Best 15 of 2015

When I originally sat down to write this, I was going to talk about all the great things that happened to me in 2015. Then I was stricken by the heaviness of being too braggadocios. See I am an only child and I was told my whole childhood that I spoke of myself too much. This constant correction, which is what people thought they were doing, has set a really heavy burden.

I am now in my late 30’s and I NEVER talk about my accomplishments. When I was a child I stopped to keep friends, as an adult I was told it was humility…now I sit here with so much pressure that I can hardly gather my thoughts to write this post. I have allowed others to take my joy, my experiences and my life and minimize it into what they were comfortable with. I am an only child, which means all of my experiences are based on my life. I am not a gossiper. I do not make small talk. Rather, I am an accomplished woman that is afraid to speak on my greatness because of how I might be perceived by others.

Now this doesn’t mean that that I was or will become a bragger—that’s not my nature. But it does mean that I can celebrate my accomplishments and be happy for myself. I will no longer walk in the contentment of others any longer. So let’s get into this post and what I came here for. I saw a ton of my blogger peeps post about the many wonderful and great things 2015 brought to them and I was inspired to share my accomplishments too. See, I set goals and to say that I achieved them and surpassed them is an understatement this year. I would like to highlight MA’s Best 15 of 2015:

Launched M. Antoinette App (Available in the App Store), so if you follow me on all of my outlets you can now simply download my App and have everything MA in one central location.
Participated in Multiple Speaking Engagements
1. “Living No Lye” Tour: New York, NY – Click here to see the video
2. “Essence on Campus” Tour: Atlanta, GA – Click here to see video
3. “The Knotty Naturalistas”: Knoxville, TN
  Speaking engagement for “The Knotty Naturalistas”
Attended More National Natural Hair Events
1. Family Dollar’s Fabulous, Atlanta, GA – Click here to see the video
2. Design Essentials 25^th Anniversary Brunch: Atlanta, GA – Click here to read the article
Contributor for NaturallyCurly.com and NapturalRoots.com
Grew Social Media Presence.. For all that have ever watched a video, read a post and checked me out on Social Media THANK YOU!!! If you aren’t connected with me on social media please do…I post different things on all outlets.
1. Facebook Fan Page: 5k
2. Instagram: 33K
3. YouTube: 77K
TV Make-up Artist, Wardrobe Stylist and Special Effects Make-up Artist for TV Show, “Justice by Any Means”—now airing on TVOne
Launched New Wig Line with Big Chop Hair – Click Here to see the video
Created “Maria Antoinette’s Surviving with Style–Wig-A-way” Charitable Event for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Finished Top 20%, Covenant Health 5k Women’s Class
Completed the Bourbon Chase, 13.1 miles averaging 11 minute miles
Joined Girls Inc., Knoxville Advisory Board
Worked with More Small Businesses & Major Brands
Added an amazing Fashion Contributor KRob1913 to theMariaAntoinette.com, partnered up with a super talented Photographer Liz of Unique2Chic.com and Hired an Assistant Blog Editor Alisha.
Multiple Collaborations:
1. Lisa of Lisa a la Mode
2. Jessica Pettway
3. Helencia of iKnowLee
4. Yolanda Renee of EctBlogMag.com
Featured on several sites and blogs.

So there you have it…I set goals I achieved those goals and I am pretty proud of myself. Even though I had an amazing year the biggest thing I am walking into 2016 with is courage. So everyday I will tell my self this right here…

[ctt title=”“Courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway.” ~Dr. Robert Anthony” tweet=”“Courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway.” ~Dr. Robert Anthony #MAsBest15of2015″ coverup=”WpkMe”]

Happy New Year and lets all tackle not just our goals but our fears this year!!! Chime in below with some of the incredible things that happened for you this past year…seriously I would love to hear from you! I would like to invite you to sign up for my newsletter, this way you will always be in the know with all things MA if newsletters aren’t your thing simply download my App!
~MA