Meet Bee Smith

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bee Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Bee, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

This is definitely not something that happens overnight. I think it’s something you always have to work at daily and in this new world of social-media dominance, it definitely helps to be aware of what you are exposed to.

For me, positive thinking and positive self talk is so important. I am a qualified psychological wellbeing practitioner and used to treat mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, so I have a lot of tools that I can use. But checking in with yourself daily about how you are feeling is so important for self-esteem. Particularly if you spend a lot of time on social media – there is something we call ‘compare and despair’ and it is so common. Looking at other people’s pages who seemingly have the ‘perfect’ life and comparing yourself to that can be really damaging. Remember, people only post what they want you to see. Be inspired yes, but if you find that you’re starting to feel negatively about what you’re seeing, maybe unfollow those accounts. And the same too goes for those who you surround yourself with. It’s not about having ‘yes people’ around you, but having people who support you no matter what. Stay away from the ones who bring you down. Setting boundaries is easy, it’s sticking to them that’s the hard part. That’s where the confidence and self esteem grows.

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?

I’m a country singer-songwriter and was recently signed by a record label in Louisiana, Buckshot Records, which is wild to me!!

I have always been creative and have been singing since I was little. I’d love to say there’s footage of me in competitions and shows when I was younger but unfortunately, my family had the viewpoint that singing “wasn’t a proper job'”. “I was too brainy for singing and should pursue journalism”. Whilst I longed to go to performing arts school basically, it was a hard no. So I studied media instead to please my family and convinced myself that a career in writing wouldn’t be so bad – I was great at English literature and I had been writing poetry, which turned into songs since the age of 9/10.

But that longing never left. I knew it wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing. So I would enter singing competitions, do open mics and sing karaoke whenever I could.

Playing the guitar came much later, I watched my brother teach himself and was in awe of how brilliantly he played. He taught his best friend and we hung out for a couple of summers, singing, writing, and playing, and I just knew that’s what I wanted to do but knowing I didn’t have my family’s support held me back.

For me, music is an outlet. I used to have mix tapes of party music, mix tapes for love, and mix tapes for the times I needed a good cry. I appreciate the lyrics of a song over the melody. So I would always connect most with the songs that told stories. That’s why I fell in love with country music and it quickly became my favourite genre. I remember hearing ‘Let it Hurt’ by Rascal Flatts when I was going through a break-up and I think I cried 3-weeks worth of tears in 3 minutes. Man did I feel better after that! That’s the power of music. I appreciate all genres, it’s art. But country music is my favourite because of the storytelling, The emotion, the truth, and the fun.

I played on the circuit in the UK some 9 years ago but there was no audience for country music then. So I had to sing the crowd pleasers – mainly pop – and it just wasn’t me. It was frustrating to feel like you’re only as good as your last drunken singalong.

I took a break. I became a Mama, I studied a degree and qualified as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner and worked in mental health but the longing never left. Motherhood lit another fire in my belly. I have someone who is watching me and learning from me. I can continue generational cycles or I can show my daughter that you can do anything in this life if you believe in yourself and work hard enough. She is my biggest inspiration for making a go of it and the support of my immediate family has helped me to go for it. I’m so grateful for that.

I picked up my old guitar again just over 12 months ago and here I am writing this, signed, a debut single that has been played in different countries and getting ready for a US tour in July! I truly believe everything happens for a reason. I’m ready.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Perseverance
Resilience
Determination

I think if you are doing something you are passionate about, these things come quite naturally. The ability to not give up when everything feels like a sign that should to is a skill in itself. I picked up my guitar and thought “What have I got to lose?”

I would have always lived with the regret of not trying. And I don’t do regrets.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

Take a break. Ask for help. Practise self-care. It’s so underrated but so, SO important.

When I am feeling overwhelmed I try break down exactly what’s causing it. It’s never just one thing. But doing this can help identify your triggers for burnout. I ask myself these questions:

Have I been eating well?
Have I been sleeping?
Have I been practicing my hobbies?
Have I seen friends orfamily lately?
Have I taken any time to be alone?

You can probably answer one or more of these when you are feeling overwhelmed. Ironically when we are stressed, these are things that we don’t prioritise, which make us more stressed, more overwhelmed etc. Set yourself a weekly timetable and put these things in FIRST as PRIORITY. Then fit other tasks around them, Also, does everything need to be done ‘that’ day? Could some things be moved? Could you ask other people to do tasks a, b or c?

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Robyn Swain Photography
Bee Smith

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