Carmen Clarke – Practice Creates Confidence & Confidence Empowers You

Some youngsters are afraid to dream about something they love or want to pursue because many of their friends, adults, and even their parents disagree with them.

And when a youngster is afraid to dream, it makes them feel inadequate and sorrowful; they may even become depressed, as they grow up fearful of dreams. As a result, they believe that they will never be good enough to pursue what they desire and what makes them happy.

Lack of confidence, having no identity, feeling lost; these are just some of the issues that many youngsters face nowadays.

But how do we stop that? How can these youngsters regain their confidence back and fulfill their dreams? How can they overcome their fear? 

We have teamed up with Carmen Clarke to answer those questions.

Carmen is a 10 year old artistic Provincial gymnast who trains with her coach Jamila

Goodfellow at High Flyers Gymnastics and attends elementary school in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. She is someone who never lets go of her dreams and is a living proof of self discipline, hard work and determination.

Carmen holds many awards to her name. She is a first-place overall winner at the Niagara Falls Lightning Gymnastics Provincial qualifiers, awarded for the most expressive floor routine,  first place overall winner Marilyn Hayes Provincial Qualifying Invitational, second place overall winner at the Whitby Gymnastics Provincial Qualifiers, and also holds an award from the Ontario Championships for highest half turn dismount on uneven bars; 5th on vault, 5th on uneven bars and 12th overall.

She has her heart and soul all set and steady for the Olympics; to win the gold medal and bring it home. 

Carmen comes from a diverse background. Her father being from Barbados and her mother originally from Israel, she has experienced different cultures from a young age. 

However, because of her diverse background, she has experienced judgment from her peers.

“My big brother and I have different dads, my mom raises us as ONE – We are ONE. We are united, we love each other and are here for each other no matter what the color of our skin is or what our backgrounds are.

Since I can remember myself, kids would always comment about my hair and the way I look, they would tell me there is no way that I have a white mom, that I am ugly, while adults would always compliment me .

Kids can be cruel sometimes, but I have my big brother to always protect me. I don’t feel angry at someone when they say hurtful things to me – I feel sorry for them because they just don’t know any better.” Carmen stated. 

For Carmen, gymnastics are her everything; her dream, passion and true calling; Level 6 Training Gymnast, Ontario Provincial Finalist, and multi-award-winning performing gymnast; Carmen does it all. Her desire and ultimate goal is to win the gold medal at the Olympics. 

Her goal is to inspire children to pursue their dreams and strive to be the best that they can be, as well as inspire parents to support their children in their pursuit of their dreams. 

“I am here to show kids and parents that nothing is impossible.” Carmen stated.

Many people have a different meaning and/or a definition of the word BRAVE but for Carmen it is,

B – Be you!

In general, “being yourself” means being true to your unique personality instead of faking a different one in the hopes of appealing to others. But we can go ahead and say that you must strive to be the best “you” you can be; to be the ideal “you.” 

Being yourself implies that you love who you are. Being yourself means living your life the way you want to live it, regardless of what other people think. It simply means you value yourself. Worrying about what others will think is pointless because you can’t control them or their thoughts.

R – Raw – Be honest and raw with yourself and people around you

The more truthful you are, the easier it is to trust you. Gaining the confidence of others is the first step in becoming a great leader in both business and life. Not only will others trust you, but you will feel more confident as well. It’s always a good idea to pay it forward and nurture good karma. That is much easier to achieve with honesty than with not being true or faithful. 

Every individual’s personal and professional relationships rely heavily on honesty. Being honest may seem simple, but being truly honest with others and with yourself can be difficult at times.

A – Authentic – Love yourself just the way you are and always show up as who you are  

Living authentically means putting your own needs and values ahead of those that society, your friends, and your family may have for you. The capacity to reach your actual potential, respect from others, happiness, and well-being are just a few advantages of living authentically. 

True authenticity does not imply that life is perfect or simple. However, it does imply that you have a clearer understanding of what your priorities are, more energy, and clarity for what matters, and less self-doubt about who you’re striving to be in the world.

V – Victorious – when you train your mind to be stronger than your emotions you will always be victorious

Your mental abilities grow. Saying no to certain actions is typically how you practice using your mind to be stronger than your emotions. Your emotions will influence you to take actions that you might later regret or that are inconsistent with who you are. 

We can make better decisions, big or small, when we can control our emotions. Understanding our emotions enables us to become conscious of our triggers and gain knowledge on how to react in beneficial ways.

E – Evolve – after every win, there is the next one you need to work towards to, always keep moving up

An important aspect of the journey and critical to success is realizing that we are continuously trying to evolve. Understanding that it’s an evolution rather than a change enables us to be open to learning through mistakes. This allows us the necessary forgiveness to fail. 

You experience a better sense of purpose in your life as an evolved person, as though you have been led. You’re in the right spot and heading in the right direction. This is a spiritual confirmation rather than only a belief. You are living the life you were destined to live and are in alignment with your truest self.

Carmen’s motto in life is to prove your point not only to yourself but for people around you especially your parents – explain to them why you have that dream and why it means so much to you – they love you so even if they disagree you may be able to change their mind

She has quickly become a fast-rising sensation and a name brand in her niche, from kicking butt in the gym to leading an active, fashion-forward, progressive lifestyle. 

It’s a week-long, all-year-round, never-ending schedule! This is about how far Carmen Clarke’s grind goes!

“If you are afraid you will never fail, if you never fail you will never succeed” Carmen Clarke

Article Published by: Authority Sharks PR
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Journalist: Mannal Qureshi