in·spire verb \in-ˈspī(-ə)r\
: to make (someone) want to do something : to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create
: to cause (something) to happen or be created
: to cause someone to have (a feeling or emotion)
To be inspired is to be moved to imagine beyond your current day realities. To accomplish things you didn’t think were possible. To accomplish beyond your wildest dreams. And inspiration can come from a variety of different sources. A person, a place, a book, a quote and more. While I draw inspiration from many things I am most inspired by the accomplishments of others. More specifically others who came from nothing and somehow through all the obstacles accomplished greatness. I am infinitely fascinated by those who have achieved great success despite their humble and meager beginnings.
What/who inspires you? What are your sources of inspiration?
I am personally inspired daily by Madonna, Oprah, Kathryn Joosten and something my mom told me a very long time ago. Collectively they help me dwell and day dream with purpose on the possibilities of my future and cause me to believe that I have the power to make things happen. They have been instrumental in the creation of my inner dialogue. I draw upon my sources literally on a daily basis to keep me going. To get me through the rough patches. To continually remind me that anything is possible and yes I can achieve!
Kathryn Joosten: Her journey to Hollywood is closely aligned to mine. Like me she left Florida while in her early 50’s and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. Like me she arrived with no agent, few if any contacts and no job prospects. Like me her first big break came while living in FL which served to spur her on to make the move to Hollywood. Like me within 6 months of arriving in Los Angeles she was already appearing on television. Kathryn Joosten is very near and dear to me and I defer to her journey daily. Before she passed away in June 2012 she had won two Emmys and received numerous award nominations. She achieved far more than most would have expected. The part of her story that most inspires me is the age at which she started. She didn’t let the fact that she was in her 50’s before heading to Hollywood deter her from what she wanted to do and it’s because she didn’t I am writing about her today. She took a huge risk and it paid off! Most would have played it safe and stayed put but not Kathryn and definitely not me. Most would agree Hollywood is for the young and beautiful. Kathryn proved them wrong. And that’s what I intend to do. By following in her footsteps, perhaps I’ll inspire someone coming up behind me, and it is my goal to also win some awards and achieve far greater success than most would expect. Dare I say an Academy Award? As of this writing, that is so far fetched, but in this town it is entirely possible so at least to that end I will persevere.
Madonna: Just how did Madonna become the most famous pop star in all of history outside of Michael Jackson? At the very least she didn’t let the fact that she had almost no money stop her from going to NYC to pursue her goals. In the early days she could barely afford a room in a roach infested apartment with just a mattress on the floor but despite that she stayed focused. The hard times she faced in the first few years in Manhattan did not discourage her. Perhaps they even fueled her. She didn’t let her somewhat hopeless realities deter her from her vision of where she wanted to go and what she wanted to do with her life. It’s the fact that she faced so many hardships in the beginning that inspires me. She arrived in NYC with nothing. No money, no place to live, no contacts, no family support yet despite all that she managed to figure things out and achieve her goals or perhaps even exceed her goals. I often wonder what her inner dialogue was that got her through those early days and achieve such incredible success. And to this day she continues to inspire me. She is one of the few super stars whose career seems to have always stayed on top. How does she do it? Not once have we ever heard she was making a come back. All these decades and she is still on top. Now that’s inspiration.
Oprah: No one would expect a poor, illegitimate black girl from the deep south steeped in racial divide to amount to very much yet Oprah Winfrey did. Despite being consistently raped and molested by family members for 4 years from the age of 9 to 13, giving birth to a baby boy at the age of 14 and ending up at a juvenile detention home, she somehow used that turn her life around and become the media mogul she is today and one of the most influential and richest women in the world. Was it in fact the rough start that contributed to her success? Perhaps. And let’s not forget early in her career she was fired from her television reporting job because she was told her she wasn’t fit to be on screen. Despite all that she persevered and in the face of such hardship triumphed. This is what inspires me. The cards were stacked against her yet she prevailed and achieved great success. By all accounts she shouldn’t have succeeded and definitely not to the level that she did yet she is one of the most recognized women in the world. And she will forever be a legend.
My mom: Something my mom told me when I was “knee high to a grass hopper” as the saying goes, has stayed with me throughout the years and is most definitely part of my daily inner dialogue. She said “Vicki you can do whatever is you want to do as long as you put your mind to it.” These words have echoed in my mind for years and I have come to firmly believe them. They fuel my goals as I know they are lofty, and for some they may seem beyond reach, but that does not concern me. My concern is to not have regrets in life, for it is regrets that kill the spirit of a person. One thing I am sure of is I will achieve some level of success I just don’t know what that will be yet. At this point I am excited to see what the future holds as I know the best is yet to come and I am so ready for it.
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Til next time…Victoria xox