Rules for achieving your dreams... Rule #1 ...Never, Never, Never Give Up! When you are exhausted and overwhelmed by the pain and sorrow of your broken spirit...return to Rule #1!

Who Has Your "Blind Side?"

Last night I had the chance to watch the inspiring movie, "The Blind Side" for the up-teenth time, and even though I have seen this movie repeatedly it continues to move me.  The fact that this was inspired by a true story is so beautiful and uplifting, but the feelings of faith that is instilled within me is overpowering. How many of us go through our entire lives wondering who has our "back" and if only for a moment we could let our gaurd down, what sense of encouragement that would provide us?

In pageantry as in life, everyone enters a competition expecting that only one person will walk away with the title yet we strive to become all that we have ever wanted to be and place our efforts, our hopes, and our dreams into that one event. In the realization that you are the only person competing against yourself, then how would you look at every beautiful set of eyes staring back at you in the judges room, in the rehearsal hall, or in the elevator? You have no idea why God placed you in that exact place in time to compete for a coveted title. If you consider that throughout your journey in pageantry, it is about camaraderie, sisterhood, and making a difference. If we played the sport of pageantry the way Michael was taught to play the game of football, then how much more could you impact the dreams and self-esteem of your sister contestant? If we all learn to have each others "blind side" throughout the competition then the positive energy you provide will send ripple effect so powerful across the universe, you would be surprised just how many lives you could touch.

So when you walk into your next competition, rather than walking past your sister competitor, stop and give her a compliment, and encouraging word, and help her to realize her true potential as well. Go into any area of your life having another persons back, and you will soon see your world transform into truly making a difference, and be the true queen that you are there to exemplify. Have your inspiration up and your guard down, and most importantly, treat everyone with the love and respect they deserve and have their "blind side," treating them as if they were your family because we are all. Here's to making your dreams come true!

What is Your Dream?

"The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be."  - Oprah Winfrey

I truly believe that Oprah Winfrey is one of the most inspirational people in this century. Not only did she come from a childhood that was difficult, but she refused to be a victim and allow the world to tell her who and what she was to become. Named as Fortune Magazine's "50 Most Powerful Women," Oprah Winfrey was also involved in pageantry and actually won the Miss Fire Prevention and Miss Black Tennessee titles. Although she failed to make the finals at the Miss Black America Pageant, Oprah Winfrey moved forward in her life plan to change the world and become one of the most influential people in the world! When people look back on watching her journey into pageantry, they more than likely did not see the influence that this one person would have on inspiring the world!


When I coach my pageant queen's, my goal is to help them realize that pageantry is just one step in their journey towards what they are truly meant to become. If you could look at your life from the outside looking in, you would love a little stronger, laugh a little harder, and dream a little bigger! Now is your turn to love, laugh, and dream your way into a beautiful new year that is created only for you. If you could have any dream come true....what would that dream be? Ask Oprah Winfrey in 1971, and would she have answered, "to win the Miss Black America Pageant?" or would she have answered, "My dream is to change the world."


So now I ask you? What's your dream?

Celebrating One Man's Vision to change the world - a portion of the "I have a Dream Speech" by Martin Luther King

As we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, I wanted to take this moment to remind everyone that if you want to change the world, you do it, one word at a time, one speech at a time, and one person at a time. God bless those who have a dream to change the world.


I Have A Dream Speech by Martin Luther King


I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."


And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Follow Your Dreams

"It all started when I was about 10 years old and I was on the beach sitting on a huge rock with my sweatshirt wrapped around my waist smiling for my Daddy's camera. I remember how I felt most of all. I felt special that my dad wanted to take my picture, I felt beautiful with the wind in my hair, and at that moment - I remember thinking - I want to be a model. Well, fast forward about 25 years later...modeling had not been a serious thought growing up as I did not grow to be tall & model thin, and I had focused my energy on getting my BA & Masters Degree, and later starting my family. Then I found myself watching ANTM and beginning to really appreciate the pure art, creativity and skill that goes into taking a fierce picture. For two years I watched those shows and used my mirror as a camera lense and my hallway as a catwalk. I always had this feeling that one day I would get to put all this practice to good use. Then one day - I met a photographer who was hoping to use me as a referral for business and he offered me a free photo shoot. Well, I hired a stylist and decided that this was my chance to live my dream of doing a high fashion type shoot. To my amazement, I was far more photogenic than I thought and actually took some of the best photos I had ever taken. I did more photo shoots with him and other local photographers and one day I came across this show, She's Got the Look. I couldn't believe it! It was ANTM but for women over age 35 like me! And, the first episode I saw had a woman on there who resembled my features - and in that moment - I felt like I could see myself there. I decided to apply for the show, even though I knew that my height was going to, at some point, be an issue. I was passionate about modeling and I felt confident that I could be good at it. After all, my beautiful pictures had nothing to do with my height. So, long story short - I made it to the Top 20 out of thousands of model hopefuls from across the country and was actually shown briefly on the first preview episode. I didn't make it nearly as far as I hoped, but I made it far enough to spark some hope that maybe there might be opportunities out there. So, I approached my "dream" with a bit of realism and reached out to local modeling agencies for representation for commercial/print/lifestyle work. To my surprise there was an agency interested and they requested a meeting. I was nervous about the meeting, for fear that they would reject me due to my height. However, within five minutes of being there, they signed me, and when I showed them a picture of my kids, they signed both of them as well. Since then, my daughter was recently a covergirl for the 2011 Beatrix NY catalogue, and our entire family was photographed in an editorial spread for Redbook Magazine due to come out in the Feb or March issue of 2011. Although, the editorial was not a high fashion type spread, it was truly an honor just to be doing it - and to be doing it with my husband and two kids made it even that much more special. I think when it comes to dreams - sometimes we may need to tweek the dreams a bit, like - I may not ever walk the runways in Milan or do high fashion editorials, but I can do lifestyle modeling on a local level. It gives me a level of accomplishment and a feeling of fulfillment knowing that I am still living my dream on some level. But - even then, life is funny - and there's always that rare opportunity that may come - so my stance is to stay hopeful and be ready. Maybe one day you will see me walk a catwalk or do a fashion editorial - you never know. Visualize your dream, start with small steps but dream big!"

Jeanene Cannon

Here's to a New Year and making your dreams come true!

When you wake up tomorrow morning, ask yourself "what would I do today if I knew I could not fail?"....then do it! Too often we awake in our normal day to day life and forget that everyday we awake is another 24 hours to make our dreams come true! Do you realize how many precious souls awake every morning thinking about the habit of work, stress, finances, and forget that their journey is about them? These same people...all of us someday...will awake for the very last time, and if we knew that it would be the last sunset we watched, the last smile on our partners face we saw or the last laughter we heard, would we run out in haste to greet our stressful day or would we encounter those loving words, smiles, and embraces with the appreciation of gratitude that they deserve?

Today... this moment... is the very chance you have to make a difference in the lives of others, but also in your own life! Cherish it - embrace it - and stop living in fear of the dreams you have tucked into the dark closet of your mind. Rather pull them out of the closet and dust them off, because it is now that you have this moment to make every dream come true! Live life in the moment and soon you will discover that you are creating miracles in your life each and every day!

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Happy New Year! Here is to a year of making dreams come true!