Are You the Tortoise or the Hare?

Some races have to be ran in order to determine a winner. The old adage “slow and steady wins the race” always prevails over rushing to take shortcuts. If you had to manipulate the results in order to win, you actually took a loss. When something is meant to be and you are meant to have it, it will happen for you.

Everybody wants to win, but no one wants to put in the work to be a winner. What exactly does “putting in the work” look like? It’s working past closing hours to get the job done, it’s being consistent with planning, pursuing, working, and producing great results every single day. When I started as a hairstylist 25 years ago, I didn’t have a single client. I had to do hair for free to get my work noticed. I traveled to family and friends houses with my 4 year old in tow to wash and style hair for $25 dollars. I made fliers and gave discounts for referrals and I did that 7 days a week. I had no days off until I had successfully built up a steady clientele. I worked in small hole in the wall salons in undesirable areas to make ends meet. My daughter’s father had been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison and I was left to be her sole provider. My childhood girlfriend was one of the baddest hairstylist in the DC area. She was truly gifted and way before her time. I shampooed hair for her and closely studied her skills. There are no shortcuts to being successful so I stayed late every night and arrived early every morning ready to learn my craft. I was determined to be a great hairstylist.

Being a shampoo assistant for my girlfriend was a very humbling experience. I went from being a client to being her assistant. It didn’t pay much, but it was the experience that I was really after. Many of her clients didn’t know that she and I were good friends. They didn’t feel like they had to respect me because to them I was just a shampoo girl, but through hard work and dedication I became a force to reckon with. Particularly known for my cutting and coloring skills, I am blessed and grateful to be still thriving in an industry that is saturated by do-it-yourself YouTube tutorials and Instagram pics. I believe that my real skill is how I relate to people. People will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

I lost my job with the federal government a few months prior to becoming a full-time shampoo assistant/hairstylist. In my immaturity, I called my boss an Uncle Tom and kicked a trash can towards her head so they fired me. During that time, I was only a part-time student in cosmetology school, so working with my girlfriend made sense. I could see and feel the funny looks when I was styling the few clients that I had, but I had to keep on pushing because those women did not know my purpose nor were they going to break me. I had a plan and goal in mind. I had to make it as a hairstylist. I had a child to take care of and no job so failure was not an option. It’s amazing what you can do when you are forced to do it.

I remember this one incident in particular that really hurt me and almost made me give up hairstyling. I used to braid a young guy’s hair that was a program assistant for the radio station 93.9 WKYS. He had been telling me that they were going to have these promotional giveaways for free hair makeovers to increase listeners. The hairstylist selected to perform the makeovers would get free prime time radio advertisement during the Russ Parr and Olivia Fox morning show. He told me that he gave the program director my info and that someone would be contacting me to work out the specifics. He thought I was a good up and coming hairstylist and this would be a great way to boost my career. I was ecstatic!

The day the radio station called the salon I had just stepped out for lunch. Instead of taking a message, the receptionist told the person from the radio station that there was a more talented hairstylist that would be a better fit for their promotional giveaways. My girlfriend got on the phone and explained that I was merely her assistant and asked why would they use the trainee when they could use the trainer. When I returned from lunch there was so much buzz and excitement in the salon as my girlfriend was now the face and talent behind the makeovers. I was excited for her. I just simply thought that they called and specifically asked for her. I helped her in every way that I could because her business increased tremendously and I handled her overflow. There were a few more things that happened that almost made me quit hairstyling and my friendship with my girlfriend. I never knew the full story until I relocated to another salon. My client told me the story in depth. That incident put some distance between me and my girlfriend (may she Rest In Peace), but I realize now that it was a part of God’s plan for my life. That was another gentle push towards my destiny. I left that salon and my career flourished and is still flourishing today. I’m often saddened when people have to tear somebody else down to make themselves look good. Those people have self-esteem issues. If you have to hurt somebody to get what you want, you really don’t think that you have what it takes nor do you believe that you deserve to have it. When something is truly meant for you the stars will align and God extends favor.

Although that promotional giveaway was a missed opportunity it was not mine. God had something better. I had to run my own race and jump over my own hurdles. I had to learn some valuable lessons. God’s delays are not His denials some things we are not meant to have. Playing dirty, while momentarily gratifying, is never fair or becoming of good character. You’ll rise to the top quickly, but your fall will be faster and harder. Rather than taking shortcuts to gaining success, try developing a winning plan and implementing that plan the right way. The results are more rewarding and sustainable.