I felt like today was a perfect day to tell my story, well not my whole story but some of it! For the past few weeks I’ve been getting around to writing this post, but it didn’t feel right until today. Maybe because tomorrow is a new year and I wanted to express this in 2010? Whatever the case may be. I never get too personal on here, it’s strictly for what you guys come to see… fashion. But it was on my heart to speak to my Glam-Aholics to let them know that dreams really do come true. At the end of this post I hope it inspires or uplifts anybody to know that you can do anything that you put your mind to. Yes, corny or cliche’ I know…but it’s the absolute truth! So here we go…

I’m just a regular ghetto girl from Detroit. I had my son when I was 17 years old, so I hit the ground running at a young age. Any job that you could ever imagine working…I did it. Janitor, Cashier, Customer Service Rep…I’ve done it ALL! But my heart was always in fashion. Everything I did centered around it some way or another. It always came full circle. I became the girl that my friends and family called before they got dressed to go on a date, out to the club and even church! I was the “go to guy”

Me & My Munchie

I would sit at my desk at work, read Kimora’s ‘Fabulosity’ book and write down all of my ideas in my notepad. I mean I would write down EVERYTHING!  From what the name of my clothing store would be…to what the interior was gonna look like. I even sketched up how my advertisements would look like in magazines. I would just sit and daydream all day!

My handwriting is a MESS! lol

But I was so unhappy with my job that I would go in the bathroom and cry almost every day. So I prayed about it, stepped out on faith and quit. Never looked back. I knew what I wanted to do and I was gonna do it. One of my closest friends(hey Wallo!), sat down with me one day and told me to start a blog, share my thoughts with the world… that this is what I was suppose to be doing, and that further assured me that I made the right decision!

November 4, 2009 Confessions Of A Glam-Aholic was born

Since then, I’ve worked in retail under two wonderful people (hey Joey & Queece!) and I learned so much! But I knew that I wanted my own. I always remembered my ideas in my notepad in the back of my head and knew that I had to make them happen. Within this past year so much has happened that I am grateful for. I’ve been introduced to some wonderful people (hey Irv, Blair & Khabirah!) and I used each tasks as a stepping stone to get closer and closer to my dream. Although I’m not all the way there yet…I can see it.

After my last job I had $384…to..my…name. Nothing more…nothing less. I took that $384, stepped out on faith…again, and started Glam-Aholic Lifestyle. My friends, family and people I didn’t even know believed in me enough to support something that I believed in, and I am forever thankful! And within 3 months Glam-Aholic Lifestyle is  growing more and more each day!

1st pic of the Glam Tote…and the rest is history lol

I won’t talk your ears off much more, but I say all this to say that dreams really do come true. What ever you want to do you have to go out and get it. Use each opportunity you have as a stepping stone. I’m not a motivational speaker or anything lol…but I have lived it. It takes a lot of time and a lot of PATIENCE. Nothing worth having ever comes easy. As I look back at my notepad I’m glad I always wrote the date. Those ideas started in March of 2007 and here it is December of 2010…but it still happened! Everything in that book has not gone as planned, somethings have even turned out better than I could ever imagine. I’m blessed.

Last thing… I promise! lol I was watching Oprah one day and she was talking about starting a vision board. I began mine about a year ago, adding magazine pages, pics of cute stores, pics of beautiful beaches and little inspirational notes from my bff(hey Chrissy!). A year later as I look at this board it’s covered in things that I have accomplished. MY accomplishments…not other people’s, but MINE!

This may be new to people around me because I don’t really talk much about it. I hope this is inspiration to anybody that’s trying to make a dream… reality. I came from nothing but I’m turning it in to something and you can too! But where ever my journey leads me I know that it started right here. If I fall, I’ll get up, dust myself off and try again. Just know that I don’t want to be famous… I just want to be successful.

Love,

Mia Ray xoxo