Today we’d like to introduce you to Jada Haynes.
Jada, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My mission for G.E.M.S.(Grow, Enrich, Maximize, Sacrifice) by Jada started as I was going through college at South Carolina State University, between my sophomore and junior year. It was that big hit of reality when I realized how useless and naïve I was walking the grounds of the great university not understanding my purpose and who I was a person. I often questioned my role in society, and always wondered how was I suppose to have these “big dreams” if I never knew exactly what it was that I wanted out of life. I’d look around and see so many of my colleagues and peers living out their careers, and being the face of our campus, while all I did was go to class and go back to my room questioning and overthinking things.
Every single day, I had the same routine, not considering that this was one of my biggest issues. I was way too comfortable. I did not want to step outside of my comfort zone and take a leap of faith, because I was too afraid of being embarrassed or belittled by my peers. I did not surround myself around people that challenged me or my abilities, because they were comfortable and content with their life as well. It was at those moments that I realized I needed to make some adjustments. The biggest factor in making my adjustments was evaluating where I was versus where I was trying to go. I knew that this transition would allow me to grow, develop, and get the necessary mindset I needed which would be essential to my overall success. Those experiences allowed me to recognize that the resources that I needed to enhance my growth and development were sitting right in my face, on the campus of South Carolina State University. I just never took the time to take advantage of them, because I so used to making excuses and getting distracted. Whether it was a bad experience that I had to go through to understand how strong I was, or if it was me failing multiple times, to understand the importance of staying disciplined and persevering, that all have played a part in the drive that I have today. I started to mingle and build life-long relationships with people who pushed me to my maximum potential and constructively criticized my work ethics and behaviors. I also started engaging in positive and healthy environments, while eliminating things and people that did not contribute and/or benefit my growth to who I was becoming. I understood that all of the changes I needed to make had to start with me.
The platform that I am building is for every young adult who has and is going through similar experiences like mine. There are so many lost students/young professionals in this world trying to find their place, and are so afraid to jump, because of failing. So many people out there not accepting their reality and living in their truth, so instead, they continue to work around internal problems to the point of degrading their worth and values. So my vision for my brand is to create an environment that allows individuals to do the following:
1. Grow: grow through emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual experiences whether good or bad
2. Enrich: use every opportunity to improve or add value to any and everything you interact with
3. Maximize: make the most of every situation regardless of the benefit it may or may not have
4. Sacrifice: understand that in order to be better you have to give up something that may not be good for you
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think my brand is a little bit different from others. I am not running an established business that builds revenue yet. My brand is a work in progress every day. I am literally going through my entrepreneurship journey and staying true to trust my process. Every opportunity I have, I am pouring positive energy and vibes into other individuals who are struggling with similar experiences like mine. Because I continue to constantly engage and understand others stories, it always gives me a new perspective in my life. It allows me to adjust my brand and make it more personable based on the needs of who I interact with. It is definitely not a smooth road at all, especially trying to get people to believe in your vision just as much as you do. Just when I think I have figured out my vision and ready to take it to the next level, something always happens that shows that it may not be the right time. Some struggles that I currently am going through is being patient and understanding that timing is key. Naturally, we often tend to force things in our lives, because we want to create this social image of “living our best life” that we overlook the small things that we need that are essential to the success of your brand. You have to be disciplined and patient, and trust that your vision will come to past. There will be things that happen and people that come along that will try to distract you or alter your vision, because of their own selfish motives. However, these will be the times that you put your head down and work even harder to keep your vision afloat. If you are starting your journey, please understand that patience is key. Always remember that good things come to those who wait.
We’d love to hear more about G.E.M.S. by Jada.
My brand is who I am and how I carry myself every single day. I place so much emphasis on trying to be the best version of myself. I am constantly evaluating my current characteristics, situations, and mindsets trying to make sure that I am putting myself in the best possible position to be successful. This is important to me, because how can I speak life into someone else, motivate and guide others if I am not practicing what I am preaching. For me, the key factor in the success of my brand is to continue to work on myself while being a blessing to others. I don’t feel that I need to have it all figured out because then I would not be able to relate to my audience. By me actually going through my journey/process allows me to connect better with people because it gives them room for mistakes. Often times, most people feel that they can’t relate to successful individuals because they don’t physically see the struggles that they went through.
I believe that my humble spirit, drive, passion, and work ethic are what sets me apart from others. I am a very personable and affectionate individual that understands that you have to meet some people where they are in life. In order to do that you first have to understand that everyone comes from many different walks of life, and the only way to connect with them is to truly take the time to understand their story as well. To me, no amount of money can ever pay for how you make someone feel. I always try to leave a positive mark on every individual I interact with because I know that in the long run, my positive energy and vibes will make people want to stay connected with me, which will ultimately be the demand for my brand.
I am most proud of trusting my process throughout this journey. I have been able to interact and gain insight from so many different resources that have and will contribute to my mission for helping others.
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
There are two barriers that I feel influences female leadership today:
1. Living down to the standards set by society: Most people don’t believe women, in general, have the capacity to handle a heavy workload based on history and how women were portrayed in early years, such as being “housewives” Because society tells us that we can’t manage or deal with certain things in life, we tend to get intimidated to step out and defeat the odds. We have to stop seeking validation from others in order to fulfill our purpose of what we were called to do. Despite how things have been in the past, we have to know that we control our own destiny. No matter how people may feel about our work ethics, we deserve to take a chance at any opportunity we have the skillset to do. If we have authority, we have to be firm and know that regardless of the gender, the work has to be done.
2. Being our biggest critics: Being our biggest critics can be good, however, I feel that women tend to be harder on themselves when it comes to taking advantage of an opportunity. If there are ten suggested requirements, and we only have two of the ten, we’d probably count ourselves out without even attempting to apply ourselves, because we may feel that we are not qualified enough. We often want to be so “perfect” that we limit ourselves on taking a risk because of possible denial. If we don’t feel 100% about something, we try to talk ourselves out of it or take advantage of another opportunity we are more comfortable with.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 912-689-0913
- Email: jadahaynes6@gmail.com
- Instagram: _jhaynes
Image Credit:
Omari Richards
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