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Today, I am speaking with a woman who felt pressured to conform to the expectations of others starting in middle school. Yet, by setting aside who she was as a person, she felt unfulfilled until she made some changes to embrace her natural purpose.
Angelia Hayes eventually came to understand that she was made in God’s image and likeness. Consequently, she didn’t need someone else’s approval to have value in herself. Nor did she need to scale back her ambitions just because it meant other people were uncomfortable with her using her God-given talent.
Angelia was raised in a very small town with a population under 3,000 people. Even in that environment, she felt pressured to conform and blend-in just to please others.
That is the wrong attitude people need today, said Angelia. Every person has value to his or her life, especially young women.
Consequently, Angelia is passionate about helping women who were struggling with their own identity and trying to figure out their purpose in life.
She also found a way to support herself on her own as a mobile notary, which allows Angelia to have more control over her own schedule to give her more freedom to engage in activities dear to her heart.
I was glad to interview Angelia to talk about her book, “More Than Meets the Eye: Made in His Image.” I am very appreciative she took time to share her story with us.
As a father of three girls, it literally broke my heart to watch my normally smart, intelligent and driven daughters dumb themselves down in middle school. They did so just to be more acceptable to boys who were threatened in the presence of a confident young lady. It happened to all three of my daughters.
Comparison to others works to kill talent, dreams and goals. Eventually, my daughters learned to be comfortable being who God made them to be. Angelia came to the same conclusion several years ago herself when she determined God did not want her dumbing herself down just to be accepted by others.
Angelia noted just how disingenuous social media can be by encouraging people, especially women, to wear public masks and develop superficial relationships instead of deep, committed and loyal friendships.
After working in municipal government overseeing the operations of a local court, Angelia decided it was time to take control of her own career. She opened her mobile notary service and took the extra step of becoming a notary signing agent in order to complete real estate closings.
Her advice to people over 50 is to engage in a process of self-discovery. First, after quieting your mind and soul, make a list of things you’re good at doing.
After reviewing the list, one or two things will just pop out from the others as though beckoning you to pursue them will full passion.
People can connect with Angelia on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube or via email at uniquelyyours28@yahoo.com.
That’s all I have for this week’s show. I will have another interview on the next episode of The Forward From 50 podcast. Thank you for listening.
If you order Angelia’s book from the link above, Forward From 50 may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
After closing his business and enduring several painful years of uncertainty regarding what to do with his life, Greg founded Forward From 50 to help men and women over 50 to live more purposeful lives by pursuing things they are passionate about. A Wisconsin native, Greg currently lives in Arizona.