Journey Forward {7}

I thought I knew exactly who I was going to write about for this post. Today's Journey Forward post is about the person who is our role model or, better yet, the spokesperson for our "word" of the year. 

Become

I thought about Marilyn Monroe because she's always been an inspiration to me. She lived a tough childhood without a father and with a barely existent mother, all the while never giving up on her dream to become an actress. But, Marilyn's life was cut short. I don't think she truly ever got to become the woman she wanted to be. It's sad.

Then, I thought about Sandra Bullock, another inspiration to me. It's always motivating to see someone from your hometown area become so successful at what they do. She's one of the leading ladies of Hollywood and a favorite of many. Yet, she stayed grounded and strong and persevered. 

But, as far as the things I want to accomplish in this life go, I have chosen one person who encompasses many of the aspects I want to become [although not all of them will be during this year in particular.] Tori Spelling.

That's right. I've been a fan of hers since the days when I was young and my mom didn't let me watch Beverly Hills: 90210 [but I'd sneak a peek anyway!] I've read all of her books and just love her little series on Oxygen. I even named my cat after her first daughter, Stella. [My husband wouldn't let me name our future daughter that. Shucks.]

Tori always talks about her childhood and knew how lucky and blessed she was to live such a lavish life. But, when it came to becoming who and what she wanted to be, she still had to work hard. I look at her now and read her stories and see the spunk and the passion, the drive and the down-to-earth nature of her. She has never lost sight on her dreams despite the personal hardships she's been faced with.

She doesn't let her age hold her back from being a wonderful mother of three [and a fourth on the way!] She doesn't let the career disappointments of her past hold her back from accomplishing all her current business goals.

Tori somehow finds time to do it all and she does it well. I don't think the world gives her enough credit. She's a total family girl with a real zest for life! Do I even need to mention the obvious other things I love about her? [Her beautifully styled home and the fact that we share the same love for big, chunky jewelry?]

So, at the end of the day, Tori is my girl. She has truly "become" a woman who has it all. Not because it was handed to her but because she worked for it and never gave up on her dreams. She heard "no" a thousand times but said "yes" a thousand and one.

It's only appropriate to end with a Tori quote:

“Everybody knows there is no such thing as normal. There is no black-and-white definition of normal. Normal is subjective. There's only a messy, inconsistent, silly, hopeful version of how we feel most at home in our lives.” 

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Next week for Journey Forward:
Several weeks ago, I asked you to create a "Journey Forward" board on Pinterest, full of anything that inspires you to move toward your "word." If you haven't yet, go do so now!
Well, this next week go find pictures that exemplify your "word." I'm not talking about quotes or a picture with your word on it. Save those for later. Whether your word is growth, love, beauty, faith, etc. find pictures that relay that message, that word to us. This might require some imagination, depending on our words. Have fun with it, keep your mind open. Pin those images, and in your post next week, share them with us. Be sure to share your link to Pinterest as well so that we can all Journey together :)