Opinion: Inspiration doesn’t come only from success - AL.com
Opinion: Inspiration doesn’t come only from success - AL.com |
| Opinion: Inspiration doesn’t come only from success - AL.com Posted: 22 Nov 2019 07:59 AM PST  I have a confession. I've always wanted to be famous. As a girl, I knew I wanted to be "a woman to watch." Or at least I thought I did. I spent the last 10 years of my life as an educator. And when you're a teacher, you're going to be a role model—for better or for worse—whether you want to be or not. You're going to be a woman to watch. My students would pay attention to the way I dressed, how I wore my hair, and even the color of my Fitbit wristband. They also paid attention to—and remembered—the things I said. Not the things I said about how to write a good thesis statement or how to look for symbolism in a text. Those things I had to repeat over and over. But when they took me off topic, which they were very skilled at doing, and I talked about feminism, fashion, bad relationships, or Beyoncé, they remembered every word. Early on in my career I learned that I would teach my students more about life than literature—and that's OK. But to know that the words you say and the things you do could have a course-altering effect on a young person's life is terrifying. However, for 10 years, it also gave me a reason to get out of bed in the morning. May 24, 2019 was my last day as a high school English teacher. I traded my #teacherlife for a life as a full-time freelance writer and entrepreneur. Before I turned in my letter of resignation, I was worried about much more than giving up the security of a steady paycheck and good health insurance. I was worried about my students. Will they be mad or sad? Will they think I don't care about them anymore? While they were sad when they heard the news, they were also inspired. "I'm so proud of you, Mrs. Bowser!" student after student said to me. "Congratulations on going after your dreams!" others said. "You're setting such a great example for the kids," one of my co-workers told me. Likewise, the women who read my blog and who are a part of See Jane Write, the community for women writers that I founded eight years ago, also told me that by taking this leap, I had inspired them to go after their goals, too. Once again, I was a woman to watch. Once again, I was a role model and this time not only to teenagers but to grown-up girls, too. This is what preteen Javacia wanted, right? But I wasn't basking in this moment. I was freaking out. What if I fail? What if I can't land enough freelance gigs to pay my bills? What if See Jane Write falls apart? How do I pretend to be a fierce and fearless feminist for the women and girls in my life when I'm scared out of my mind? I decided not to pretend at all. I wrote an entire blog post listing all my fears, from my worries about wrinkles to my nightmares about money. I confessed on a podcast that I'm always afraid I'm going to lose my house because I grew up doubting if I could actually ever own one. I posted my insecurities all over social media and pasted them in an email newsletter. The result? Scores of emails, texts, and social media messages hit my computer and phone. The women in my sphere of influence thanked me for my honesty, even applauded me for it. And best of all, they didn't feel any less inspired to pursue their passions. They felt even more ready to do so because I had shown them that "feel the fear and do it anyway" isn't just a catchy quote for Instagram, but it actually can be the key to living the life of their dreams. It can be the key to truly being a woman worth watching. Javacia Harris Bowser is a freelance writer and blogger and the founder of See Jane Write, a website and community for women who write and blog.Read her blog at seejanewritebham.com and follow her on Instagram @seejavaciawrite. This story appears in Birmingham magazine's November 2019 issue. Subscribe today!  |
| 5 Ways To Get Cheaper Car Insurance Premiums For Seniors - PR Web Posted: 10 Nov 2019 12:00 AM PST 
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