Meagan Good Believes This Is How You Get What You Want Out Of Life
Let's play a game. If I walked up to you right now and wanted to invest 10 million dollars in your dream, where would you start?
Could you provide me with a business plan? Have you crunched the numbers and made plans of exactly where the money should go? What percentage of your business will you give me for my investment? Have you done the market research that can indicate how you should value your products/services?
Some of us gripe and moan about not having enough when it comes to living the life of our dreams, but the real question is, have you really done everything you can with what you have?
Often, success lies right at our fingertips but we refuse to become flexible enough to reach it. Star of the new film,The Intruder(in theaters May 3), Meagan Good recently dropped some gems about the secret to pursuing the career that you love and living the life of your dreams. According to Meagan, you have to have the courage to do everything you can, but the strength to let go of what you cannot.
"For the things that I'm wanting and believing, I just have to do everything possible that's within my power. And there's some things that aren't within my power, and that's when I trust God."
Meagan Good on Impact Theory
The Bible says faith without work is dead, and yes, that goes for you, too. So you want to own a hair salon, but have you actually researched and priced locations? You say your dream is to open your own clothing boutique, but have you looked into getting a wholesale license? Stop worrying about how you'll find the money or the opportunity, and prepare for yourself for when it does come. Meagan continued:
"But what is it within my power, whether it's getting the proper sleep, whether it's learning your lines, or eating healthy or you know whatever it is that you need that's gonna make you better at what you want to do; it's doing every single bit of that that you can possibly do and going above, not just doing just enough to get by, but going above."
In other words, stay ready so you won't have to get ready.
"After that, it's like if it's supposed to happen it will happen and chances are if you do the work it likely will happen."
In layman's terms, do the work and the rest will come. Meagan explained that even when she didn't quite see an opportunity on the horizon, she spoke, worked, and prayed one into existence.
"Even with 'Shazam', I decided two years prior that I wanted to be a superhero. I was like I want to be a superhero, I want that to happen so I'm just gonna start training for it. So I started training. I started learning Taekwondo, I started learning capoeira and I just started training with the trainer like five sometimes six days a week for like two years straight and then it just happened. And it was interesting because I fully expected it to happen, but I think sometimes we are more comfortable hoping and praying than when it actually happens."
We are our own worst critics, and sometimes our self-doubt can cause more internal conflict than our actual circumstances. If you're anything like me, the thought of having someone even trust me with $10 million to pursue my dream gives you anxiety. You start to doubt if you're smart, talented, or worthy enough to be entrusted with so much, but Meagan stressed the importance of trusting your instincts because they won't lead you astray. She shared that she felt so nervous that she was nauseous upon arriving on-set to direct her first movie,If Not Now, When?, last May. Soon after, her instincts kicked in and she was able to walk in her own power.
"For me, courage is not not being afraid, it's being petrified and doing it anyway. And so that's really how I try to live my life is just keep pressing forward and trusting my instincts because what I do know is my instincts are unique and they're mine and nobody else has them. So the more I trust what I put into the world, the more I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing."
She explained that all of us are blessed with a hidden superpower that we don't even know exists until we feel that we've given everything that we can.
"When you've done everything that you can do and you really have put in the work there's another gear that kicks in where when you push yourself beyond what you think is capable. you suddenly realize how capable you are and you're able to just keep pushing and cranking and something magic happens. it's almost like, in your brain something happens that just takes you to another level of what you thought was even possible for you. Whether it's physically, emotionally, spiritually, whatever it is, there's another gear that we can tap into when we push ourselves."
Life is a journey, one that's even more challenging for those brave enough to pursue their dreams. Do the work, and have faith that you'll have the life you deserve because there is no other option.
"You just have to keep fighting to get on the other side of it. And that has to be the only option there is no other option."
Check out the full interview below!
If You Want Something & Believe You Can Have It, Do This | Meagan Good on Impact Theorywww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty / Jon Kopaloff.
Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Sheila Rashid's Androgynous Approach To Unisex Clothing Is A Lesson In Embracing Individuality
The ItGirl 100 List is a celebration of 100 Black women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table.
For Sheila Rashid, it all started with some free-hand drawings and a few strokes of paint.
The Chicago-based clothing designer and creative director of Sheila Rashid Brand recalls using her spare time in high school to hand paint designs on t-shirts and distressed hoodies, distributing them to classmates as walking billboards for her art.
Rashid sought to pursue fashion design at Columbia College in Chicago but eventually took the self-taught route to build upon her knack for crafting one-of-a-kind, androgynous pieces.
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Thanks to the mentorship of local designers taking her under their wings, Rashid was able to gain valuable experience in putting together collections and creating patterns; equipping her with them with the necessary skills to pursue her own collections.
After two years of living in New York, Rashid returned home to the Chi and uncovered the unique flair she could offer the city. “I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world,” she tells xoNecole. “That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
For the Midwest native, inspiration comes from her time around creative peers and the city’s notorious winters — known to be a main character in many Chicagoans stories. “It's a different perspective and mindset when I'm making stuff because of the weather here,” she explains. “When we get summer, it’s ‘Summertime Chi’ — it's amazing. It's beautiful. Still, I find myself always making clothes that cater to the winter.”
"I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world. That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
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Many designers have a signature aesthetic or theme in their creations. In Rashid’s design story, dancing between the lines of femininity and masculinity is how she’s been able to distinguish herself within the industry. Her androgynous clothing has garnered the eye of celebrities like Zendaya, Chance the Rapper, WNBA star Sydney Colson, and more — showing her range and approach to designs with inclusivity in mind.
“I think I do reflect my own style,” she says. “When I do make pieces, I'm very tomboyish, androgynous. My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes.” From denim to overalls, and color-drenched outerwear, Rashid has mastered the structure of statement pieces that tell a story.
“Each collection, I never know what's going to be the thing I'm going to focus on. I try to reflect my own style and have fun with the storytelling,” she shares. “I look at it more like it's my art in this small way of expressing myself, so it's not that calculated.”
"My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes."
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Still, if you were able to add up all the moments within Rashid’s 20-year career in design, one theme that has multiplied her into becoming an “ItGirl” is her confidence to take up space within the fashion industry as a queer, Black woman. “Being an ItGirl is about being yourself, loving what you do, finding your niche, and mastering that,” she says.
No matter where you are on your ItGirl journey, Rashid says to always remain persistent and never hesitate to share your art with the world. “Don’t give up. Even if it's something small, finish it and don't be afraid to put it out,” she says, “It's about tackling your own fear of feeling like you have to please everybody, but just please yourself, and that's good enough.”
To learn more about the ItGirl 100 List, view the full list here.
Featured image Courtesy