Striving for excellence is something my mother instilled in me from an early age. Excellence takes dedication and determination and is accompanied by adversity which comes in many forms, and does not discriminate.
The accomplishments and successes we work hard for day in and day out are ones to be proud of, but at the same time may create a sense of jealousy from others. Don't let these feelings stop the hard work that is being put into the continued trek for excellence.
"Success makes so many people hate you. I wish it wasn't that way. It would be wonderful to enjoy success without seeing envy in the eyes of those around you." ~Marilyn Monroe
Adversity should never get us down, it should challenge us to continue growing and improving our lives and ourselves. Challenges are not meant to stop us from what we are doing to succeed, rather teach us and make us stronger by overcoming the obstacles.
With excellence, comes a plethora of other beasts. I am guilty of down playing myself, my career, my opportunities and experiences. I am always too concerned about coming off as boastful or conceited. However, I have realized it is actually a disservice to myself my hard work and God given talents when I do not acknowledge my accomplishments and share my excitement for all of the tenacity and zeal I put toward creating excellence in my life. We all should be proud when we see our hard work paying off. Others disgruntles should never make us feel like hiding our most fulfilling and proud moments.
I hope more and more people are able to rejoice with others when they have great successes in their lives. When others are doing great things for their community, education or bettering themselves, it only should encourage us to want to do better. Having this view point would only help and not hurt others. Aren't we all here to help each other anyway? Living a life of excellence is not always easy it comes with many pressures and it isn't handed out on a silver platter. We create our circumstances, we can either talk about change or make change happen. I choose to be a change agent, do you?
One of the many reasons I believe pageantry is unparalleled is because of this very reason. Being surrounded by women with such drive and dedication to make a difference in their communities and follow their dreams, encompasses true empowerment. I consider the women I have met through pageantry to be some of my best friends to date because of our common interests. Instead of being jealous or judgmental of other's successes, we can truly appreciate one another for our unique lives and boost one another up. It shows a true sense of confidence and maturity when someone can acknowledge another's hard work and accomplishments rather than be envious because of their own insecurities and lack of ambition.
Everything worth while takes effort and work. It is just whether someone wants to put in the time and long hours to get where he or she wants to be. So, if thoughts of jealousy come to mind because of others success or well being, just remember there was a lot of effort and hard work put in to reach that outcome. We all have the ability to be great, do great, and ultimately be anything we want to be, we just have to START.
Your Girl Next Door and So Much More,
Danika Tramburg