Project Sassy: I <3 My #Selfie Event

Hello, everyone!!

I wanted to share with you all a little inspiration and motivation today.

A little over a week I came across an event that I was invited to by Jasmine Johnson on Facebook, a woman who I went to middle school with, but have not seen since then....until Saturday, of course. She sent me an invite for an event of a non-profit organization that she is the CEO of. The company is known as Project Sassy, an organization that build confidence and character in girls ages 12-17.

The event Jasmine invited me to was called the "I <3 My #Selfie" workshop. The event had a cute set-up, with fancy backdrops for the girls to get their pictures taken, as well as cute accessories and a pink Polaroid for them to take memorable selfies with. The workshop was from 10 am to 12:30 pm, so they served muffins, yogurt and granola, and fresh fruit, accompanied with a fruity lemonade.

Though I would love to describe how the entire event went, I want to focus on what really had my attention at the event as I was observing.

There was a woman named Za—short for Zakkeya (if that is how her name is spelled) who was the first guest speaker for the event. Ms. Za runs a fitness business program called Eff Being Fat. She gave an inspirational speech to the girls on self-esteem. But before that, she told a little bit about her herself. Now, I do not want to share too much info out of respect for Ms. Za's privacy, however, she did mention that she had a brain disorder. I'm not sure what it was called, or what affects it had, but she did have to end up retiring as a teacher at the age of 35. It's crazy because looking at her, I never would have guessed she was suffering with a disorder.

Ms. Za is a gorgeous African American woman who has a vibrant personality, and that's what made me admire her even more!! Despite what life dealt her, she decided not to let er condition control her. Ms. Za mentioned that too many people wait until they are diagnosed with something to start being healthy and taking care of themselves. This is very true and needs to improve. I'm only in my twenties and I still do not exercise like I am supposed to. I never was the athletic type of person, but that is no excuse!! As Ms. Za says, you only get one life once, so you you should live it the right way.

When talking about self-esteem, Ms. Za pointed out that it has been a trend for girls to worry about boys at a young age and aspire to gain the attention of boys. This actually is the reason why Ms. Za had ended up with a pregnant 8th grader each year that she taught!! Because so many girls focus on getting guys to like them even though they are not in love with themselves, they often lose themselves and end up in dire situations. Worrying so much about a boy's affection causes girls to make bad decisions, especially if they do not value themselves enough to decide what is best for themselves.

It was great for Ms. Za to share such a deep and personal story, as I am sure the girls have learned much from it. I know I have—even at my age!! No, I do not have low self-esteem, but I have always longed to know what it is like to have a boyfriend, a fiancé, a husband. In my mind, I should have found love in college, gotten married, had my first child, and have my fashion career taken off by the age of 25. Yes, unrealistic, I know, but can a woman dream? Nonetheless, I know things have not happened the way I wanted them to for a reason. I need to stop worrying about finding love and spend more time building my career and finding myself in the meantime. It is easier said than done, but I know I can do it!!

And besides, they say love happen when you least expect it!! (Oh man, there I go thinking about love again...)

#selfie #workshop #selfesteem #health #love #inspiration #motivation