We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dasha Crawley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dasha, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience is a God-given gift. Every time I feel like I can’t go another step further as it relates to life’s issues and business, God gives me the strength to persevere. My resilience also comes from my strong desire to accomplish my goals and simply finish that which I have started. Life as a creative and business owner comes with its fair share of trials and challenges. You’re faced with the obstacles that comes a long with taking the risk and leap of faith in to the unknown. Truth is, some times it’s easier to give up than to endure the discomfort that comes along with the territory. The courage to be resilient is also deeply connected to my gift to create. God has given me a very unique creative ability, that I didn’t ask for but discovered over time. That gift is deeply rooted on the inside and has simply taken hold of my heart. Therefore every time I contemplate giving up and feel as though I have nothing else to give, my gift gives me an inward tug and nudges me to give it one more try. My vision and life’s purpose also gives me the courage to continue. I understand that I have an assignment to empower, uplift and educate women, which will allow them to thrive in their personal areas of influence. Therefore if I decide to quit, I’m not just quitting on myself, I’m also quitting on those whom God has called me to serve. And I refuse to let that happen! Being resilient gives me the opportunity to stare fear, doubt, turmoil and every other obstacle right in the face and say I’m still here! My level of resilience has definitely been developed over time, I didn’t just wake up with this strong determination. It was birthed out of many experiences both personal and professional . Every challenge that I’ve faced was a learning opportunity. I was able to use the feedback from the circumstance to grow and develop my mental and spiritual muscles. I also learned that every act of resilience does not automatically guarantee my desired outcome. Sometimes it’s just a piece of a compounding process which will yield a future reward. During my experiences I realized that I was given two options, either I was going to let the circumstances win or push forward until I received my desired outcome. After much prayer, growth and maturity, I can proudly say that I chose the latter and will continue to choose to persevere as God gives me the strength. The one thing that I would like to make very clear is that just because you choose to operate in a resilient spirit doesn’t mean that you’re going to always feel strong or empowered, However, it’s choosing to continue to move forward in the midst of weaknesses, struggle and plain ole chaos is what makes being resilient a beautiful gift. However, even the most resilient soul needs a break every now and again. We live in a society where the rhythm is constantly go, go, go, work, work, work, but in the midst of all our working and doing we need to take time to rest and recover, There will always be opportunities for us to exercise our resilient abilities but taking time for rest and necessary pauses allows us to refuel and renew so that we may continue our journeys.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Je Suis Fashion is a beauty and fashion brand with an intentional focus on women empowerment. It is our goal to help women discover the beauty of their uniqueness and their God-given Girl Magic, using fashion and beauty as the vehicle. We offer one of a kind denim apparel and accessories as well as a luxurious lip wear collection. Je Suis Fashion, is an affordable luxury brand, we give women the opportunity to be uniquely adorned without breaking the bank! We are grateful for the ability to create unique garments that give women the opportunity to express their individual style and sense of fashion. Our goal is to allow our fashion options to serve as an outward expression of the inner beauty that our customers obtain. Je Suis Fashion is a woman owned company with a social mission to empower other women. It is our goal to use a portion of revenue, to provide employment, mentorship, training, and resources for the women in our community and surrounding areas. We’re not just in the business of making money, but making a difference in the lives of others.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three things that has been most impactful on my journey are the following: My relationship with God, utilizing my support system, seeking personal and professional development from credible individuals. If I did not have my relationship with God I don’t know where I would be! It is my faith in Him and the strength that He gives that keeps me going day after day. It is the inner strength that I receive from my heavenly Father that gives me the courage and boldness to keep showing up again and again. As a result of having a relationship with God I have a determination and a drive to see my dreams to its prosperous fruition; because I know with Him all things are possible. Over the years I have realized that life and business are both team sports. We were not designed to do it alone. I’ve learned the importance of relying on my support system which consists of family, friends and church community. I finally accepted the fact that I don’t have to feel ashamed or embarrassed to ask for help, The fact of the matter is everyone needs help in some way or another and in most cases people are willing to help when the need is made known. I am truly grateful for my tribe, they have been my sounding board, business support advisors and financial investors. I am extremely grateful to have a group of people where I can feel safe enough to completely be myself and share some of the most vulnerable areas of my life and business. Having such community is a gift within itself. Outside of my personal tribe, I also seek personal and business coaching from individuals who are able to provide useful counsel that will help me move forward on my journey. If I could offer any advice, it would be trust God during your journey and allow Him to guide your steps. I would also encourage others to find a community where they can grow and develop both personally and professionally. The community can be a local body where you can physically be a part of or a virtual community. I personally have experience with both and the benefits have been rewarding. Just know that God has given you something special and unique to offer to the world and there’s a specific group of individuals who are waiting to receive the gift that is YOU!
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My mother has been most helpful in helping me in overcome challenges both professionally and personally. Her constant love and support fuels me to keep going. My mother is one of Gods’ greatest gifts to me, I believe it’s His way of allowing me to experience unconditional love on earth and I’m grateful. My mother and I share a very unique bond. We can talk about almost everything, and although we don’t always agree, we respect each others individual opinions. My mother is the biggest supporter of my business, she often reminds me that she is my walking model, as she loves wearing my designs as often as she can. She simply believes in ME! She has confidence in my God-given abilities even when I’m unsure, She encourages me when life gets tough and I’m not sure how I’m going to overcome the storm. Above all she laid the foundation of having faith in God and created an environment for me to establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That alone is the best gift that she could have ever given me because my relationship with Christ causes me to thrive in life and business.! Thank you mama for all that you’ve done and most importantly for who you are!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesuis_fashion
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeSuisFashionLLC
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