Meet Vivian Hawkins

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Vivian Hawkins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Vivian, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

I believe my confidence and self-esteem were instilled in me at a very young age by my dad and grandparents. They encouraged and supported me in all the extracurricular activities I wanted to pursue. They had three rules: First, if you start something, finish it—don’t quit. Second, strive for excellence or don’t do it at all. Third, only compete with yourself.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m working on two things from my past experiences. The first one is my love of art. I studied art at California State University, Fresno, and got my degree to teach and be a counselor and administrator in high school. My favorite mediums are abstract art and photo portrait oil painting, and I’ve recently renewed my interest in them. My second renewed interest is completing a short true story about my near-death experience during my third pregnancy. It was an amazing miracle.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The three most worthwhile qualities to have in your journey through life are the ability to love yourself and others, to be honest and loyal, and to have good character and integrity. Additionally, you must develop skills you are good at. Skills are needed both in your mind and with your hands—don’t excel in one and ignore the other. Knowledge in both areas will serve you well.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

The Bible is the book that has influenced my life the most. It was the first book I tried to read, and I was taught words and verses to memorize. The beautiful pictures by Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were the first images of art I saw and fell in love with. This book tells us everything we need to know to be a success in life. If I had to pick one nugget of wisdom to pass along, it would be love. Love is woven throughout the Bible; it’s the first commandment and the last words the last surviving disciple, John, gave. He said ‘Love one another.'”