Some caterpillars form their cacoon then emerge a beautiful butterfly only three days later.
But other caterpillars, the ones in harsh conditions, will wait up to three years before they emerge.
Three years.
Can you imagine being stuck in a dark, uncomfortable space for three years all the while hoping, praying that things get better?
Maybe too many of us can imagine that. Heck, Tiffany lived it. Although, Tiffany never was a caterpillar that became a butterfly. Her story isn't about having an awkward phase and then realizing who she was. She's always been this beautiful, take-charge leader brimming with confidence and pouring success over everything she devoted her time to.
Tiffany has always had 'it' until she didn't.
Loss of her beloved father, global crisis, sickness, and daily demands layered over her like cinderblocks laying a foundation.
For three years the vibrant, sure woman that was Tiffany sat in a place of loss, of worthlessness, of pain, anger, and, for the first time in her life, an unclear vision of what her future was supposed to be.
"How did you get out of the place," I asked Tiffany.
"I don't know how to explain it," she said, "It was like I just realized that I couldn't be this way anymore. I'd lost my dad, my greatest supporter, I sold and let go of a business that defined me. I was just stuck. But I had to be the one that got me out. I had to work my way through this. And I did."
"You say working through it," I asked as I quickly tried to write everything Tiffany said. "What is 'working through it'? What does that look like?" "Gosh, that's a good question," Tiffany smiled and looked to the side as she thought. "I had to change a lot of my ideas. I had to change my idea of purpose and that's scary because it feels like I don't need to have a purpose. Not like I used to. I just need to be more spiritual. It's different than how I've lived my life. I'm releasing this hard-driven part of myself and it's really hard. It's like death. It's the release of who I was. It's like, 'Nope! You don't have to try so hard anymore. And allowing that, that's made it easier for me to come back."
"Some people don't," I said, my voice quiet as I smiled at my new friend. "Some people get stuck. Some people stay a victim. But you didn't."
"I couldn't. I didn't want to be that way even when it was happening." Tiffany looked at me, strength in her eyes. "When you're on the down you have the help yourself. You have to make the choice to walk through it. You have to take the steps to get through it. No one is doing that for you."
You'd never know if you saw Tiffany that for the last three years, she was lost to everyone including herself.
As Tiffany said she's in the opposite of a mid-life crisis- she's in a mid-life awakening.
And she is awake!
This woman is back to life with an enthusiasm that feels like caffeine in your veins. Being near Tiffany makes you want to be who you were always meant to be.
Tiffany is not a woman who lets others settle. Not because she forces them forward or guilts them into a certain way of being. It's more like Tiffany reminds you that it's possible.
It's possible to be better.
It's possible to be more.
It's possible to be abundant in integrity, wealth, happiness, purpose, and peace.
She makes you think it's possible because she's living it and her existence invites you to live it too.
Tiffany is a realtor, a life coach, a mother, a wife, an investor, and a woman with an eye for the future and the ability to breathe through the process of becoming.
Tiffany lives and serves with depth.
There is no halfway with this woman.
There is no conformity Tiffany would ever stuff herself into.
Here's the thing, Tiffany doesn't fit in.
She doesn't fit into the current trend of victimhood or blaming others.
She doesn't fit into small-town games of gossip.
She didn't fit into the cacoon of depression that was smothering her even though she had been there for three years.
It couldn't hold her.
Her own mind games couldn't extinguish her exuberant power of being.
Tiffany is a force for good.
While three years might have been a long time, she is unleashed.
This woman is here to change her life and the lives of everyone she encounters.
Cheers to you, Tiffany. What an honor to be your photographer and watch you step forward into who you are becoming. This is a beautiful transformation that will guide and inspire everyone you meet.
Hair and makeup by the amazing Shea Hollister
Love, Melinda
P.S. Are you interested in an incredible photoshoot experience all your own with Melinda? Whether it be a branding photoshoot, birthday photoshoot, mother and daughter pictures, headshots, or contemporary portraits and boudoir we will create something show-stopping that celebrates you!
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