At the start of 2020, many of us were eager to put together some pretty thorough Vision Boards, with high hopes and goals for the year. This was my first year actually creating one that I put effort in cutting pictures & words out of magazines and adhering it to an actual board. I was motivated and goal-oriented. Then...Friday the 13th happened! No not the movie, March 13, 2020, which was the day everything begin to change and shutdown because of the pandemic.
So today, have you given up on your board? Have you looked back at it to see if there was anything you surprisingly accomplished? Well I'm here to show you that even though 2020 gave us all bitter lemons, we may have just made a tasty glass pf lemonade with what we had. Here's the lowdown on my board update:
Essence Fest - one word....Booooo! Many of us were so disappointed to receive the dreaded email that it was canceled this year. Hoping for a super awesome festival next year. Team Essence!
"I Want My Body Back" - The pictures above show the "Before" from when I first found out I was expecting in 2019 (the last capture of my bomb-diggity bod) to recently showing that...well...I did it y'all! It took a full year and then some but I made it back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I took my time this time to allow my body to heal after suffering from Post-Partum Preeclampsia and mental trauma from my experience at the hospital. It was hard to not beat myself up about those days where I wished I could wink my eye and the extra pounds would fall off or not being able to go to the gym or even outside at times. I have omitted a nice amount of naughty foods and continue to incorporate some type of aerobics or exercise in my day, even if its doing 15 push-ups before I get in the shower. Just recently (the past month), I've tried to Goli gummies and I must say, they definitely help curb your appetite in reducing my urge to snack and oddly, my uterine/pelvic area doesn't feel bloated anymore like it used to. Pouch-free lol! (most days) Now self-care is still a work in progress. Y'all pray for me to enjoy a nice, relaxing vacation full of laughter of my favorite tv show episodes and bubble baths.
Happy Life - I can't complain. 2020 has caused people to lose their jobs, lose hope, and this horrible virus has caused many to lose their lives. I am forever grateful to see each day and with happiness being temporary, I am striving to maintain joy.
Model baby - As a mom, many of us look at our children as the most beautiful beings on earth. With that, when my kids are babies, they all have a model look to them in my eyes with their big cheeks, radiant smiles, and look amazingly cute in their outfits. I was hoping Miles would maybe at least have the opportunity to model for a box of diapers (Pampers, Huggies, etc) but oh well. He's still very adorable and models for mommy's home photo shoots lol. He's definitely walking and on his way to talking :).
Getting to know OPRAH - I know, I know...she doesn't have a clue of who I am nor interested in what I do but one can dream. I would love to be in that white chair or even have a show on OWN someday. This will be on the board probably every year lol. I was, however on TV this year, yay! So I consider this goal a win.
Yo! Mama's book - Sadly, one will have to wait yet another year for this to be released. And Dr. Jackie doesn't know who I am...yet so it's still a work in progress. But I'm not giving up. The upside of this vision is that I did INDEED release a book. Santa Meets the Tooth Fairy children's book was released this year!! (visit the SHOP in the menu) A lifelong dream has been accomplished and I couldn't be more proud. Also on the board, you will see the words "She's So Inspiring". I included that as I aspire to be an inspiration to at least 1 person in what I do and have heard that phrase a few times this year which fills and warms my heart so much. I thank you sooooo much!
Family Entrepreneurial Brand expansions - If anyone knows me, you know that I am a huge cheerleader for the underdog. I want to see people win, to be seen, and shine! One of my cousins has a creme called "4/11 All-In-One" that is a multi-purpose revolutionary creme that not only moisturizes but heals. I was hoping that she would be able to share this product at the Essence Beauty Carnival session of the festival and even more but again, Covid-19 crept upon us. She continues to get more recognition for her product and I call that a win. Also, my other cousin has a clothing brand "Enk'd" that has been getting a nice amount of followers as well. I had a vision that he would someday team up with Crayola to create the ultimate kids line of Enk'd. I'm still hopeful but in the interim, he did, however, create a couple of kids shirts and onesies this year, so again, another win!
Kids' achievements - Last, the success of my children. Let's review in birth order.
Mariah: My vision for her was Disney Actress, commercials, and honor roll student. Unfortunately she hasn't made it to Disney yet, however, a few weeks ago, she was featured as an extra in a film, yay! As for honor roll, not only did she achieve this goal, she received the Principal's Honor Roll this year. Huge wins! That's my girl!
Michael (Bubs): My vision for him included being a gifted student, perfect scores, piano player, and socially comfortable. For the social aspect, he's gradually coming out of his shell and we definitely have to celebrate that. Piano, although we don't have one nor signed up for classes, he has taken an interest in playing on the keyboard more than usual. He's always been pretty gifted to me and for at least 95% of his assignments/tests have had a perfect score of 100%. Way to go Bubs! Winning!
Marshall (Yadi): My vision for him included gifted student as well, YouTube star, the Masked Singer, and model. We are still working on possibly finding an agent for him to model so he is also modeling for mommy's home photoshoots lol. He has shown great understanding of his classwork so much that he is above average in several areas of his coursework and assessments. I've kept him away from making his own YouTube videos however you can see him in some of my summer at-home program videos taking over the camera lol. And as for the Masked Singer show, he's still a big fan and waiting on Nick Cannon and Ken Jeong to call him to be a judge (too funny).
Thank you for allowing me to share my vision board with you. I'm going to pray and work on my board for 2021 and you should too! Don't give up. Just because your plans may have been delayed or postponed does not mean they are not possible. It just gives you more time to refine your plans and make them even bigger than you imagined. Take good care and keep shining. Let's go 2021!!
Love,
Yo! Mama Mesh