Isn’t it funny how we can learn so much from the children in our lives? If we really pay attention and allow ourselves to be in their little world, we can apply the principles of a child to the life of an adult. I recently reflected on this as I listened to a song from a movie my daughter watched recently. Before I tell you what I learned from my 4 year old and how I applied it to my life, as usual I have to put things in context for you.

 

In February I talked about the struggle I was having with my daughter wanting to watch Frozen, and how the film had a lack of representation. If you missed that newsletter, you can check it out here. Ultimately, what I said in that newsletter, was that I decided to let her watch some of the movie and I somewhat “let it go.” I had to realize that I expose my daughter to her Blackness on a daily basis, and I help her to realize that she is the most important princess of them all. One thing I have done since writing that newsletter, is let her watch the classic version of Cinderella, also known as the Black version featuring Brandy and the late great Whitney Houston. Although this movie also has some questionable scenes and messages, it also has a wonderful and catchy song called “Impossible.” (I’ve included a link for you below).

 

Whitney Houston and Brandy repeatedly sing “Impossible things are happening everyday.” And they say impossible over and over and OVER. It’s hard to explain in words the magic of this scene between Whitney Houston and Brandy, but the message is to believe that impossible things are indeed possible. After watching that movie, my daughter walked around for days saying “impossible. . . impossible. . . impossible!” She twirled around in her tutu as if she was the Fairy God mother herself.

 

As I watched her, I found it ironic that when I first saw this movie I was 14, much older than my 4 year old daughter, however the message still landed the same then as it does now. The message that was instilled in my teenage brain back then was that impossible things ARE possible. While watching my daughter twirl around in her tutu, I realized the same message was being instilled in her some many years later. She too was believing that impossible things are happening everyday.

 

So what’s my point in today’s newsletter?

I’m excited to announce that in July, I will be presenting at the National Convention for the Association of Black Psychologist!!! I will be presenting on the topic of miscarriage and postpartum among Black women, how these stages of life affect us, and how we can learn to heal and move through these challenging times. This was something that I felt would be impossible to achieve for so many reasons, but is clearly something that is very possible. I am so humbled that my proposal was accepted and that I will be able to share my work amongst prestigious Black psychologists and scholars in the field. AND, my girls get to come along for this experience because it is a family friendly convention. My husband and I are elated to be going to this convention and letting our girls experience what we experienced nearly 5 years ago.

 

So with all that said, I want to encourage you. I say again that you need to BELIEVE in whatever it is you are trying to accomplish. Don’t let doubt seep in and let you sit in unbelief, but rather push forward and believe that you can do it. I could have let several things get in the way of me submitting my proposal. I could have simply believed it wasn’t possible. But I pushed those thoughts out, and instead I bought myself a notebook (pictured above), to begin formulating my ideas for the convention BEFORE my paper was ever written, submitted, or accepted. That purchase was an act of faith and intentionality in reconditioning my mind to believe that I could indeed take this on. And guess what, I’m taking it on! Why? Because my dreams are not impossible, but rather with God I’m Possible, and so are you! Until May, make sure you do something that will help you Bloom Into Your Best Self. . .