Manifesto
a scrapbook of what I believe — cut, taped & stuck together by Rochelle.
Someone once told me I leave a trail of glitter wherever I go, and I took it as the compliment it was. To me glitter is happy, playful, a little rebellious about where it lands, and I reckon everyone should be the glitter. The good for the environment kind, of course.
Positive
Mental
Attitude.
— Kevin Giles' number plate, c.1994
I believe in a positive mental attitude, and I can tell you exactly where that came from. When I was about ten, my dad's mate Kevin Giles had a number plate that read PMA. I asked him what it meant and he said Positive Mental Attitude, and I have freaking loved it ever since. No matter what shit comes your way, you get to choose how you take it and what you do with it. I would rather look for the good in the hard stuff and work my way through than be a negative Nelly.
I am a bit magic, I believe I am lucky, I believe in good energy and bloody hard work, and I love creating more than almost anything. I love the 80s and cheeseburgers and diamonds, and my family and friends are my entire world.
The thing I am best at in the whole world is seeing the magic in people, usually long before they can see it themselves. I have one of the best networks going, and it is not a list of contacts, it is a room full of humans I would go to bat for. My hope, every single time, is that people walk away seeing the magic in themselves, dreaming bigger and going after the life they actually want.
I have been an entrepreneur in my blood forever, but it is only recently that I have gone all in, and the difference is everything. Confidence never came first for me, it came from action. You start somewhere, you are prepared to be shit at it for a while, you practise and you learn, and the more you do the more you back yourself. So I believe in giving things a go, failing fast, learning quicker, and living bloody live rather than watching from the sideline.
I do have one hard line. I have empathy and patience for days, right up until someone refuses to help themselves. I do not do slackers and I do not do Eeyores, because I cannot want it more for you than you want it for yourself, and I will not pretend to.
Kind
> Nice.
a plot twist I changed my mind about.
Here is something I have changed my mind about. I used to think being nice and being kind were the same thing, and they are not. Kindness is one of the strongest moves you can make. It costs nothing and the impact sticks, because people will forget what you said but never how you made them feel. If you think kindness is soft, you are missing the point entirely.
And the plot twist nobody expects from someone this loud. I am a Virgo, and I colour beautifully inside the lines. I am not the rebel, I am the one who does it properly and cares about getting the detail right, and it turns out precision and fun are not opposites.
I learned differently my whole life and did not know why until I found out I am dyslexic, and it turned out to be a superpower, because I see things the stock standard crowd walk straight past. It has only ever been kryptonite in the moments I wobbled or when a rubbish leader tried to use it against me, and I am well and truly done letting that happen.
But the biggest lesson of my life is this. Putting myself first is not selfish, it is the exact opposite.
I cannot be the best mum, partner or business woman if I am wobbling for everyone else. Putting myself first means knowing precisely where I am going and why, and staying focused enough to actually get there. Calm, it turns out, is the ultimate feeling.
And then there is the dance floor. My mum was a ballerina and a ballet teacher, and my very first home had a dance studio in it, so I grew up in music and movement and I have loved it my whole life. My favourite quote in the world, from H. Jackson Brown Jr, is that "opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor", and it became my mantra. I do not see putting myself out there as imposter syndrome anymore, I see it as my turn on the floor. My dance might look a little different and my outfits will be very me, because I am done not showing up in sparkles.
So this is me.
On the floor, in the sparkles, giving it everything.
Your turn.