INSPIRATIONAL TALK

INSPIRATIONAL TALK
THE ANNUAL SASHING CEREMONHY FOR THE NATIONAL CARNIVAL QUEEN PARGENT
SANDALS REGENCY GOLF RESORT & SPA, LA TOC
FRIDAY 12TH JUNE, 2009 from 8.00 p.m.

THEME: BEAUTY, EDUCATION AND TALENT
Members of the Head Table, Sponsors, contestants, specially invited guest, members of the media, ladies and gentlemen good evening.
It is indeed an honour to have been asked to share some words of inspiration with such a beautiful group of young, educated and talented young women. I can make this comment because I am aware that you are here after having been selected from a larger group of your peers following an audition. In effect you have earned the right to be here.
Steve Covey one of my favourite authors in his book “the seven habits of highly effective people” his 7th habit advises us “To Sharpen the Saw” – that is, we must be committed to life long learning. Your participation in this pageant provides you with an opportunity to learn new things. To sharpen your skills, to gain self esteem and self- confidence, to be more assertive - and mark the use of the word assertive and not aggressive as these words do not mean the same, they are not interchangeable. To be assertive is to be – confident and direct in dealing with others and to be aggressive is to be inclined to behave in an actively hostile fashion.
Life is a collection of experiences; this is but one experience in a number of experiences. Whereas we are aware that some persons may have a tendency to down play the value of such as experience, at the end of the day what makes the difference is how you use this opportunity. It is the quality of the choices you make, that will make the difference.
We have heard the saying from the good book “Where there is no Vision the People Perish”. Do you have a personal vision for yourself, where do you see yourself in 5 years in, 10 years in 15 years, and beyond? What are your plans for your future, yes, you are beautiful and talented you have a secondary education, what next for you? Time and tide waits for no man – if you fail to play you are planning to fail. Research has shown that people who put their plans down in writing are more likely to succeed than those who do not. It is always advisable to live your life in stages, you are here now, for you this may be a new beginning but the ending will be determined by the choices that you make now and in the future. As I mentioned earlier life is a collection of experiences and choices and the choices we make NOW will always determine our future, do ensure that you make wise choices the will positively impact your future growth and development.
Steve Covey also advises us to strive for interdependence, but before we can be interdependent we must first learn to be independent. The question should always be what can I do for me? After you have done that you can then have expectations of others. But first learn what you can do for yourself even if it means having to ask for help in the process, but first show that self determination. Demonstrate your personal drive and the will to succeed. It has to begin with your contribution.
We must also learn to be flexible, if one plan does not work out be sufficiently perceptive to make the require change. Do not consider yourself a failure, if things do not work out as you first planned be persistent and see it as an opportunity to learn valuable lessons, to re-focus and move on. Set standards for yourself, do not short change yourself, yes you may fail sometimes but it is not that you will never fail but what makes the difference is how you respond to that initial failure whether you remain down and play dead or you pick your self up, dust your self down and move on., be the role model you want to see, if in the process you serve as a role model for others then that is a win/win situation, that is icening on the cake.
We all have 24 hours in one day, the difference between those who achieve their goals and their life’s purpose, and those who do not, is how we spend our twenty-four hours. If all our waking time is spent in unproductive activity how can we expect to match up to someone who manages their time allocating appropriate portions of time to various activities, work/ or productive activity, study, reading /research, play, entertainment, exercise, sleep etc. I do not need to tell you the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Support systems are important whether it be a group of trusted, positive and focused friends or family members. When we have the right people in our corner it adds value to the quality of our lives. Sometime we have a tendency when things begin to look up for us, we turn our backs on those who nurtured us and provided the base for our development though their hard work and sacrifice. If you are on the up and up it is more beneficial for you in the long run to take willing family members with you. Because at the end of the day they are the ones that will be there for you when the going gets tough, and it usually does, sometimes when we lease expect. Not that you should dwell on negative things happening before they do and the key word here is DWELL, you can anticipate, be aware of what is possible but do not dwell on the negative because the mind does not know the difference between what is and what is imagined, and if you dwell on the negative you go though the psychological trauma as if the event which you imagine has actually happened and this certainly is not beneficial to you.
Obviously you need to keep an eye out for those who are in Siren mode “They only WAWAWA…..- a terrible place to be particularly if they are in the receiving mode only and not the giving mode. [I must acknowledge that I got that SIREN line from one of my Barbers, and it had me in stitches].
Beauty and brains are a marvelous combination but remember their must be harmony and or balance in your growth cycle and ensure that your beauty radiates from within, that what we see on the outside is a true reflection of what resides on the inside.
As human beings you comprise body, mind and spirit endeavour to nuture all aspect s of your being. It was Kahlil Gibran author of the Prophet who said and I quote “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.” End of quote.
I invite you to adopt a basic philosophy for living encapsulated in the acronym GRABS, it invites us to be grateful, to release the past and to receive graciously, to acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged and to ask when we need to ask, to BE who we are and not attempt to be carbon copies of anyone, to believe in something, and last but not least to share our time, talent and treasure with the rest of humanity, particularly those in need.
I also invite you to see you participation in this pageant as a journey not a destination. I leave you with this quote by Don Williams Jr.
“The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.”
Regardless of whether you emerge the winner of this pageant or not, I know you will emerge at the end of this process better for it, more self assured, more confident, having gathered tips along the way in grooming, public speaking, your self esteem and self confidence will have taken a quantum leap. You would have made more friends along the way; you certainly would have accumulated a network which will serve you in good stead in the future. So you have learnt and you have grown you have added value to yourself you have increased your skill sets and you have set a foundation for a brighter future but again the choices you make is what will determine whether these are true for you or not. It is my hope that you as beautiful, intelligent and talented young women will make the right choices which will be beneficial to you, your families, your sponsors and support team who have invested so much in you, and by extension your country who will also be the beneficiary of who or what you become.
I see you all as winners and I hope you see yourself as such regardless of who wears the crown.
Enjoy the journey. Peace & Love.