As the founder of Dear Girls Academy Inc. and the creator of Dear Girls Camp, Simeaka Melton is a trailblazing advocate, creative, domestic violence educator, best-selling author, mentor and social activist.
1. Refuse defeat. Do not let opposition or adversity stop you. Failure is merely part of the path to your success. Trust your intuition to determine how to change the method or plan but not the goal. Enjoy your journey regardless.
2. Interrupt your normal. Have conversations, do business, go places and try things that are outside of your comfort zone. Break false boundaries of your normal. Interrupting your normal is essential to your growth and opportunities.
3. Always keep learning. Professional development and knowledge intertwined with your skill sets and creativity is a valuable advantage. Stay immersed in what feeds and polishes your skills.
4. Collaborations are valuable. When we each bring the best of what we do together, in collaboration and not competition, we then produce valuable results. Nurturing, building, understanding and respecting relationships shape the strongest collaborations.
5. Be credible and creative. Be armed with education, research and familiarity of trends. Regardless of how great you are, you must be educated on not only your industry but also the industries connected to your subject matter. Utilize your creativity to think outside the box and become a credible expert on your subject matter, and then share your knowledge.
6. Create balance. Creating balance in your life allows you to have fun, clarity, creativity and longevity. Business is serious, and balance takes the edge off, especially when multitasking becomes a hectic illusion. Balance sharpens your instincts. In order to avoid burnout and provide your best to yourself, your family and your business, you must create balance. Taking care of yourself creates balance.
7. Use your intuition. Listen carefully to your intuition, and don’t become complacent or stuck in the known. Explore and evolve the things you do well. Maximizing your potential, taking realistic risk and diversifying your skills will create incredible opportunities. Timing is everything.
8. Pay it forward. Service to others is the ultimate act of gratitude for success. Using your platform to make an impact is as essential in business as any written business plan. Building success means investing in something more than your own initiatives.
9. The company you keep matters. Be deliberate about those with whom you share space, energy, time and conversations. Forward-moving and forward-thinking individuals ignite the best in one another. Surround yourself with and learn from those who are great, and cheer for them.
10. Integrity is everything. When integrity is the foundation of your business, it automatically transfers to your team and translates to those you do business with, making your business a trusted source. Business will come and go, but integrity is forever. Operating in intuitive integrity is the only option. Be authentic, be intentional, and be rooted [in] integrity.
