Disclosure: Thank you to Express and ShopStyle for sponsoring today’s post. All products were selected, purchased and loved by yours truly!

I am not one who rarely steps back and looks around at and appreciates the present. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day, focus on the long to-do lists, plan for the future and constantly be thinking “what’s next?” While there are great consequences to this, I think there’s something to be said for reflecting and soaking up and experiencing the gratitude of where you came from. If you’ll allow me, I’d love to do that right now.

My story is filled with both nontraditional and traditional twists and turns, although as I think about it, it definitely errors more on the side of untraditional. I’ve never wanted to be like everybody else. If I see a path most people are taking, I’ve always been intrigued by the other direction. This probably explains why at a young age I decided I didn’t want to attend college, why I got married in Jamaica, am 33 and don’t have any children and why my job involves posting mirror selfies on the internet. Wrong or right, it led me to the place I am today and for that, I am grateful.

Thankfully, risk hasn’t scared me much, but more so excites me. When I started this blog, I knew absolutely nothing about blogging. Literally, zero. I didn’t know how to write [still working on that], taking photos was laughable, and managing a team of women was something I didn’t have an ounce of training in. I often think that my naivety has always been my best asset. If I have to think about something more than once I get annoyed [again, a great and not so great quality of mine – “why think about it if you can just dive in and figure out if it works or not?!”] Some people call this careless, irresponsible and immature. I like to call it fearless, confident and ambitious.

Notch One Collar Blazer [size up if in between] // Fearless Graphic Crew Neck Muscle Tank [size down if in between]  // Express Mid Rise Denim Perfect Raw Hem Ankle Leggings [true to size] // Express Essex Heels [true to size] // Express Seed Bead Tassel Hoop Earrings // Express Faux Snakeskin Bowler Bag

I often think we tell ourselves that we have to have every answer, have the clearest picture painted in our minds for what the future looks like. We need EVERY tool, EVERY answer, EVERY uncertainty to be made certain, all before we even begin. If you’re sitting in a position today where you’ve been dreaming about doing something that makes you sweat a little bit, I wonder what would happen if you jumped in? Took a fearless approach and just started…start without knowing it all, having all of the answers, feeling foolish but risking what could be the greatest reward.

If I hadn’t jumped in fearlessly, I wouldn’t be writing this today. If I allowed not knowing it all from stopping me, I wouldn’t be employing 6 of the most talented, genuine, smart women today. If I wouldn’t have hit publish on February 1, 2011 I wouldn’t be living my dream today. You don’t know what you may miss by not acting, not doing and not trying.

Notch One Collar Blazer [size up if in between] // Fearless Graphic Crew Neck Muscle Tank [size down if in between]  // Express Mid Rise Denim Perfect Raw Hem Ankle Leggings [true to size] // Express Essex Heels [true to size] // Express Seed Bead Tassel Hoop Earrings // Express Faux Snakeskin Bowler Bag

Speaking of expressing myself, a portion of how I do that [and thankfully what my job allows me to do] is express my ambition and passion through what I wear. I was so excited to partner with Express to talk about my unique ambition, how I express myself, and how you can too. If you look good, you feel good [and vice versa – if you feel good, you look good]. Thanks to Express Jeans that exude confidence, statement tees, a fearless pair of heels and a go-getter blazer, I can approach my days with an extra boost of creativity and confidence. When I dress for success, my goals feel just a tad bit easier to achieve.

Express Seed Bead Tassel Hoop EarringsExpress Mid Rise Denim Perfect Raw Hem Ankle Leggings [true to size] Express Faux Snakeskin Bowler Bag Express Essex Heels [true to size] 

What’s holding you back? What if you let go of your fear and did the thing that has your heart beating a little bit faster? What if you fast forward 8 years and found yourself living your dream because you decided to start that random day in 2019? I dare you to try…great things await!