Don’t Take It Personal | The Opinions of Loved Ones.

Bonjour mes amies! Content creation has taught me life skills I never knew I needed.

For the sake of time, we’ll focus on one in this blog, the opinions of loved ones.

When I first began Cappuccinos and Consignment, it was solely a hobby. I’d recently remarried and moved further away from my job. To avoid resenting my new commute and beaucoup other life changes, I decided to fill my commute avec sharing my random thoughts and experiences. A dear cousin of mine had been telling me to blog since I lived in Istanbul, Turkey.

I truly didn’t think anyone would be interested in what a globe-trotting black girl from S.E, D.C was doing in her day-to-day life. Had I known then what I know now, I would have spent my time at internet cafes blogging versus getting the latest Stateside tea via AOL messenger.

On 1 Feb 2019, my dear cousin (who told me to blog years ago) dropped what she was doing and came to my home when I told her that I finally wanted to create a blog. Over deux bottles of champagne, she helped me create a webpage that I haphazardly named “Cappuccinos and Consignment.”

At that moment, I had no clue what was to come. Click here for my first blog post.

Paid campaigns avec brands, hosting traveling shopping experiences avec mes amies, giving a Masterclass at a prestigious French university, and so much more, all because I finally decided to share my day-to-day life and experiences avec the world.

When I realized that Cappuccinos and Consignment was becoming more than a hobby, doubt, fear, and beaucoup, other feelings started to fill my mind.

Could I make a living off of being me?

Naturally, I began to have these discussions avec ma famille, and at the beginning, everyone thought that I’d gone MAD.

Every worst-case scenario was mentioned, and I began to internalize the fears and uncertainties of those I loved.

I began feeling hurt, insecure and confused.

Do the ones I love not have faith in me?

I began to question.

It wasn’t until a fourteen-hour flight to Dubai that I realized that I shouldn’t take it personally.

I am surrounded by nothing but love and support, and with that, those who love me want nothing but the best pour moi.

I soon realized that I was asking those who loved me to visualize what they had never seen.

Right now, can you picture what a qzanatpth looks like?

If you can…

Because I’ve clearly made that word up. The point being, if you’ve never seen or have zero point of reference to a particular word, smell, texture, or thought, it’s impossible to imagine.

Those who (truly, without question or envy) love you will always want to ensure that you have, if nothing else, the basic necessities of life. When your ideas or goals seemingly put said conditions in question, loved ones who have no point of reference of ever seeing someone do what you are envisioning, may (auto) response in a very primal fashion; invoking doubt and fear.

This is especially true with families of color.

I have never shied away from having authentic racial conversations, and I won’t now.

The fact is, people of color and, more specifically, people of color who were raised in impoverished communities have never had space to dream. We have always had to function in a state of survival.

Finding ourselves and/or following our dreams is a luxury that many were not afforded.

I would never suggest “moving in silence” because if you can accomplish all of your goals singlehandedly, your goals aren’t big enough.

I suggest you protect your heart and mind and not let the opinions of people who have never seen anyone do what you desire to do deter you.

It’s not that your loved ones don’t believe in you (in most cases); it’s that many cannot understand what they have never seen.

Plan accordingly, do the work, and always stay the course mes amies.

Your dreams can become a reality, irrespective of who understands them, right now.

Ciao for now 💋