On December 1st, I headed to the cinema with a couple of friends to watch the Renaissance film by Beyonce. I wouldn’t call myself a stan. However, I do admire and love her work, and have done since the very beginning. I’ve always been inspired by her work ethic and the intentionality that goes into what she creates. As I was watching the movie, I was going through a process of learning. This created a mindset shift in me. To the point that it motivated me to put the same energy and heart into my art and to keep on going no matter what. Here are the five lessons that I am taking away with me.
Thinking Shift : Never Fail To Try
First, one of the most important things that we can do for ourselves is the encouragement of trying new things. Most of the time, we are not sure if that thing will work. However, we will never know if we fail to try it out. Getting into powerlifting, travelling solo and getting new certifications were not easy things for me. What makes this journey of trying new activities more beautiful is having fun doing these things, while figuring it all out. It’s not easy documenting my process and then making mistakes in front of other people. I had to shift my thinking from caring about what other people’s opinions to taking the leap into building my self-confidence.
We may be afraid of failure or not being good enough. We may doubt our own abilities and think that we don’t have what it takes to succeed. But the truth is that we will never know if we don’t try at all. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Always take action and remind yourself that failure is not the opposite of success. Failure is part of the journey.
Practice Makes Progress
At the beginning of anything that you try for the first time, you will always have nerves. When I stepped into the room for my first powerlifting meet in 2018, I was filled with nerves. With each powerlifting meet and training session, I started getting better and I grew more confident – and the people around me started to take more notice of this. That confidence led to me to do my second powerlifting meet in 2019 and learn to coach myself for a mock meet in 2022.
Aiming for progress allows you to recognise those small steps and wins that helps you build self-assurance in your own abilities. Having that space to experiment and be creative in your art helps you to understand what works and what doesn’t work. The magic happens in the execution. As you practice your art, you start to sharpen your skills and build up your knowledge base. You learn to build new habits so you can fully lean into your creativity and overcome your fears. I have done that and it is wonderful! Practice makes progress, and your confidence grows from that.
Every Challenge Is A Learning Opportunity
In the Renaissance film, there are two scenes that evoked a lot of emotions for me. One is relatable to most, if not all Black women, and the other related to her journey with motherhood. The first scene was when she was talking to a crew member about a fisheye lens and she said,
“I feel like being a Black woman, the way that people communicate with me is different. Everything is a fight. It’s almost a battle against your will. Eventually, they realise that this bitch will not give up.”
Beyonce – Renaissance
The second scene she cuts to her children watching her backstage. Then she explains that to the world, she is Beyonce but to her children, she is mum. They don’t care if she is performing on stage to her audience. They just want her to be present and spend time with her. Seeing her managing and balancing her various identities and learning when to give and take, shows me that you’ve got to work with what you have.
When you take a look at your life, you can see that you had to go through certain struggles to get to where you are now. Currently, you may be going through a struggle and are working extremely hard to get to where you want to be. While I was watching the film, it depicted that no matter how successful you are in this moment, you are always going to face challenges.
It is overcoming those challenges that creates the champions. It’s that shift in mindset that separates the winners from the non-winners. Those of us that win know that the world is unfair. Yet, you don’t let that stop you from pushing through the struggle and improving yourself.
Authenticity Shift : Be Yourself
Living in the world of social media and highlight reels, it’s very easy to only show off the glam side of life. Something that I have learnt over the years is that most people crave the non curated side of you. They want to grow and evolve with you through your art and as a person. In some seasons in my life, I show the vulnerablity. In others, I show the glitter and glam.
However, I have noticed in the recent years is that being authentic and being myself has helped me show up in ways that I could never imagined. It has helped me connect with you. It has made you feel seen and supported. I have created a space where each person can be themselves, reach out to me and be vulnerable. And it’s not a one way thing. Showing up as me and acknowledging you has made my little corner of the internet more freeing.
Community Shift: Induce Participation
Lastly, building a community and your own tribe was the last lesson that I learnt from the film. It is something that I am not so good at, yet I continuously try to be better at each day. When I first started my first social media platform on Tumblr which shifted to this blog, my only goal was to create a space for Black women who wanted to grow their confidence through fitness. It wasn’t the conventional fitness route but strength training as there wasn’t a space for us. Even to this day, Black women are still forgotten and are not as visible in the fitness and health industry.
Over the years of sharing my journey, I have seen the positive effects of having this community. Not only do I still cater to Black women, but also shining my light has given other women from different ethnic communities and marginalised communities to shine their light too. The support that I’ve received from you has been phenomenal!
My goal, as I continue to drive through this mindset shift of community, is to continue showing up and serving all of you. As much I love documenting my fitness, I’ve seen over the last year how my journey into solo travel, wellness and style has fostered this new sense of community. I love being able take you along with me as I experience the world.
Final Thoughts
To me, everything I do comes with an opportunity to learn. This film was no different to all the other films and documentaries that I’ve watched. If there is one thing that I believe each of us should take into the new year, it’s giving your all into your passions. Challenges and setbacks are part of the process but they should not deter us from trying again. Old keys do not open new doors so we may have to pivot a hundred times to find the right key. So document your journey, share your struggles and never give up. You have what it takes to succeed in anything that you put your mind to. Let the shift happen and make some magic!
I hope that this gives you the confidence to enter 2024 with a new mindset shift. I also hope that you give your whole heart and energy into your respective arts. Make sure to hit that subscribe button to join the community and never miss out on a post. Find me on Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok for more powerlifting and wellness content. I wish you all a lovely end to 2023 and a great start to 2024!
Until next time,
Folakemi
