Oh, Hey, Friend!
How are you today?! Good?! Great!? Wondering who I am and why am I asking you this question like we are having a legit conversation??? ;)
Well, let's start with the first answer to the question... "Who is this person?!"
This person is Tsinina (See-knee-Na) Thomas, better known as Nina! I am a 30 something-year-old who loves Jesus, Fashion, and Business if you couldn't tell. Crazy enough, right? But wait, there's more!
I want to take a minute and talk to you about Grace and Purpose.
I believe deep down in my little [big] heart that we are here on this Earth with a divine purpose given to us by our creator [big GOD]. It is our job to unlock that Purpose and bring glory to Him by doing so. We spend so much time seeking and searching for "this" thing, but in reality, if we sit down and talk [prayer] and listen to God, he will unveil precisely what he designed you to do.
Easy enough, right? It sounds like it should be, and truthfully it is once we strip the ideals and Purpose that others have set/ placed upon us. [What on Earth does that mean?] Glad you asked. Did someone ever tell you growing up that "You're going to be a Doctor/ Lawyer/ Teacher/ Own the Family Business," or did you ever pick a "career" because it was the bright, flashy thing to do? Or did you feel drawn to something and someone told you, "No, that won't work for you, you'll never go far in that."
You know what I am talking about, and if you don't, here is a blurb of my story. Somewhere between wanting to be a Rockstar-Princess-Mom- Doctor-Lawyer at the ripe age of 3 and what I convinced myself I was going to school for at 17 [Pharmacist], I somehow ended up being NONE of those. [ Trust me, I was rooting for the Rockstar-Princess]. I narrowed it down between a Lawyer and a Pharmacist by the tender age of 17. I went to college to graduate, making six figures for an in-demand profession that had longevity, and be the "doctor" others told me to be. But yall I HATED it. I keep trying to love it, let alone like it. I struggled in it, and I could never figure out, despite how many hours I put into it, why I could never do above average in it.
Why? Simply put, It wasn't my Purpose. It's not where I was supposed to thrive. God crafted us to be good at the elements tied to our Purpose, not the opposite. He has divinely equipped us to handle the uphill battle with Grace and ease linked to our individual purposes. Hence, I should have run for the hills when I failed Organic Chemistry, and my friends Aced it.
So, I graduated [BARELY - let's not go lookup my GPA] and took a job selling Dog Food and ready to climb the corporate ladder there. But that wasn't enough. I still wanted more. I would have conversations with co-workers, and they'd always ask me was this my forever thing. I would always tell them this …" I plan on working here for 25 years, retiring and opening a small boutique .. probably back in my hometown or college town." As soon as I would say that, the ones who knew me would be like, "Wow, I can see you doing that .. what's stopping you from doing that now?!" others would be like, "Oh ok"...[ Insert another long story for a cold rainy day] .. Guys, owning a store was/is a part of my divine Purpose, and I was running from it. My whole life, in retrospect, has had glimmers that have always tied me to this.
But as I said, I was running from it. I was running from it for so many reasons. I was scared. I was scared of Failure .. Scared of Success ... Fear of not having steady money to support myself. I was and still a little Intimidated. I was confused about approaching the situation, how to navigate things, and so much more! But remember when I said a little earlier that God will equip you with the things you need to handle the uphill battles that come with your Purpose? He did precisely that. God first gave me a word [Jeremiah 29:11], then He gave me a Promise, and gave me friendships that I cherish more than they know. Also, He gave me a vision, funds, and freedom.
This is the part of the Disney story where I tell you I lived Happily Ever After with overnight success, no! With the encouragement of friends who loved me into pursuing my Purpose, I went on this journey to be an online Boutique owner, hence why you're here [Woo-Hoo!] But there is a lot of behind the scenes that goes into the making of this. Not just picking clothes and doing photoshoots all day! [Darn!] There were/are parts that come second nature, and there are some that don't. Every time I have come to an obstacle, God has provided a resource to keep me going. I have wanted to throw it in the trash, stopped engaging and working on it several times, but every time I have been stirred by God to come back and do it right and do it better. God will not let me give up or fail because he designed for me to bless him and others through this. Nor is he going to let you do that with your Purpose!
So let's hold the Grace talk for a little later and leave off on the Purpose one. What is it that you are drawn to do? What gives you unfathomable energy when you engage in it? What is that thing that you really really really want to do? Not what your mom/dad/grandma told you should do, but what You [Insert name here] want to do? I encourage you to take some time and focus and pray on that. Step and move into that area, because friend, when you do, greatness will be ignited!
Until next time friend!
- Nina
