2022issue no. 8
GENERATION
STORIESMAGAZINE/INSPIRATION
stories & inspiration for the generation.
Dr.
follow along on @generationmag_ Marcelline Girlie Jes Norris
Generation Magazine extends a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to our photographer: Ashley Maisonet Barragan
Contributing
GENERATION MAGAZINEEditor-in-chief
olivia walls @livvwalls host: https://issuu.com/generation-mag submissions: genmagpublication@gmail.com
3 CONTRIBUTORS
4 THE LINE UP 6 a letter from the editor 8 ofpsychologytheconfidence 10 Waves
14 hello, I’m Jes.
The editor’s letter is a sacred moment for me. It is not always easy getting here, but consistently showing up has helped me get through creative droughts and the dreaded writer’s block. When these challenges arise, there is no magic cure for them. I have learned that the only way over it is through it. I am confident that even when I show up with nothing, creativity is sure to meet me there. So, here we are. We made it.
She’s one of those people who know how to make beautiful melodies out of very real human experiences. The connection you feel from her lyrics will keep you singing along to every word and filled with hope on every hook. As you read through the pages of our 8th issue, I hope you are reminded to keep showing up for what inspires you; creativity and hope will meet you there. Even when you feel like you have nothing to show up with, you alone are good enough.
Editor’s Dear Reader,
Letter
6 Livv
Attributes like confidence, do not simply appear. It takes work to make a major mental shift. There is a psychology to nurturing one’s assurance, which Dr. Marcelline Girlie breaks down on page 8. Often, the greatest teachers of confidence are our own life experiences. The ebb and flow of life are a lesson in themselves. Wonderful, fearsome, and unpredictable life is not something to try and control— it’s something to behold. When writing Waves (pg. 15), I wanted to poetically describe finding a rhythm within life’s ups and downs. It was a process of letting go of the need for control and holding on firmly to the anchor of Hope. Life may be disappointing at times, but Hope never disappoints.
If you asked me to name someone who embodies a life of hope, I would say Jes Norris. I am excited to have Jes in this issue to share about who she is—not just as an artist but everything else that makes her Jes, the girl from Chicago.
portrait by Ashley Maisonet Barragan
8 CONFIDENCE the psychology of by Dr. Marcelline L. Girlie, DNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC
What is Self-Confidence?
Self-Confidence is probably the most frequently talked about psychological factor worldwide. It is typically noticed the most when it’s low or during self-discovery. Self-confidence can often seem like an abstract concept, difficult to define, or even challenging to set practical goals around.
Winning women around the world, all have one thing in common...
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— Lao Tzu Two contributing factors of Self-Confidence:
Persistence and endurance are built during the realization of self-efficacy, which welcomes more complex challenges despite failures or setbacks. Self-esteem, however, responds to self-efficacy. Self-esteem is a person’s personal opinion and beliefs about themselves; the value and respect they have for themselves. It highlights how they feel about their limitations and abilities. Self-esteem helps an individual acknowledge that they too deserve life’s best without the validation of others, which builds resilience.
Many often wonder about their ‘‘superpower’’ and how they can navigate their lives with grace. How are they able to demand attention when they walk into a room? How are they capable of changing the atmosphere with their presence? The secret behind their secured stance is that these women digested and absorbed a healthy dose of self-confidence!
Having confidence is an attribute that is nurtured, exercised, and tested with time. It is a mastered skill from learning, practicing, and persistence. It is the result of the thoughts we process and the actions we take. It is about putting your beliefs in your ability to succeed on display. Yes, simple as that! Self-confidence is your belief in what you would like to accomplish; it is not the measure of your successes within themselves.
“Health is the greatest greatestConfidencegreatestContentmentpossession.isthetreasure.isthefriend.”
To fully understand self-confidence, we must look at its contributing factors. The factors that build the foundation are most often known as its attributes, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to master a skill or reach a goal. An internal sense of achievement develops when we witness ourselves mastering skills, reaching goals, and developing various competencies.
The American Psychological Association defines selfconfidence as self-assurance: trust in one’s abilities, capacities, and judgment; a belief that can successfully meet a task’s demand. As simple as this may sound, women often believe that confidence is innate and only a few ‘lucky’ individuals are born with it, while the rest can only wish for it. And that thought is far from true.
Self-confidence is essential because it is woven into every aspect of our lives. It is a precious psychological resource that correlates with achievement, good relationships, and satisfaction. It exposes value and illuminates self-worth.
3. Identify your weaknesses and use them to gain muscle.
Just as we are strong in some areas, we are weak in others. Identifying our weaknesses brings them to the forefront, where it has the opportunity to be turned into a strength. When you acknowledge your shortcomings, you purposefully start to exercise them, giving yourself a chance to get help where needed.
Here’s 12 tips for building Self-Confidence:
Find what you are good at and do more of this. Everyone is good at something, so find yours. Hone in on your innate skills and work to improve them. Hire that coach; take that class; get that mentor; expand that hobby into a business and get real good at your good.
2. Celebrate your accomplishments, big or small. A win is a win, so celebrate it. Celebrating your successes boosts your confidence to continue working toward more significant challenges and goals.
‘‘Self-confidence is the cornerstone of endurance and opens the doors to unimaginable victories.’’
1. Know your strengths, abilities, and talents. Emphasize them!
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Self-confidence is the cornerstone of endurance and opens the doors to unimaginable victories. It allows us to flex our ‘‘faith muscles’’ because our Creator has entrusted us to do great and mighty things beyond our comprehension or abilities. Confidence is where God’s supernatural power meets our actionable steps.
Want to build Self-Confidence?
Why is important?Self-Confidence
5. Doubt your doubt and face your fears. It’s time to say goodbye to the doubts that have prevented you from accomplishing your life’s goals. It’s time to stare fear in the face and approach your dreams confidently. Knowing that even if you failed, at least you tried. As you keep trying, you will eventually succeed.
4. Be kind to your mind. Kick your stinking thinking out the door! Negative self-thought and negative self-talk are killers of confidence and motivation. Turn those tunes off and replace them with positive affirmations that align with where you want to grow or see yourself in the future.
7. Don’t compare yourself to others. Give yourself permission to take risks and make mistakes along the way. Comparison is the killer of self-confidence, so rather than compare yourself to others, celebrate their wins, ask them for advice and get back to working on your own goals.
The only person you are racing against is who you were yesterday. Same speed, but different strategy this time around, so be easy on yourself.
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8. Practice your winner’s speech and testimony. Write this out and put it in a place where you will edit it often. As as you meet and exceed your goals, the details of your speech will need to be updated.
9. Give yourself the grace to grow and treat yourself with compassion. Grace to grow is so hard for women because we desperately try to look perfect in our processes. It is imperative that you allow yourself the pause; allow yourself to breathe; allow yourself to grow at your own pace.
6. Set realistic goals and boundaries and take action within 12 hours. Make those big goals into small detailed goals and take one step at a time. Within 12 hours of writing these goals out, be sure to take one actionable step. Science has shown that if you take a step within 12 hours of setting a goal, you are more likely to keep going.
10. Create visual goal trackers. Write your vision and make it plain. Create a vision board and keep it somewhere to remind you of your assignment and goal. This makes it feel relatable and achievable. Keep your eyes on the prize. 11. Say ‘‘no’’ to requests that don’t align with your values. ‘‘No’’ is a full sentence, so don’t feel guilty about your ‘‘no.’’ When you say no to things that do not fulfill you or align with your values, you have the opportunity and freedom to say Yes to the things that will help you meet your goals.
12. Don’t assume! Don’t assume that you will fail or that anyone is doing better than you. The world is waiting for what you have to offer, and future generations will be disappointed if you assume and don’t try. Ultimately, every woman is a winning woman. And as women, we must embody confidence so that we can allow other women to do the same as they tackle their personal and professional Whengoals. we project confidence, we tell others that we accept ourselves, trust ourselves, and have self-control. When we project confidence, it becomes infectious and duplicates itself. When we project confidence, we confirm security. When we project confidence, we empower ourselves to move forward and be ready for life’s beautiful experiences. So, adjust your crown, ladies, and let’s become the undeniably confident women we truly are!
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WAVESwordsbyoliviawalls
At the mercy of the sea there is pure serenity. My Anchor lies in the swell of the tide. On the currents of Hope, I ride. With nothing to control and everything to behold. Here I am, fully alive in the waves.
I unfurl in the curl of the Alternatingwaves.and turning with every reach and retreat. Waves crashing over me, I emerge breathing deeply. Fully withunravelsofThebySensesalive.serenaded,saltandspray.ebbandflowsurgeandreleasethestresseverybrinycaress.
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‘‘My hope is to merge Christian Contemporary Music with Christian R&B and create a space where faith meets love music.’’ Jes Norris, pg. 19
15
HELLO,
JES
Singer-songwriter Jes Norris has no problem going straight for the soul with her smooth R&B-inspired vocals and candid verses that can only come from vulnerability and authenticity. I had the pleasure of connecting with Jes for an interview to talk music and beyond. Her songwriting is reflective of who she is a wife, a mother, and a worshipper which makes it that much more in-depth and her music, now let’s hear her story.
Olivia AshleyWallsMaisonet Barragan
PhotographyInterviewI’Mbyby
You’veinspring.heard
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Congratulations on releasing your very first album, “Called To Love”!
Thank you for recognizing that. At first, it felt nerve wracking because it took a couple years to take my real life situations and write them into songs that were purposed to inspire hope during and after healing. It required a lot of However,vulnerability.now that I have read and heard the beautiful testimonies of people who have related to this album in a deep way, my heart is so full of gratitude. And I just look forward to releasing another. Have you always been into music and songwriting, or did you pick up interest in it later in life?
I absolutely have always had a desire to sing. Songwriting came later on when I picked up the guitar in high school. However, this album was a brand new experience to write. From structuring the songs to being intentionally creative with my lyrics—it was all new.
What were some of the challenges you faced once you broke onto the music scene, if any?
For anyone who listens, you can tell that you put a lot of heart, soul, and time into it—how do you feel now that it’s been released?
I would say I definitely fall into the R&B genre. My hope is to merge Christian Contemporary Music with Christian R&B and create a space where faith meets love music.
I do believe I faced one challenge, that can also still can feel difficult at times. That challenge is social media. Being an artist really does require you to be pretty active on all the socials. I guess my challenge is that a big part of me is a fervent believer in putting your phone down and away as much as possible. I run a business through my phone, work my second job through my phone and also create content through my phone. Most times, I decide the time with my family or the protection of my mental health is more important than creating content in the moment. That has hurt my consistent activity on social media, however, I do always come back eventually. On social media, you’ve talked about this album being a very personal project that shares some of your real-life experiences with love, heartbreak, and relationships.
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Talk about what this album means to you personally. This album is very personal to me because I decided in the beginning stages of writing this album that I would be authentic to the emotions and to the details of my past and current situations. I wanted to give my listeners a close and intimate experience into my walk with God. I didn’t want to only write from the place of being healed but also from the raw process of what it looks like to need healing.
How would you describe your artistic style? What kind of musical niche are you developing?
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My advice would be to stay grounded in your relationship with God. Being an artist is a public gig, so with that comes many temptations to mold into who you think would be more interesting to your Butaudience.ifyou’re confident in who you are in Christ, you won’t be swayed to meet the culture’s version of who you “should” be. For other artists like you who aspire to stay authentic and true to who they are—what advice or encouragement would you give them? What inspires you the most to keep making music? My relationship with God, hands down, is the most inspiring reason to keep making music. As well as my family. Learning to love God, my husband and children, in my opinion, have been the best experiences in life.
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‘‘My relationship with God, hands down, is the most inspiring reason to keep making music.’’What can we expect from Jes Norris in the next year? Give us the deets!
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The next year will be a full gathering of vision for my next project! That season involves a ton of song writing and I will most definitely post snippets as I go. So stay tuned!
‘‘Called To Love’’ is available anywhere you buy music.
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