“The courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing, it’s about the courage to show up when you can’t predict or control the outcome.” – Brene Brown

I thought the dream had died. I thought that I just needed to be honest with myself and admit that if I hadn’t finished the book by now, I wasn’t going to do. After all who did I think I was anyway? I was 40 years old. I was 15 years into my marriage and I had two teenage children’s dreams and futures that I needed to invest in. I had serveral degrees and lots of students loans. I had a successful career. I did not have time to dream again, believe again, and most importantly to be vunerable. I was raised to go to school & get a good education. I was raised to not become a sterotype. I had done exactly what was asked of me. But something was missing. I loved reading but I stopped. I loved to listen to neosoul and jazz but I stopped. I loved to write and sing but I didn’t believe I was good enough to make anything of it. I started to see how over the years I had allowed everything and everyone else to become a priority but me. I was really good at making it look like I happy and fullfilled. I had plenty of happy and fulfulling moments to ease pain of giving up my dreams. It wasn’t until my life took a major overhaul personally, professionally, and spiritually that I had to face myself. When I looked in the mirror I saw her. I saw the little girl who dared me to believe and dared to me to dream. She survived off hope. Even with everthing she’d seen and everything she’d been through she still believed. The little girl in the mirror looked back at me with a smile. She wasn’t mad or sad. All she simply asked was, “Do you remember me?” This video is dedicated to her. What is the lie? The lie is that outside influences have the power to paralyze your hopes and dreams. Remember who you were before it got complicated. You are still in there. Are you willing to take a chance on you?