Updates Galore--- A Week of My Life

MY NEW LOOK....
So in my last blog post I told you I would write about my new look which I have not revealed yet but I am now.....  Lets see if you can figure it out, this is about as natural as it gets, me in my pj's, no makeup, hair pulled back.... AND.... black framed glasses haha! No name, no brand, just black rimmed glasses and I love 'em. :) I hope you do too.

LOLC Choir is about to perform! We will visit a nursing home next week. The mission of the LOLC Choir is to brighten the day of our elderly since they have the highest rate of suicide. If we can at least make one person smile while we are there then our mission is accomplished. Originally we were thinking that LOLC Choir would be a seasonal thing, now one of our singers, Amruta Gadgil wants to join with me to start a Spring concert.  Wish us luck as we perform our very first concert on December 19th. So far we have had the opportunity of performing at the LOLC 2nd annual fashion show and the NISP Pageant.

TRIP TO ST. CLAIRE, MO
This past weekend I visited St. Louis, Missouri. I love St. Louis. I hadn't been back to St. Louis in a really long time. I think it had been a year. To think I used to spend every other weekend there! Driving through the city reminded me of old memories, all the cool museums, seeing the Cardinals play, and the yummy restaurants. It was great to finally return and for such a great cause. I was asked by Dana Collins-Messex to judge the Snowflake Pageant and to speak about LOLC. All of the proceeds went to the Angel Program which provides gifts to children at Christmas that would have otherwise gone without, due to financial struggles. The pageant was held in St. Claire, MO which is a small town about an hour of St. Louis. The people were so kind and receptive to the LOLC message which I shared twice in one day. It was such a blessing to be able to share the message of celebrating life, going for your dreams, and teaching people how to save lives through suicide intervention.

PRAY FOR ME
Yesterday Melissa Veteto asked if I could speak at a Junior High in IL where they just lost a young boy to suicide. Please pray that I am able to speak to the school this January and February. I will speak about topics such as anti-bullying, suicide intervention, and more. This boy ultimately took his life because he was being bullied. It breaks my heart that children and young adults go to such extreme measures because they feel there is no other way. Please pray for me so I can shine some light on the other students that need to know there is ANOTHER way and to help STOP the bullies! >> Back to my story about the Snowflake Pageant... not only was this a fundraiser but it also helped the girls competing by instilling self esteem and building confidence. These small town pageants have so much heart involved that I left feeling the Christmas spirit. It was truly beautiful. On the upper left you will see a photo of my new coat I bought at Macy's during Black Friday (I told you I would post it!) and I wore it out at the St. Claire Pageant. This pic has me and Zahraa as judges! How many of us get to drag our best friends into our line of work? If you recall me and Zahraa modeled for Enchanted Brides Magazine in Tennessee in September and we just went to St. Claire Missouri together and both spoke and judged at the pageant. How fun! Since everyone loved my outfit I will speak about it a little... I left my outfit pretty plain but I added an incredible necklace. I think you can see the detail of the Swarovski necklace a little better in the first picture. In the second photograph from the pageant I am standing next to the most extraordinary director that makes this entire charity event happen. She deserves a medal for all the work she does. She has the biggest heart in the world and I am so grateful that she allowed me to be part of her spectacular pageant. Look for a full article coming soon at tiaramag.net

CHELSEA COOLEY, MISS USA 2005
Yesterday morning was an exciting time. I interviewed Chelsea Cooley, Miss USA 2005. She is such a sweetheart. There is a full article about our interview at Tiara Magazine's website. She is living proof that anyone can accomplish their dreams. Not only did she win Miss USA 2005 (the biggest pageant in the US!) but she was ALSO top 10 at Miss Universe (the biggest international competition!). She comes from very humble beginnings and has worked her way to the very top. She is now happily married and runs her pageant coaching company Stand Out Productions which is unlike any other pageant coaching company out there. Trust me, there are many pageant coaching consultants and websites and books and tools and ya da ya da ya da... the list goes on. But seriously, there is none like hers. Check it out. Stand out Productions. I think you will agree with what I see. Chelsea will give Tiara Magazine the new and exciting news about Stand Out in January. Right now she is gearing up for their big retreat where all of the Miss & Teen USA state titleholders will come together at Stand Out's phenomenal retreat around February 17th or 19th. Once we have further details you can bet Tiara Magazine will have the coverage.

LOLC DVD RELEASED
Today I met with Matty Jacobson the official videographer for the Miss Illinois Scholarship Association (part of the Miss America Organization the leader in scholarships and more!). MISA is successfully run by Amalia Schwerdtmann. The pageant recently took a move to Southern Illinois this past year where it seems to be doing fairly well. Matty shoots MISA's video and has been doing so for I believe a little more than 5 years. Miss Illinois, Hannah Smith, was in attendance of our charity fashion show for LOLC as our emcee. Matty Jacobson shot the video footage of Live Out Loud Charity's fashion show on October 2nd and I now have the dvds in my hands!! I have yet to watch it since I have been so busy with everything so you bet I will once I get a chance... I'm thinking some hot tea, a warm blanket, and my LOLC DVD. It was fun chatting with Matty today. We discussed a little bit about next year's show which is taking a totally different direction than the last two shows! Can NOT wait. With that being said I forgot to mention above, that I may be traveling back to Missouri sooner than I thought to do some runway work with the locals over there.... But honestly that has nothing to do with our fashion show. LOL. I'm throwing you for a loop I'm sure. ha ha

VAMPIRES?!?!
So here is a photo below from a "test" shoot if you want to call it that. Photos are by Ray M and makeup by Sophia Motlani. It was FREEZING that day and we were in tanks uhm did I mention it was FREEEEEZINGGGG. I think I was cold for multiple days after that shoot. I finalized 5 shoots in a 7 day period UHM CRAZINESS. But of course it was so much fun.  The shoot didn't come out exactly how we planned... we look more like vampires rather than real and natural. All three of us agreed. I still wanted to post them for fun and naturally people on facebook were saying, "Wow did you take this in a haunted place..." and "Oh wow this reminds me of vampires", etc,etc. Exactly what we thought when we saw them lol... Which is why it won't work for the book. BTW the book is called RAW in case you were wondering. The way we are setting up the book is very unique and has never been done before. I know many of you were wanting to pre-order.  Details will be announced on my pageant cast interview this Monday.

PAGEANT CAST INTERVIEW Held live on December 12th at 8pm CST. Please log on and watch. Here are the details (it's very easy)
1. Go to live.pageantcast.com or go to www.pageantcast.com and click the tab called LIVE.
2. Then what comes up is a screen where you will be able to see us and right below the video there will be a login for facebook so you can chat and interact with us and ask questions. If you don't log into facebook you can still see us (me and the host Tim!) but you simply can't ask questions is all.

MY GRANDMOTHER
Something very personal I did not mention is that today would have been my grandmother's 84th birthday. I miss the beautiful woman that raised me and brought me through such a hard up bringing. I don't know where I would be today if it wasn't for her love, understanding, and guidance. She was my best friend, my mom, and will always hold a special place in my heart. Below is a poem I wrote to her when I was about 12 years of age..... She framed it

I love you
You held me when I was a baby
kissed me when I was a little bigger
and no matter what you loved me
Through Choices I've made
things I've said
you forgave and taught me who to be!
Thank you for being the mom I never had,
you are truly a gift from God
and I am happy to have a grandmother like you
one to hold me to say it's ok
one to pick me up when I am down
your a companion, a true definition of what a person should be!
The sweetest woman I will ever know
Thank you Grandma for being you,
Thank you for being ever so true
with all my heart and soul I love you.
Love, Sherrie
Your Grand-daughter

I went on my cousin Michelle's facebook page and as expected she had already placed a status update about my grandma. I love you Michelle.

MORE TO COME.....
I promise to still blog about my role as International Public Relations Rep for Project Michelangelo which I will do after our holiday party this month. I will also blog about my new NISP achievement award, and a pic of the outfit everyone loved. Oh and I also remodeled some stuff in my apartment. I keep telling myself to stop since I move in a few months but I CAN'T HELP IT! :) I will post a pic of that in the next blog as well. Tons of exciting things happening all the time.

Sherrie's Photoshoot with Gary Yallelus and Jody Kavanaugh

I had several photoshoots since my win in Austin, Texas this past October. I am highlighting the work of two photographers: Gary Yallelus (see images above) and Jody Kavanaugh (see images below, makeup by Megan Melone). As you can see both shoots are very different. It was tons of fun working with each photographer. After working with Gary (at his studio in Racine, WI) I was finished with my shoot so I decided to visit the lake for a few (see image on right). I put on my fb page that I was prepared for winter... apparently not because when the first snow fell I was definitely cold. In fact I bought those gloves, hat, and furry vest at a boutique in downtown the day prior (which was a different outfit that everyone went crazy for I plan to upload a pic of it!).... Chicago is called the Windy City for a reason! As if I didn't know that being a native of Chicago!  With that being said, this coat was still not enough so I went to Macy's and bought a new winter coat. It was my first experience with black Friday. At midnight we were all lined up at the door waiting to get in to shop deals galore. I bought new jewelry and boots. I then spotted only ONE coat I liked.. and of course it was not on sale. Needless to say I managed to get the friends and family discount YAY! I also updated my look which I have not revealed yet... I will write about my experience and new look in the next blog. For now enjoy the pics I have up! :) In the very near future I promise to blog about The Snowflake Pageant which is where I am at right now in St. Claire, MO as well as Project Michelangelo and my role as International Publication Relations. I will also post about LOLC's latest blog, my new NISP achievement award, the LOLC choir, and a pic of the outfit everyone loved. Tons of exciting things happening all the time.

My trip to Tennesee, Texas, and more...

Never in a million years did I expect to travel to Texas this past October and on top of that win the title of Miss United America 2011. Through a very interesting series of events I ended up in Austin, Texas for the pageant. In fact I had to refrain from doing the pageant because of a family emergency that would keep me from traveling out side of IL. In fact I had to cancel all of my trips out of state and out of town. That meant not being able to pass on my title of American Image National Miss 2010 in South Carolina. This was very hard for me to do but family comes first.Then all of a sudden a turn for the better happened months later. One day after receiving the good news I was invited to Tennessee to model in an American Bridal Fashion show. I quickly accepted. I put an image below (still waiting for the actual magazine images on the runway). I modeled for Enchanted Bridal Magazine and I am happy to say I was invited back for their next show!! Can not wait. Notice I specified that I was in an American Bridal show... that is because I am almost always in South Asian Bridal fashion shows, so a change of pace was so much fun. I loved everyone in Cheekwood, TN. Not to mention I was in the most beautiful place in the world. If you ever get a chance to travel I most definitely recommend Cheekwood, TN. I also included an image of that below (it seriously looks photoshopped) and when I saw the view it seriously took my breath away (and that was just one element of Cheekwood Mansion) and then my best friend and I quickly found someone to take a picture!

While I was in Tennesee I received a phone call from the National Director of the United American Pageant. She was aware of my family circumstances and was inquiring how I was able to travel again. With such short notice until the pageant I wasn't sure I would be able to prepare in time, book my flight, and quite honestly make it happen. After prayer, many thoughts, and pretty much divine intervention (it was sooo meant to be!) I soon found myself traveling to Austin, TX. The fun part of this all was the fact I did this on my own. Now many of you may find that odd for me to say but honestly when I do appearances, compete, etc, I usually always have at least one person I know either there with me, traveling with me, taking photos to document everything, etc. This time I was on my own and it felt awesome. I had two really fun room mates and the pageant system made things so easy when it came to registration, etc. I was so grateful for everything. I still didn't think I was going to win but I knew I was meant to be there. I knew someone had to hear the LOLC message and every part of me planned to share the LOLC message onstage during the speech portion of the competition.

So let me back up just a tiny tinie bit... The flight to Austin was great. This may not sound so great but it was.... I spent majority of the flight writing out poetry and purging my soul and crying my eyes out. I wrote about my grandmother's passing and was full of love and nostalgic memories. All I could think was thank goodness the people I'm sandwhiched in between are sleeping lol. After that the lady to my right woke up and started questioning me with much interest, she could clearly see I was a writer. She asked about my line of work and we found a common ground. Now we are connecting for the greater good of humanity and great things are going to come to Live Out Loud Charity just by meeting her.. I then thought... ok this is why I am meant to be on this trip but I had a funny feeling that, that wasn't all. So on my shuttle ride to the hotel it was just me and the driver. She was a young woman in her early twenties and we had a great time talking about competing, volunteering, etc. She was lacking direction in her life and through our conversation she was inspired to become a TruthMedia Mentor. After I told her all about it she fell in love with the entire concept... so again I thought this must be the reason I am here! And of course it didn't end there.... That weekend was one of the most exciting weekends of my life. I found out that I was accepted for some major modeling jobs back home, I learned that Tiara Magazine was expanding internationally in several countries and hit China for the 2nd time, and I was able to connect with so many amazing people. The cherry on top was enjoying my time with my room mates Kelina Phifer and Kristina Rowe. The best was meeting my director Annette Rushing and her wonderful staff. The biggest bonus was seeing my friend Tim Kretschmann  from PageantCast. I put an image below of me, Kristina from Splash and Sparkle, and of Tim Kretschmann. It was fun to have 3 pageant media personalities in one place.

After completing my speech, the most rewarding part was finding out that I inspired so many people in the audience and so many were crying. I was greeted in the hallway by a few familiar faces that I met the day before and by many others saying that I really touched them. I give thanks to God because before I speak I always pray that God gives me His words... not mine. During intermission I sat with one the queens and found out she was former military. She shared with me that our military have such a high rate of suicide. This is something I was very aware of and something I want to help combat through LOLC in the next 5 years. But I realized God had a different plan... to speed up that process. She completely agreed and we were both so moved. So there I stood and the announcements were about to be made.... I still didn't expect to win. Let me tell you why... I didn't sleep the night before. I had food poisoning the day before and didn't know it therefore I actually did not sleep the entire night and was suffering and had rehearsal at 7:30am in the morning. I thought for sure I would lose because of that. I was happy interviews were the day before but I thought Id never win because of how I felt and my lack of energy. And I was competing with a hurt ankle. Having done that once before in 2009 when I competed for Miss Illinois I learned my lesson. I knew to take it easy as much as possible. That meant walking in flats, sitting as much as possible, and taking off my heels at any time possible. So again... there I stood and the winner was announced and to my surprise they called my name. I was stunned, shocked, and overwhelmed with emotion (not to mention I hadn't slept in a very long time!) I cried, grabbed my face, and had a total beauty queen crowning moment LOL. I remember the emcee saying, "She is having a moment...hold on everyone!" It was so funny, really it was. I included a picture of me and the emcee below.... he is such a great performer! Sherrie Gearheart and Jade Estrada

The crowning continued and the lady I spoke with about military suicide won as well :) and the lady I bought my last minute evening gown from.... won as well. And the list goes on. It was such a beautiful experience. I have an amazing director and I am honored to represent this pageant system until early of next year. We pass our titles on before a full year since they bumped the pageant up. That means I have a lot of work to get done!!! :) My very first weekend with the title I made several appearances. My favorite by far is visiting terminally ill children in the hospitals on behalf of Project Michelangelo. We then visited an elderly man which moved my heart tremendously since I have such a soft spot for our elderly (hence the creation of LOLC Choir). We also ran into some puppies lol. I placed 3 images below.  (it was Halloween hence the costumes!)

I am pictured with Meiling Jin and Jennifer Mussman

I was also asked by Jojo Sayson to appear in the NANBF bodybuilding show where he is a major sponsor and judge. He had an opportunity to speak on stage about his new endeavor Jojo Sayson's Project Michelangelo. Just minutes before his speech he told me that he would like me to speak... of course he would do that lol :) Thank God speaking is my passion lol I graciously accepted his request. I spoke about Project Michelangelo and many people were moved. We also received additional donations which is always helpful. In a future blog I will post more about Project Michelangelo and my role as International Publication Relations Representative. It is an honor to hold this position and to sit on the international board. I will also post about LOLC's latest blog, my new NISP achievement award, the LOLC choir, my latest photoshoots, my newest appearances as the editor of Tiara Magazine, and more. For now enjoy the 2 pics from the NANBF appearance below.

Last but certainly not least I enjoyed several photo shoots in the last few weeks of my reign. I will include images in my new blog posts coming very very soon :)

Some of my ideas

Some of my ideas shared over facebook within the last week that did pretty well:

-sure go ahead, eat your cheese burgers, fries, and all other fatty, greesy, and transfat filled food and go ahead and tell me how great you feel. Then continue on by telling me that by changing your eating your habits it won't help you live longer. I have one thing to say: Eating healthy is about quality of life. Sure you may live to be 70 or 80 but what will the quality of your life be? Look around. Case in point. Enough said.
---- I posted this because it saddens me to see how prevelant Diabetes, Emphysema (usually caused by cigarette smoking), and Heart Disease is these days. If we take preventative messures now then our actions will pay off later. I feel our younger generation sometimes takes life for granted. Don't get me started on how they tend to be rude to our elders! On an happier note, and I like to say this a lot, for every person that could care less abour our elders or their own quality of life, there is a teen volunteering his/her time and a healthfood store employee mentoring someone new! Everything balances itself out. Lets just hope the good starts to outweight the negatives.

-Happiness is a choice and if you can't change the people around you then CHANGE which people you choose to have around you. ♥
---- Someone told me this a long time ago but they said it differently. They said, "If you can't change the people around you then change the people around you." I wanted to simplify this statement but creating my own so its easy to understand. I want people to understand that they don't have to suffer in bad relationships, that happiness is THEIR choice. Many people feel stuck and forget how much power they have by one simple choice. That choice is who you choose to have in your life. Honestly, it is so important to choose the right people in your life. People can either carry you through hard times or bring you down and stomp on you while you are at your lowest. Choose carefully who you let in your life. That's not to say don't love or be kind, still have an open heart, just be more careful who you choose to share it with.

-so its day 2 of the Pakistani wedding. I can't wait to see what unfolds tonight. Its the actual wedding ceremony tonight. There is so much rich tradition surrounding these events leading up to the big day. Tomorrow is the reception. So beautiful. I love you 'Shueyb Khan'. Thanks for introducing me to this culture. And no its not my wedding LOL. ----- Well I wrote the first part because it was my first cultural wedding experience and it was quite wonderful. I had to share it with facebook because there are so many misconceptions about the Pakistani culture. I used to have so many misconceptions and since I met Shueyb my eyes have been opened up to a whole new world. And its a beautiful one at that.
 

I will try and post more. I am taking a trip this weekend and I plan to blog about that!!!

xoxo,

Sherrie Gearheart

Editor of Tiara Magazine http://www.tiaramag.net/
Writer for Action Magazine http://www.actionmagazine.org/
Director of Live Out Loud Charity http://www.liveoutloudcharity.org/
Model & Fashion Show coordinator
Public Relations International Rep for Michelangelo Project
Director of Fashion Week at Improv Playhouse
Professional Model and titleholder
and the list goes on...... :)

Perfect size & weight of a model

Perfect size & weight of a model You hear this question all the time, "What is the perfect size and weight of a model?" The truth is that one must embrace his or her unique beauty and really play up their strengths. Personality will outshine any flaws as well. There are general specific requirements for certain areas of modeling such as for runway one should be at least 5'8 and taller. However I am 5'6 and I book a ton of runway shows. Also there are petite runway shows where you may be shorter. Same with size. Generally you will see that runway models are thinner anywhere from size 0-2. However, plus size modeling is on the rise. And again it depends on your client. All of the prom and pageant runway shows i have been to have wanted sizes 4-6 to be their models. So again, embrace your unique beauty, and find a catagory that you fit into. Never change yourself in an unhealthy way to be unrealistically thin so you can fit someone's standards if it does harm to you. Instead embrace what you have, improve your weaknesses, and play up your strengths. The biggest thing you hear models say today is, what is the perfect weight? The answer is there isn't a perfect weight. Its about being proportioned, looking healthy, being toned, and feeling great about yourself. I hope that helps. Models ask me all the time so I decided to share the information I have learned as a professional model, to break some misconceptions and myths about having to be ultra thin and tall to model. Embrace YOUR unique beauty and love the skin YOU are in.


Article by Sherrie Gearheart, Editor in Chief, Tiara Magazine

Reality

people say it could never be.... but things change. Happiness is your choice, no one else's. Take control of your happiness. Pursue your love, your dreams, your education, and the little things that make you smile. Don't take life for granted. And don't let others tell you what to do..... Just do what is good and what makes you truly happy.

What is knowledge if you do not use it for the greater good of humanity? What is knowledge if you do not teach it to our youth and those that are ignorant? What is knowledge if you do not apply it? It is then, seemingly wasteless information.
-Sherrie Gearheart

Follow Your Dreams

If I lived my life the way everyone else would want then I would be miserably unhappy and indecisive. Thank God I figured out a long time ago that my happiness is dependent on me, my desires dreams and goals, and on the story I create everyday. I take power in that and I am truly grateful. I just wish hope and pray everyone else would realize their potential.

Monthly Columnist for Action Magazine

I was so proud and excited to be featured on Action Magazine's blog. I attended their latest event to kicl of their publication which just went from quarterly to monthly. Therefore, I am now a monthly contributor writing articles pertaining to suicide prevention and intervention. I also write articles about depression. Check out the link where they feature me at their event action-mag.blogspot.com Below is an image of me and editor in chief of Action Magazine, Kenya Nalls. To learn about Action Magazine or to read the latest articles go to http://www.actionmagazine.org/

Never Give Up

Never think it's over because right when everything seems to be crashing down and you just can't breathe and you think its over... Its not. It's simply time to relax and ride the waves..... because you are on the brink to success. If you give up you will be like the many others with wasted potential wishing and wanting. Never give up.

Furthermore, during this time of turmoil never lose sight of your character. It is these very values that will lead you through these tough times. Stay positive, keep perspective, and keep the faith. It is your faith that allows you to liveallows you to look to the future and keep building even when the walls seem to be tumbling down. Never give up.

-Sherrie Gearheart

more than dreaming

If you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you would not fail, how big would you dream? Let go of the invisible boundaries that you have created. It is time to wake up and live life... Imagine your world without boundaries you have created, a life without fear you have projected, a world without reason... because living your dreams should be reason enough to go forth with determination and the willpower to succeed.
-Sherrie Gearheart

Supermodel Award

  The above picture is taken from the American Image National Pageant. Sherrie Gearheart won the super model award during high fashion wear, won the highest score in interview among all of the contestants, and took home the National title of American Image National Miss 2010.

PageantCast Interview

I am serious when I say it was a dream come true when I was interviewed on the  PageantCast podcast show with Tim Kretschmann. Ever since I was 17 (yes 5 years ago!) it was my dream to be interviewed on the show. I would listen to the countless interviews of Miss Illinois MAO, other recognized state titleholders, and even national titleholders. I knew I wanted to be on the show one day, and I knew it would take hard work if I wanted to win a title.... but I never knew I would be on the show representing Live Out Loud Charity, our 2nd annual Fashion Show, Tiara Magazine, and my national title of American Image National Miss 2010. I am so glad I took that leap of faith and went for my dreams..... more importantly I am so glad to be helping women across the globe.

This road has been one filled with hurdles, bumps, triumphs, joys, and sadness. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I truly believe in pageantry and what it has to offer women. I started competing when I was 17 and started training younger girls right away. I saw much success with that. I took a year off of college and became a full time pageant coach and I was searching for my life mission (I felt it didn't end there). I was happy with pageant coaching because it allowed me to instill self esteem in young girls (to give them what pageantry was giving me).... It still saddens me that so many of our young girls have such low self esteem. I allow this sadness to fuel me, to work even harder as the editor of Tiara Magazine, and founder of Live Out Loud Charity. I want women to know they are beautiful regardless of size, looks, and stature. Every single woman possesses a unique beauty which she owns. That is why I have all sizes, heights, ages, and ethnicities in our fashion shows. This is about promoting love for oneself and truly owning who you are. This is about breaking the stereotypical image of beauty which is engrained in us by billboards, TV shows, and almost all media outlet. This is about that self love I expressed earlier. Although much more of my work is now heavily involved in suicide awareness and prevention (I established Live Out Loud Charity in 2010) I am still very much involved with our young girls and women through our fashion show, self esteem courses, and pageant coaching. I want all of the women and girls out there to know that YOU CAN do more than follow your dreams... you CAN achieve them. I did it without a support system in the beginning (no one would support my pageant dreams), without much of a financial backing if at all, and with low self esteem. I am here to say, if I did it, so can you. There is never an age where it is too late to start and there are never enough excuses in the world to keep you from your dreams. Take that leap of faith and watch how you take off and fly to new, unconquered heights that will bring you so much happiness you never thought possible.... It starts now, not tomorrow. Believe in yourself, own your unique beauty, and make your dreams come true because no one else will, but you. And remember to enjoy the journey! ---- My PageantCast interview is posted under public appearances at www.sherriegearheart.com

Define Success

To me... Success is doing what you love while helping humanity. Success is not defined by our stature, clothing, or creed. Success is defined by the integrity of our word and good deed.

-Sherrie Gearheart

Prayer, our daily thought

Prayer is more than a moment of meditation with the Lord. Prayer is (also) our daily thoughts, what some call intention. What we think is what we are, it is what we project. Our daily prayer is said to oneself or to others. Think not before you act, rather, think before you think, by cleansing your heart to have only the purest of thoughts (intentions) ie. prayer. Some call it intention, some call it thoughts, I call it prayer. -Sherrie Gearheart

Instructions for life by the Dalai Lama

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R’s:
   -  Respect for self,
   -  Respect for others and
   -  Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and
    think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
20. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Back in the day.....

I woke up this morning and checked me emails. To my surprise one of my fans emailed me with a video link from youtube. It was me back in 2008! I couldn't believe it. I never knew it was out there and it made me kind of laugh. Im the last one in the video and I was competing in my first national pageant. I was Miss Illinois USB and took 2nd runner up at nationals... Here is the video

My life's calling....

I am so happy right now because I truly feel I am living for a purpose and I am fully utilizing my resources to fulfill that purpose of saving lives. Tonight we had a breakthrough with a suicide intervention through Reference Point Therapy (RPT). Live Out Loud Charity now offers this healing modality which has been proven as the most effective method of healing an individual of mental, emotional, and physical ailments. LOLC now works with a team of doctors to better assist your needs in healing. I am so happy and overjoyed beyond words. My heart feels for those who are hurting and now we have found an extremely effective way to help you let go of your pain. I would highly recommend this therapy for anyone. I myself have used this therapy and it has helped me tremendously. We are logging all patient testimonials and progress through the use of RPT. If you would like to book your session please email info@liveoutloudcharity.org

LOLC looks forward to working with you, your family, friends, loved ones... and one day, all of humanity. I hope to see you at our charity fashion show fundraiser Oct 2nd bringing forward LOLC. If you are unable to attend you may donate at www.liveoutloudcharity.org Thank you for believing in our organization. We truly appreciate your support and the sharing of your testimonials and stories which can be viewed on our website. **100% confidential. How has suicide touched your life? Totally anonymous. We would like you to share your personal stories for the Live Out Loud Charity website. This is about how suicide touched your life. Help us to better help others in need. Email your stories to info@liveoutloudcharity.org

As always thank you for reading my blog. Lets heal and save lives. 

just finished a shoot....

Yea I just finished a photo shoot with an awesome male model. Mark is an incredible person! I can't post images from the shoot but I was sent a couple behind the scenes images! YAY! But once I have the images I will post them for YOU to see =)=)=) Images by TR Designs. Hair by Theresa Robles.

True Story....

One night... a couple days ago I logged onto my facebook at about 5am. I hadn't slept that night because I stayed up all night organizing my bedroom. I had been slacking on my facebook messages because I was so busy so I thought I would log in to see what was happening. At that time I had a ton of friend requests and check out one in particular. His friend in common with me was a Bollywood actress so I added him. Instantaneously he logged onto facebook and sent me a chat message. I replied. From there he proceeded to tell me he was depressed. I assumed he was reaching out to me because of the non profit organization I run called Live Out Loud Charity which aids in the prevention of suicide. I started to mentor him. I learned that he currently resides in India, had a business that failed which was making saari's and suits, and was extremely depressed. I shared my knowledge of God, used my QPR training, and helped him through this tough time. By the end of the conversation this is what he wrote me: "I want you to know that before I was talking to you, I was looking for easy ways to commit suicide on google. My computer was running slow so I logged onto facebook to pass time. I saw you were on so I told you I was depressed. I dont know why I did. By the grace of God you helped me. It is because of you that I have hope now. Thank you." I was shocked... even having lost a childhood friend to suicide and having faced many hardships myself, I was still shocked that people hurt this much... they hurt so much they want to end their lives. I was so grateful to God that I stayed up all night to happen to login to fb and be able to reach out to this person. This person, full of so much potential. He makes some of the most beautiful saari's in the world. The photos on his facebook of his creations were outstanding. His major concern was his failed business and if he should start back up again. He said he lost all hope. I explained to him that the greatest individuals that ever lived such as our inventors and leaders had failed countless times. They were spit on, discriminated against, put down, and looked down upon. But they kept going. Through perseverance and faith they made it. Once they had success everyone respected them again. He too can succeed, just like you, and just like me. Your business is only ONE aspect of your life, at the end of the day you are still a mother or father, brother or sister, possibly a caretaker, a friend, a believer, and so much more. I told him it will take hard work but to learn from the reasons that made his business fail the first time. After this mentoring he sent me those beautiful words. It is so scary to know that people come that close to taking their own lives, but this is reality. This is why I do what I do. Suicide and depression exist but if we take our moment to help someone we could each save a life. I had no idea how severe the situation with this individual was at the start of the facebook chat conversation and I am so grateful to God that I gave him my time. I thank God so much for allowing me to share my knowledge and for using me as an instrument for his word and love. Please take time out of your day to acknowledge someone in need... you never know how much they truly need you. Especially men, they have a harder time expressing their deeper emotions for fear of rejection and seeming unmanly. Please reach out and love each other. I thank this man for reaching out to me, I now have a friend in India. He says one day he will send me a fully stitched beautiful saari. Last but certainly not least I thank God.

www.liveoutloudcharity.org

Article published in Action Magazine

My article was published in Action Magazine. As a featured columnist for Action Magazine I write articles about self esteem, combating depression, and suicide intervention. Above you will find the article.You may click on the article to make it larger. You may also read the article at www.actionmagazine.org