When Rebekah Star sent an email to her network of friends asking that we complete the sentence "I am ________", I was very excited to fill in the blank and responded to her message by stating, "I am Infinitely Fabulous".  For those who know me, my answer is no surprise - the term "fabulous" is one that has been a part of my vocabulary for as long as I can remember.  But why "Infinitely Fabulous"?  Well the term "infinitely" means without boundaries or limits and the term "fabulous" means, exceptionally good or wonderful.  So, by defining that I am Infinitely Fabulous, I'm making a statement  that being Infinitely Fabulous involves my drive, constant pursuit of education and my unique sense of style - I have a love of all things fashion and design.  I always felt it was cool to be smart, successful and fabulous, all at the same time.  By putting education first, achieving degrees in both college and graduate school, then working hard throughout my career, these accomplishments allowed me to enjoy all the fabulous things life has to offer.  I learned early in life, there are no hand outs, you have to create the life that you want and put in the work to achieve your goals.  Make no mistake, living an 'Infinitely Fabulous' life is not without it's challenges - when you know who you are and where you are going, unfortunately, there will be people and circumstances that will attempt to make you feel differently about yourself, for whatever reason.  Whenever I encounter such obstacles, I use it as an opportunity to learn and once I have done that, I keep it moving...  As I continue to grow as a woman, I am reminded that we must listen to our own voice - don't be afraid to trust yourself, because if you don't, who will?  I love this quote by poet and author, Audre Lorde, she said "If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive."  I keep this quote in my head and heart - she expresses that it is imperative to be clear about who you are - a lot of people may have expectations of what you’re supposed to be or become and how you’re supposed to get there, it's happened to me at different points in my life.  Self Identity is truly something to be discovered and requires spending time with yourself and aligning yourself with people who can be an inspiration for the person you are trying to become. I cannot stress how important it is to be around positive people who are self aware, smart, goal oriented and supportive.   I know first hand that your environment and surroundings can have a positive and/or negative effect on how you feel about and define yourself - not to mention television, music, magazines and other forms of media that aim to distort our self image.  Sometimes in might mean you will have to tune out  the noise and even more extreme, leave people behind as you continue to grow and climb toward the life you want - a life filled with limitless possibilities.  I have had to disassociate myself from people when I felt the relationship was no longer healthy or positive - it was not an easy or popular decision, but it was best for my future and often, life requires you to make those hard decisions in order to grow.  By living Infinitely Fabulous, I feel empowered to help others realize the same -  that limits exists only in the mind and when you place them upon yourself.  To further my point, there is one last quote that I'd like to share with you from author, Marianne Williamson, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine..." That quote is one of the greatest and most powerful messages of all time and is another one that I keep close to my heart - it is a reminder to me that knowing "My Black is Infinitely Fabulous" is what I was meant to be.

With Love,       

Ceo, Melissa Hibbert Consulting