Peace Love and Pretty Things is about the celebration of the depths and complexities of a woman's spirit and the potential that lies therein. Our new feature, GEMS, will showcase women who are tapping into their unique talents and breathing life into their dreams.
GEMS stands for:
Grace and
Encouragement for
Motivation and
Success
The women who are showcased as PLPT GEMS embody the boldness and vulnerability that are required to step out of the box and offer something intimately personal to the world. They are accessible examples of women who are doing interesting things, overcoming challenges, expressing themselves and making a difference in a unique and beautiful way.
As they share their stories, we hope that you will read something that inspires you to reflect, laugh, cry, dare, question, create, understand, and most importantly - get involved. The world needs your perspective and your contribution. When you focus your energy on a goal that reaches beyond personal gain into a context larger than yourself, there are no limits to what you can create.
PLPT GEMS presents ~ Sunshine
Liberator. Entrepreneur. Natural Beauty Advocate.
1. What is your passion and what is your outlet for it?
My biggest passion in life is the liberation of minds! Especially the minds of African (black) women in the United States. We are the most manipulated and emotionally distraught women in this country. Our families are in jeopardy and as an ethnic group we Africans are on the bottom when it comes to so many things i.e. business ownership, home ownership, etc. We are at the top in so many other things, heart disease, obesity, depression, death at the hands of a member of our own ethnic group and consumerism. I believe this can be turned around when our women return back to their natural minds as the Queens we once were. My outlet for that is firstly my life! I try to be the change I want to see in the world. I aim to lead by example. As a result I have started my own Natural Products Business Peace Love and Sunshine Products where I sell all natural products which promote simple beauty. My blog is also an outlet Natural Hair…Natural Products, I talk about natural hair, but I also try to focus on natural hair acceptance. I focus on learning to look within for your beauty as opposed to feeding into media and societies lies that outward beauty is most important. I try to impart to my readers the beauty in natural hair (without weaves and heat) and how embracing it can be the first step in embracing themselves, their roots, their culture, and their purpose. I also put out You-Tube Videos with motivational information.
2. How did you get started? How did you prepare yourself?
This all started when I took out the weave I was addicted to, cut all of my hair off into a fade and decided to learn who I was underneath the façade I had been tricked into buying. I decided to learn to hone my other talents and learn how to get through life on the merit of my intelligence, personality and drive. I let go of the idea that physical looks alone were going to get me where I wanted to be in life.Once I embarked on my new natural way of thinking, things just started to fall into place. My husband (who is my best friend) and I sat down and decided together what we wanted for our lives and we made a plan. We sat down together and we wrote out the goals we had for our lives. We made a wish list of the things we wanted and the accomplishments we wanted to make. Seeing the list prepped me to do the hard work that it would take to make our dreams a reality.
3. What obstacles did you have to overcome?
Self- doubt! Whenever we embark on something new, there is always that fear that we cannot do it. That fear is usually what keeps most of us at a job we hate, in a relationship that is not worth it, overweight etc. We doubt ourselves and our abilities and we are afraid to leave our comfort zones. Getting over myself and my own insecurities has been the biggest obstacle. What holds us back from reaching our full potential in life is our own self imposed insecurities, and fears. It’s usually nothing external, but more our own interpretation of the external things.
4. Is your passion your full time occupation? If not, how do you balance it with the your other responsibilities?
Yes it is! My husband and I decided we did NOT want to spend the rest of our lives working to make other people rich and working to help other people live their dreams. We wanted to live life on our own terms. As a result we decided to take a pay cut and I stay home and work on our business while he works outside the home. It takes budgeting, planning and sacrifice, but it is sooo worth it. However there is still some balancing going on because first and foremost I am a wife, keeper of the home and companion to my husband. Working for yourself can consume every hour of the day since there is always something that needs to be done. I have to learn to work and also take care of my other duties so nothing gets neglected.
5. How do you stay motivated and overcome doubt, fear and negative thinking?When I start to feel negative thoughts creeping in I know they are lies first of all. I know that it is simply my own insecurity coming to the surface, so I do things that help me feel better about myself and my goals. Going for a walk outside always helps (sounds corny, but it works) I live in a beautiful little cozy town on the water where there are trees and all sorts of birds all around. Going out in nature and seeing everything the Creator has made, always reminds me how he made me with the same care. Trees thrive (and live much longer than we do) relying simply on what the creator gave them. When I think about that I know that I too have everything I need within me already and that helps get me back on track. Also I am a strong believer in daily affirmations. I have them already written out and when I need encouragement I recite a few over and over. They are usually things like “I am talented!” “I WILL have a physical natural beauty supply store” “I am a great business woman!” It really helps to say these types of things out loud. The more I say these things the more I believe them, and the more I believe them the truer they become! And lastly I do not surround myself with negative people or people who are not headed where I want to go. Since I choose to be around supportive people, they help if I am down. They are always there to remind me of what I have already accomplished and they keep me going.
6. What advice would you offer to others who are searching for their purpose or are afraid to take the first step towards their dreams?
Turn off the TV! Start Reading! Start doing daily affirmations. Let go of the toxic people in your life who are doing the same things they have always done and have no desire to do anything new. Decide what you really want, decide you deserve it, and believe the only thing stopping you from getting it is you. Start thinking positively. You are in control of your own life, so start controlling it!
7. Name someone who has inspired you and why.
Malcolm X is a great inspiration for me. Seeing how he started off lost and going with the flow of life never thinking anything was wrong with what he was doing (basically being controlled by society) and then to have a rebirth and completely turn his life around, is amazing to me. It shows me that no matter where we start, we can still finish where we want to. No matter how much we have messed up or how much time we have wasted, or damage we have done, if we just decide to do things differently, we can. We can reinvent ourselves! And also because he was not afraid to speak the truth. He stood behind what he believed in no matter who was against him. I find strength in his courage! (There is sooo much more I want to say about him! I can really relate to him and I hope my life inspires even one person the way his life has inspired me).
Where you can find me:
Store: http://peaceloveandsunshine.etsy.com/
Blogs: http://sunshinelovespeace.blogspot.com/ , http://www.naturalhairnaturalproducts.com/
Social Network: NaturalSunshine.com Where Natural Hair is the Norm!
http://naturalsunshine.ning.com/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sunshinelovespeace
Sunshine, your words are inspiring and your message is so necessary. Thank you for sharing with us. PLPT celebrates and supports you. xoxo
0 comments:
Post a Comment