Meet me at work

Dear sis,

Little known fact about me: I love award shows... talk about amazing television!

They are the perfect mix of fashion and artistry -- the one place where the product of human expression is not only applauded, but put on full display. Nothing holds these artists back. They are un-apologetically themselves.

My favorite part of any awards show is the acceptance speeches. Each of them is inspirational in some way. They show the artists' depth... the root from where their creative brilliance was born.

A couple months ago, I was scrolling through my twitter feed and came across Denzel Washington's acceptance speech at the 2017 Image Awards. He won Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his role in the movie Fences.

Now, I've always been a Denzel fan, but this?? THIS.... blew me in a way I hadn't expected.

He started off like every other actor.... thanking his colleagues, his family, his supporters. Then, he transitioned into a moment of motivation for young filmmakers.

"Without commitment you'll never start," he said. "But, more importantly without consistency you'll never finish."

Ain't that the TRUTH?

Sis -- it's not enough for us to have dreams that never leave the confinements of our thoughts. If we want to truly achieve success and pursue our passions, we first have to start.

It seems simple but, it's hard -- I know! This blog idea kept me up MANY nights simply because I was afraid to just start.

Of course, Denzel didn't stop there. He continued, "It's not easy. If it were easy, there'd be no Kerry Washington. If it were easy, there'd be no Taraji Henson. If it were easy, there'd be no Octavia Spencer. But not only that, if it were easy, there'd be no Viola Davis."

Call the roll, Denzel!! All of these now famous actresses started somewhere. And, trust me it wasn't at the Academy Awards. They had to build to their moment of prosperity.

Start building now, darling. There is power in the building process. The harder you push for your end result, the more valuable your achievement becomes to the world. Give it ALL you have, see it through and watch it blossom -- because your dreams are worth the investment!

So, in the words of Mr. Washington himself:

"Keep working. Keep striving. Never give up.

Fall down seven times, get up eight.

Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship.....I'll see you at work."

Until next time,

V