Recognize the Power of Your Gift
Singer and Actress Antonique Smith
Recording artist and actress Antonique Smith is on a high like you wouldn’t believe—and she is enjoying every minute of it.
Her first single, “Hold Up Wait a Minute,” was nominated for a Grammy in 2015, and people around the world are talking about her emergence on the musical scene, especially after the release of her project Love Is Everything. Before “Hold Up,” many knew Antonique as a Broadway star and as an actress who played Faith Evans in the hit movie Notorious, but music has always been a part of who she is. In 2017, she also was a part of the powerful limited television series called Shots Fired.
I asked Antonique what the ride of her journey has been like. “I’m so grateful,” she told me. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was a little girl. I’m so grateful that everybody is supporting and embracing it.”
Though she has always believed in herself, Antonique told me that the competitive nature of the industry wore her down a bit. “Through the years, after seeing how difficult the industry is, I lost some of the belief I had in myself because of the rejection and the No’s.” She then added: “The majority of what you get are the No’s. The tiny Yes’s you get are what people normally see.” She says it’s been a long road, but her family, friends and fans have all made it worthwhile.
With the challenges of the industry, I was curious as to where the tenacity she has comes from. “I believe that my gift was an answer to a prayer of seven-year old Antonique,” she told me.
“I think that God gave me something to share with the world. That is what keeps me going. This is the only thing I have wanted to do.”
Talking about the live performance, she says “That’s my favorite thing. I love looking into people’s eyes and feeling what they are feeling. To have that connection with people is priceless.”
And this is only the beginning for her. “I’m going to keep going until I can’t go any more,” she says. “I continue to push.”
1.For Antonique having some success is not enough. She keeps pushing. What can you do to keep pushing towards your goals?
2.The right attitude has helped Antonique to keep the right perspective. How can you change your attitude to better approach your own life and what you want to do?
Power Your Life BY SHOWING UP
“Face front, true believer!”
—Stan Lee
Power Your Life WITH YOUR UNIQUENESS
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost.”
—Martha Graham
Power Your Life BY RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
“Nothing, I am sure, calls forth the faculties so much as the being obliged to struggle with the world.”
—Mary Wollstonecraft
Power Your Life WITH HOPE
“[N]o human being can truly be imprisoned if hope burns in your heart.”
—Barack Obama
Actor, Choreographer, and Author
Darrin Dewitt Henson
Whether it is movies like Stomp the Yard, television shows like Soul Food, or books like Pregnant with Thought, Darrin Dewitt Henson has been able to gives audiences around the world something that they can connect to—and there is no sign of him slowing down. His new book, Ain’t That the Truth, released at the end of 2017, allows us to see so much about the inner resources he has used to get to where he is, and why it is so important for him to share his vision of inner growth with others.
We’ve had several opportunities to connect in conversations that are inspiring and uplifting, and this discussion about the importance of powering life with the positive didn’t disappoint.
CW. Darrin, you have been fortunate enough to have a career that you and others love, but you have also used your platform to reach others. Why has that been important for you to do?
DH. I believe the platform is not just for me. It’s to afford people the opportunity to be inspired, so they can be able to move on and do something for their lives as well.
For any of us, when you receive something, it’s not just for you, but for you to share with others.
CW. Have you always known that the creative process was the way you would reach the world?
DH. I have! Creativity is my form of communication. Communication when it comes to the arts, like everything else, is consistently evolving. That has given me a variety of ways that I can communicate: acting, dancing, speaking, writing, etc.
There are so many ways we can expand. I’m just using some of those tools right now in my life.
CW. One of the things you have talked about is purpose. I believe that one thing that keeps people from walking in their purpose is fear. How have you not allowed fear to stop you?
DH. I do get fearful, but I use fear against itself. Some fear is good fear, stopping you from doing things that are detrimental. When it’s fear of growing we know it’s not good. You have to go through fear to get to where you want to be. Sit down, write down and figure out what you desire in life. In order for you to get there you’ll have to go through fear. There is no other way.
If you understand that everything you want is on the other side of fear, you’ll understand why stopping is not an option. Be scared but do it anyway.
CW. I mentioned that the world has gotten to know you, in one way or another, through the way you communicate. When you hear the response to your work, is that validation that you are accomplishing what you want?
DH. Yes I do. Especially when it comes to my books. I want to remind people that they are bigger and better than they appear to be. I want to remind people that doubt kills more dreams than anything else, and never doubt what they can achieve. If they are willing to do the work anything is possible.
1.What is the way you communicate to the world, and what can you use from Darrin’s approach to help you do it more?
2.How can you change the way fear is keeping you from living a positive and more productive life?
Power Your Life BY MAKING A DECISION
“I have learned over the years that when one’s
