How to be a Lady - with Nicole Collins
‘As long as I am not in my way, I can get to wherever I want to go.’ Actor and filmmaker, Nicole Collins, said it best. The only person standing in the way of reaching our full potential, is ourselves.
Nicole grew up in Alexandria Louisiana and moved to New Orleans at the ripe age of seventeen. Fast forward to 2017 and she now has two babies. One is paving her way in the acting world and her other baby is a project she created called, 'The Young Woman’s Guide.' Both of which have been beneficial for her own self healing.
Creating has always been a passion for her as she has been dabbling in it for several years, however, it wasn't until one day in church (I imagine it was a day in Spring with pink flowers falling to the ground and her white feathered oversized hat taking up an extra seat either side of her. But who knows, this is just my own take on the theory on the story. Comment below if you had the same vision.) that Collins was struck with an idea like a bolt of lightning which resulted in her discovering the desire to create a project based on sisterhood and camaraderie.
Her video project highlights elderly women providing glances of their lives and offering advice and inspiration to the youth. Every week includes a different topic for each episode including things she is going through personally and themes such as; "self care" and "Navigating though your 20's." The project hope to serve in the "passing of the torch" and teaching us to make better decisions and ultimately, live better lives.
Nicole also turns to her friends for advice for tips on topics and she is slowly reaching beyond her immediate circle as she says she never had a reason to reach outside of her circle before. It was not as much of an importance to her but that all changed when she asked herself some of the most important questions we can ever ask ourselves, ‘How do I give back to others and how can I encourage people to live their best lives?’ Two of the most selfless thoughts we could possibly ever have.
These thoughts motivated her to touch on taboo subjects on how to think, grow, learn and appreciate, which are all themes of her own personal passions.
We are all dealing with pain and hurt, no one knows what their neighbours (and by neighbours, I mean friends as well as the person next door to you you know nothing about) are going through. But her outlook on how she tackles life is inspiring. She says, "By playing the victim, dwelling and keeping our wounds on ourselves, we will never heal." Luckily for Collin's, she has learned to use her scars from her past as a way to channel her pain and by using the "Young Woman's Guide" to help heal her.
Here is a guide of a few tips on how to be the best woman you can be:
1. Your Inner Circle
Surround yourself with women you admire or want to be like or who make you feel good about yourself. The kind of people who push you when you need it and make you laugh until it hurts.
2. Take Advice
From your mom or an important woman in your life. Ask them about something they wish they did in their youth, and do it. Or ask them about something they did and wish they did differently. Be open to learning and then make your own decisions.
3. Aspire and Inspire
Aspire to obtain the qualities of your role models. Why are they your role models?
Inspire another woman to feel empowered.
I discovered the following quote from a woman in one of Nicole's videos on YouTube. "If you keep your passions, you'll stay young." I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22.
Women should encourage each other. Mother's are there to nurture and provide guidance. If you are anything like me, my mom is the most incredible woman in my life. The day I learn to be half of the woman she is, is the day I will be most proud of myself.
When women inspire and motivate each other, magic is born. Whether you are shaming another person based off of jealousy or your own insecurities, you can easily turn into the Wicked Witch of the West and besides being offered a first class ride on a broom stick, you will have no one there beside you when flying off into the sunset.
There is a difference between being female and being a lady. You are born male or female.
So, how do you become a lady? Through the practice of uplifting other women and obtaining qualities from the people you admire most. But most importantly, we are all just people and being a good person is more important than any title...
To learn more on NICOLE COLLIN'S video series "The Young Women's Guide" visit her YouTube channel here:
@J_nicolecollins
@theyoungwomansguide
