She is Winning: Meet Event Designer, Ashley Marie
Ashley Marie is the owner and principal designer of Events & Designs by Ashley Marie LLC. She loves creating beautiful spaces and lasting memories, and it gives her so much joy to see smiles, love, and excitement on the faces of her family, friends, and clients. Ashley Marie believes that we should never take any day for granted and every moment is a great moment to celebrate.
We took a moment to catch up with Ashley Marie to learn more about her “winning” journey and here is what she had to say…
How do you define "winning" today?
Loving what you do, being at peace with what you do, sharing that joy with others, and helping others is winning.
In what ways has your definition of "winning" changed over the years?
My definition of winning has matured over the years. They say as you get older you get wiser and when I was younger, my definition of winning was being the best at everything. I have all the awards, all the accolades, and of course, the material things that came along with it! As I’ve matured, my perspective has changed. I don’t want to have the “bag” and be miserable or look back to see I’ve never impacted someone else positively. That’s not winning to me. Everything we do should be for the glory of God. It may sound cliche but having love, peace, joy, and living a positive impactful life....that’s winning
Knowing what you know now, what would you say to your younger self?
You are enough. You are loved! You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Outside opinion doesn’t determine your value or self-worth. Losing is not losing, it’s a lesson guiding you to your destiny. It may get tough, but you will come out stronger and better. Don’t give up!
Name one thing you had to let go of or accept to become the woman you are today.
Fear. I had to let go of allowing fear to paralyze me and manipulate my decisions. I now ask myself, “Why am I fearful?” Is this something that is truly going to harm me and I need to use my God-given sense and run away, or is it because of my doubts or lack of faith? “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV So, in knowing this, why fear? I’m still working on this discipline with spiders though!
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Loving! Many may expect me to say being a wife, mom, grandmom, entrepreneur, while working full time. I am truly grateful and honored to have all of the above, but to me those are gifts. The accomplishment I am most proud of is loving because that is the driving force behind all that I do. It allows me to be successful in what I do, and is the “not so secret” sauce of my winning!
I couldn’t stand it for a long time, but God gifted me with a compassionate heart. Some may say I’m emotional, but I say that it’s compassion. I’ve finally accepted it! My compassion and my love show in everything I do. We all have a choice, and if you knew my testimonies, you would probably say I have every right to be hateful, mean, and untrusting...but I choose love. So yeah, that’s the accomplishment I’m most proud of!
To learn more about Ashley’s venue and event design business, visit: www.ashleymarieevents.com + follow her at: Instagram.com/ashley_marie_events
