Living a Golden Life

iving a Golden Life is internal and external. For those interested in hard earned, ethically gained “gold”, where do we find it? We find it in knowledge which gives us power, exposure and fulfills curiosity. We simply find it in our purpose and meaningful actions that satisfy our mission, like quenched thirst! Perhaps you like wearing gold jewelry, grills, chains. Or maybe you just like a little bit of that gold shimmer in your body lotion, highlighter, nail polish and hair. Regardless, we all choose what our Golden Life looks like and that in itself is golden. 

In the spirit of International Women’s Day on March 8th, which celebrates the strides that women all over the world have made for the greater good with their intelligence, perseverance and talent, we thought we’d mention these Golden Women.

• Michelle Obama - Our “Forever First Lady” is forever because of her thoughtful attention to the world around her. Power for her has never been about being the first lady but more about her influence to promote good and bring awareness to women all around the world.
• Kamala Harris -The first of many female Vice Presidents of color, Kamala Harris has officially opened our eyes to the limitless opportunities women have to make a difference in this world. 
• Stacey Abrams - Stacey Abrams has a rare power in that she has a way of getting through to people with a balance of hard facts, wisdom, compassion and grace. A genuine speaker and fighter against voter suppression, it’s no wonder she’s been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. 
• Melinda Gates - Melinda Gates has devoted much of her charitable efforts to women’s and girl’s rights all over the world, making herself visible in the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation with strategy and meaningful actions to solve challenges like education and contraception. 
• Simone Biles - This woman has several gymnastics moves named after her, stuck a vault landing with a kidney stone, and continues to bring that “small but mighty” power to the gym. 
• Serena Williams - Serena Williams blossomed from a child athlete to the champion she is now, with a tenacity that wouldn’t let her stop competing even while she was pregnant. 
• Rihanna - Savage X Fenty is turning sexuality on its head by challenging gender norms and what it means to be sexy, with inclusive and thoughtful runway shows featuring all races and body types. 
• H.E.R. - Did you see HER shred the guitar at the super bowl? It’s moments like this that help artists see beyond the scope of what’s considered “traditional” and push their artistry to new limits. 
• Awkwafina - The range in talent that’s just in time to bring more roles to aspiring Asian actors and actresses, Awkwafina has blessed us with her comedic timing and drama the past couple of years and we know there is more where that came from.
• ‍Robin Arzon - The face and spokeswoman of Peloton and Adidas, Arzon isn’t just promoting a bike and a sporty lifestyle, she is allowing fans to live vicariously through her as she grows her family and continues to show up for her own health and others.

For more Golden women, check out Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women! 

Now that we’ve shared these Golden Women with you, we want to help you identify why your life is also Golden. Or maybe it isn’t Golden yet. That’s okay though. It doesn’t mean that it can’t be, that it once wasn’t or that it can’t go away if it already is. 

The common theme about the women listed above is that they all put in the work to achieve their Golden lives and still put in the work to maintain it. Rarely do golden opportunities come to you or randomly find you, you have to work for it, dig for it and hope you’re in the right spot. And once you have it, you have to work to maintain it, cherish it and protect it from the elements and thieves. 

What will help you is making goals with real intentions. Strategize and map out action steps to get to your goals and think about what tools and help you’ll need to get there. This is essentially your plan which will hold you accountable to your goals, while you build your skills through research, trial & error, and experience.

Eventually you’ll be able to “spread the wealth” whether that be monetary, mentorship or both. You’ll inspire others to have their own brand by sharing what your gold looks like and tips on where they can begin to dig. People will listen to your recommendation on tools you liked to sift through the dirt to get to the gold and avoid those you found useless, broken or unfitting for your journey.  

Everyone has a pot of gold out there for them. It’s just a matter of being tenacious in finding it or being awake in the rare occasion that it presents itself to you first, similar to what Titus Burgess said at the Life Party. 

Never give up on searching, trying and applying what you’ve learned when looking for your gold and find peace in knowing that you’re not always going to dig in the right spot. Whatever is meant for you will be attracted to you like a magnet as Erica Strong wisely told us. And NEVER counterfeit your gold by painting rocks metallic yellow! You may think you’re fooling everyone, but you’d only be fooling yourself. Take your time with the journey, be patient with yourself and collect those small nuggets that will one day add up to a gold bullion.