blog entry, I talked about the importance of being our own #1 fans and how in order to achieve greatness we must first believe in ourselves!  One of the keys to accomplishing this is to practice the art of self-affirmation.  Marianne Williamson wrote in her famous book "A Return to Love":

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others."

What a powerful message!  My hope is that today and everyday we will celebrate the unique individuals that we are and try to help others find the power that is within them.  On a lighter note..check out the video below.  Now THIS is what confidence looks like (prepare to laugh out loud!).