I know it sounds a little cheesy right; maybe even clichéd; but the truth is, that when you own your sparkle, you navigate life more confidently. I’m a singer-songwriter and at this point in my life I feel so blessed. I get to travel the world and sing to thousands of people at live shows, on radio and TV. But despite all of this, I still find myself questioning my ability as a female artist.
I released my new single Diamond Woman, a female empowerment anthem, on the 26th July. The meaning of this song was summed up so well by a friend of mine, Katriya Ross: ‘A woman who is on her own journey of learning and aligning with who she is meant to be despite the outside noise and setbacks along the way’. That means that no matter where you are in your journey of self-discovery, you’re still a diamond – no one gets left out. A diamond shines from the inside out no matter what’s happening around it.
Despite me writing this song and knowing that all of this is true, I still question my ability constantly. Will anyone like it? What if nobody cares? Does it sound good? My sister recently encouraged me by saying, ‘No one is cute like you, or sings like you with your sparkle and shine and that is where your strength is, in being 100% authentic’. We don’t always feel confident and beautiful every moment of every day and our feelings change all the time – which is why can’t focus on our feelings. We have to remind ourselves of our greatness and have the correct mental disposition. I know this sounds like simple advice but as women our hormones can change from one moment to the next too. I personally think we are superheroes regarding the things our bodies can do (erm – childbirth!) but that’s another conversation for another time.
These simple nuggets of advice have helped me when I see some of my peers doing amazing things. Sometimes I question where my space is and where I fit. If you do too my advice would be love you, your quirks, the way you process things and your smile because it makes you special and gives a unique sparkle. In closing, I posted these 3 facts on social media a few days ago and I wanted to share them here:
- Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn.
- The biggest mistake you could ever make is being afraid to make one.
- If you change the way you look at things the things you look at will change
By Sharlene-Monique
Sharlene-Monique is an independent, multi award-winning singer-songwriter; she is also a member of Kingdom Choir. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
You can listen to her new single Diamond Woman by visiting her website.