2015 Inspiration from Jessica Lai

[accordion title=’Intro from Ritu’]I met Jess for the first time in Turkey, moments before we were about to get on a gulet, a traditional Turkish yatch, for 5 days and nights on the sea. It was a girls’ trip and we were all really excited for it. Even though I didn’t know her, I’d heard a lot of awesome things about her from her big sister, Cindy, and I was looking forward to get to know her. Jess is a vibrant girl, I mean, she has blue hair! And the most noticeable thing about her, even more so than her blue hair, is the fact that she is firmly unapologetic. She is who she is and she doesn’t hide it. So what if people don’t get her or understand her or judge her, she is who she is, and I look up to her for that. I love you Jess. x Ritu[/accordion]

Hi, my name is Jessica and I live in New York City.

I am a Textile / Surface Designer.

The hardest thing I had to do or overcome in 2014 was…

Realizing that I needed to stop being scared and running away.

For a long time now, I feel like I was constantly running away from my current life situation, being in denial. I was always thinking that I was in a dream and I was going to wake up soon, and when I did, my life would be the way I used to have it.

I was living in the past. I needed to take charge of my situation and make changes myself if I wasn’t happy instead of waiting for things to change on their own.

Sometimes the biggest battles we have are within ourselves and we are always our worst critic and can sometimes be our own worst enemy.

What this taught me about myself

I am stronger than I ever thought. I always have the strength to overcome obstacles in my life, but sometimes I forget that.

I need to remember that in my life, I’ve been through lots of hard times, and through my own strength, and the love and support of my family, I always come out the other side a stronger and better person.

Some accomplishments from 2014 that I’m happy about

I made it another year on my own and ended it happily. I got over a lot of superficial things and got to see life in a whole new perspective. I’ve been living a happier and healthier life, eating well and exercising daily.

If you are feeling down at this time of year, my tip is…

Just remember that everything passes in time.

Remember the times when you were a kid and whenever something bad happened, like mom wouldn’t give you the ice cream you wanted before dinner, it seemed like the end of the world, but you got over it, forgot about it, and moved on. Things in life always happen this way, just on different scales.

Even though you may not see it at the moment, there’s always a lesson to be learned and every situation can turn out to be for the better.

Don’t live your life with regrets because the one thing you can never get back once you’ve lost it, in life, is time. So don’t waste your time looking back at what could of, should of, would of. Learn from your experiences and keep moving forward. Do it better the next time around and don’t repeat your mistakes.

My intention for 2015

To continue to be happy, and to allow myself to be happy. Be kinder to myself and live more humbly.

In 2015, I am the Queen of life, love and happiness.

 

 

Connect with Jessica:

On Instagram: @jessilin925

 

MEET THE REST OF THE 2015 QUEENS HERE!