The title of this blog post might come as a surprise to you, but it is not to me. I am currently sitting and reflecting on a fantastic accomplishment that I achieved this past weekend. Hang tight; I’ll tell you what that accomplishment was in a minute. I had time to do a lot of thinking, and the memory of that frequent statement has been said to me throughout my life crossed my mind. “You’re too smart to be a hairdresser” Yes, that very statement has been said to me several times throughout my life.
The first and only encounter that I will share happened in high school. Two of my favorite teachers had a meeting with me to tell me that I should change my mind about attending cosmetology school, and they think that I should attend college instead. Their reasoning for this meeting was to say that I was too smart and that I was wasting my talent in writing and speaking. They believed that being a “hairdresser” was not a suitable career path for a girl as smart as me. They insisted that I go to college for a degree in journalism. They expressed their concerns for my future etc. I remember knowing they were genuinely concerned, but I knew that I had to do what my passion was, and that passion was becoming a successful hairstylist and salon owner one day. I assured them that I would be a hairstylist who was an author one day.
I am glad to say that day is officially here. This past Friday, January 22, 2021, my new book was released.
While in the past, I co-authored an eBook call 7 Reasons Why Your Hair Doesn’t Grow back in 2017, this recent accomplishment hit differently. That’s because I achieved something that I said I would do about 21 years ago. Achieving a goal always feels good. Right now, I feel good!
Although their statement about me being too smart to be a hairdresser is not pleasant to say, it shows how limited someone’s perception can be because of their preference. Back in the early 2000s, before the days of social media influencers and solo online entreprenuers, the belief was that without a college degree, it was nearly impossible to be successful. So in their minds, they were looking out for me.
If I could go back in time, I would only change one thing. That one thing is that I would have published a book sooner. I am happy that I decided to become a hairstylist and open my business, Beauty for Ashes Salon, 14 years ago. I feel fulfilled and accomplished. I can honestly say I don’t ever have days where I dread going to work. I find ways to write often because it is something that I love to do. I love what I do, and I do what I love.
I am happy to know that this here hairdresser is smart. The great thing about it is that social media allows me to see so many hairstylists out there who are authors. Hairstylists are smart, and being a hairdresser is just as much of a career as any other. I will admit I have plans to go to college to get a degree in the near future. However, that degree will not be in journalism but in something quite different. It will be in something that will build a foundation for the latter portion of my life for the season that I am getting ready to into into. Stay tuned!
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