Hi Reader Welcome back,

In January the letter I shared was about progress and how that has impacted my growth. But I also shared how progress is different for everyone. For me, the main focus regarding my progress is what I have learned and continue to learn during the journey of moving towards achieving my goals. That is what enriches my life and gives me purpose.

Were you able to evaluate what progress means to you and the impact in your journey? If not, after you read this month's letter visit the monthly letter archives to review last months letter and assess your progress.

Hope you are ready for this months letter. I am truly excited about this letter because it involves bringing you ideas, tips, resources, and so much more.

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Letter #11

Today's letter is about what it takes to build a strong and firm foundation that can sustain you. Over the last few months I have had so many conversations, and every time I end up speaking about what growth means to me in spite of the challenges and situations in life. For me its about creating a strong foundation where I can be grounded. Grounded in my faith, belief, and with compassion.

The struggles, failures, challenges, negative energy, overburden emotions, emotional roller coasters, and so forth have prepared me to be resilient, compassionate and at times unshakeable. WOW, unshakeable Jackie? Yes I said it, unshakeable. It is possible not just for me, but for everyone.

Here is why I say unshakeable: My faith is unshakeable, my beliefs are unshakeable, my love is unshakeable, my compassion is unshakeable. By me believing these four factors it has shaped, strengthen, and prepared my foundation to be ready for the next situation in life.

I feel and I am grounded.

Here is a quote I found that defines how it feels to have a foundation that keeps me grounded.

Great foundations, once built, are not necessarily visible, but they are felt. Dr. Flo Falayi.

Ok so what does this all mean and why do I believe you should work on this?

Building a strong and firm foundation for yourself.

• It is NOT an overnight success story. Building a strong foundation takes work. It's not just something that you can snap your fingers and it just happens. Sometimes it might take deep research and other times it might take sweat and tears. The way you handle every situation and proceed with the elements that will impact your development is a great way to build a sustainable life, which includes resilience, focus, positive habits, and determination driven by a purpose.

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• Identify who you are. At times it may be hard to truly define who you are, because it takes time to invest in yourself and continuously assess your intentions, priorities, actions, heart and purpose. By taking the time to learn about your personality, interests, passions, things that make you happy, things that drain you, and so forth, you can create a strong foundation that will endure the challenges you encounter.

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• The power of self-care. Yes "self-care." It seems to be over-rated, and often repeated on many platforms, but at the end of the day it is needed. I really have invested a lot of time into my self-care: mentally, emotionally and physically. Talking about putting in the work, WOW, this definitely tested my foundation. I came across a quote in an article that says, "The reality is that self-care is unsexy and hard work." WOW. This is 100% so true. But guess what? The reward after that hard work is so fulfilling and rewarding. Self-care is not a quick fix, go to the spa one day, and you are done. It's a continual process to create long term benefits and sustainability. And believe me, I LOVE my spa time.

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• I am my own Cheerleader and Self-Advocate. I have learned throughout my journey that when you wait on someone to fill these shoes, you will be waiting a long time. Why? Because no one knows exactly why they should be cheering for you and what type of advocacy you need. Only you know the answer to this.

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Living a sustainable life with purpose and strong foundation

• Set the right expectations when it comes to defining what support you need or are looking for. Meaning, not all support may be good for every situation in your life. Here is why I say that. When I went through my journey of infertility, I felt alone even though I had support because no one could understand what I was going through. So I struggled for years, until I leaned into my faith 100% to find support not just in God but in myself. So be careful in how you set your expectations when it comes defining the type of support you are in need of.

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• Define your non-negotiables. Throughout my life, I have experienced moments when I felt like I had been taken advantage of by those who either mistook my kindness for weakness or disregarded my personal space and boundaries. After so many years, I realized I had to take ownership of my values and create a non-negotiables list. This list brought me clarity, and allowed me to say NO to the things that did not align, and yes to those who respected my non-negotiables. This truly was ground breaking for me because it truly helped me understand the essence of my foundation and how I needed to take ownership and not allow others to tear down what keeps me grounded.

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• Give yourself permission to remove what does not bring value to your life. I think is pretty is clear. You have control over your core values. Period. Since discovering and identifying my core values, I've been able to publicly express them to people, including adding them on my websites. For me, it is that important. I don't anyone to be surprised when I say NO, and when I don't allow their actions or ideas to change my core values or define who I am.

So what is the take away from this letter? Only you can work on and truly create a strong foundation that will help you withstand all of life's challenges including those from the naysayers.

Find some time between now the next letter to define how strong and sustainable your foundation truly is.

Before I close my letter, I would like to share why I am grateful at this very moment. I am grateful for you. I appreciate your continuous support as I share my monthly letters with you. I deeply appreciate the feedback I receive from my readers, whether in person, through email replies, or via messages on social media to share how my letters have touched you or made a positive impact on your day. Thank you again for welcoming me into your space at least once a month.

Finally, on March 22, 2025, I have the honored of being a Keynote Speaker at the Inspirame Latina Summit in New Jersey. This will be the topic of my letter next month, BUT if you are interested in attending and being front and center for this fabulous, impactful and transformational experience, then here is the link. Seating is limited, so grab your ticket sooner than later before it sells out. TICKETS​

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Until next month. Click on the photo to tune in to my Inspired by Jacqueline Podcast.​

P.S. While I will not be back until next month, we can meet every week on my podcast or follow my journey via my Instagram's on @JV_NextLevel @LEBJV ​@ClassyJV ​@InspiredbyJacqueline​

P.S.S. Letter Archives: If you have missed the other letters, here's a cool feature I have created for you. The ARCHIVES https://www.catalystbridgeagency.com/monthly-letter-archive​

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Love, Hugs, and Kisses. xoxo

Jacqueline