So, back to Katie…
She told me that she had only been modeling a few weeks when her Toronto agency arranged for her to go to model in Singapore for three months. She had almost no experience in modeling and had never yet been out of her own country. It was a big leap for her. But even though she was more than a little scared, she did it and did very well. And she stayed on and traveled to other markets in Asia–Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan and worked very well in those markets too, over a period of several months.
I also loved the fact that she told me how she would invest all her free time in learning about and discovering the local culture, wherever she was. She went to numerous local festivals, museums, temples, etc. She was living life large and taking full advantage of her unique opportunity.
Katie told me that before she began modeling she was very timid and insecure. But the experience of going over to Asia, without knowing anyone or very much about the business gave her very valuable insight into herself and her own capabilities. She realised that she could do it and that knowledge gave her a sense of confidence and self-respect that she hadn’t known before.
She told me how grateful she was for that experience and I could tell that she really was grateful and that she took that experience and made it pay off for her many times over by using and applying what she learned about herself.
Katie also told me that she made the difficult decision to postpone her college classes for a year in order to travel throughout Asia as a model. Although she’ll be going back to school next September, she said that she wouldn’t change a thing if she had it to do all over again. In her words, the education she got in that year working and traveling in Asia–about life and herself–was of incomparable value to her.
I was very impressed with this young woman; with her positive attitude towards the unkown and its possibilities. With the ease with which she was able to give herself credit for her accomplishments and re-think the way she saw herself. And with her obvious enjoyment of life and the people she encountered in it.
Thanks Katie. You made my day. : )
Kim
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