Simply Lola: Practice Makes Preparation

Practice Makes Preparation

My advisor in college always preach to me “ You practice the way you perform”. I teach self-esteem to 2nd through 5th grade girls every Monday and Tuesday through Kim Kares. I have an exercise that I make the young girls do every time we meet up. We sit in a circle and pass a mirror around and each girl is suppose to look in the mirror and say “Mirror, mirror I am great, I am great because…. “ I’m not sure why but every time we get together it’s the older black girls that test my patience, I mean these girl really make me want to cus not curse, cus…lol ( Lawd give me strength) .The first time I did the exercise with the girls I notice that most of the girls struggled looking in the in the mirror and found it hard to come up with a reason why they were great. I started telling the girls to close their eyes and picture themselves doing something really good, I told them to see themselves the best way possible and every morning before they brush their teeth practice looking in the mirror and saying why they are great. Soon after I began to see a difference in their answers and each week one more girl has been getting comfortable looking in the mirror. I explain to the girls that I was seeing improvement in their answers and one girl said Ms. Lola that’s because we practice before we brush our teeth. Got to love the kids…lol

On last Sunday I performed at the House of Blues. The show was titled Singer Chicks/ Dallas. There was a variety of different female singers performing and I was one of them. I had to sell tickets and practice with a band. I had to do the whole nine yards. I usually don’t really invite people to come out and hear me sing. I like to avoid the disappointment of people not showing up altogether. My friend Daylon encouraged me to really push the show and sell tickets. If singing and performing is something I really want to do I got to be confident in myself and really do it. I was a little hesitant but I figured it was a good way to make money doing something I love so I did. I pushed and promoted my show. As time got closer to the day of the show I began to be excited anxious and nervous . I even purchased my very first one of a kind Betsey Johnson dress. I figure to be a star I got start dressing like a star ( let the church say amen). OMG the mere sight of my dress made me want to sing even more. Well the day of the show I got my makeup done and I looked in the mirror in aww… I could not believe Melanie (the makeup artist) made me look so flawless and beautiful. I told myself if Mr. Right approaches me tonight, I am going to have warn him that I don’t look like this in the morning. I don’t want him to wake up singing the fresh prince song (laying in bed with a girl don’t know if her face is hers…lol). My shoes were killin(meaning good). It was time for the show. As the host called, my name and I walked on stage, looked out into the audience, and saw everyone that came to support me. I immediately wanted a drink to calm my nerves, I quickly remembered I had given up liqueur for lent. I kept thinking and hoping to do well, I didn’t want to disappoint anyone especially myself. As I walked on stage I closed my eyes and said to myself “Mirror, mirror I am great I am great because I am the Best Lola Natisa to perform tonight. As opened my mouth to sing Chaka Khan “Tell Me Something Good” my nerves began to settle. Each song I sang I felt myself getting better and better. I ended the show with Etta James “At Last” and at the end of the show I realized that “At Last” the Lola I see has finally come along.

God answers prayers in the most unique way. I prayed this year that God will show me how to be confident in myself. In teaching young girls to look at themselves and believe that they are great , I didn’t know that I was teaching myself the same thing. Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes preparation. Whatever you want in life there has to be preparation for it. For me preparing starts with seeing me as the great Lola Natisa Wilson God has ever created.

This week start with yourself and practice seeing you as the best you God has ever created

Til Next Week

Lola