swimsuit: jcrew {on sale!} | sweater: jcrew | shorts: kut via nordstrom {on sale!} | sandals: elaine turner c/o | necklace: tina steinberg | sunglasses: ray-ban | lips: saint germain by mac

Aloha from Maui!
I can’t think of a better place to be to kickoff this week with incredible guest posts and this very personal giveaway. I am pretty sentimental (hopefully it doesn’t make you gag), but I’ll try to keep this simple and straightforward.

As part of this giveaway, Tina asked that I share what my ‘Joan of Arc’ necklace (pictured above) means to me. I have been wearing this necklace for years and aside from the ‘I am not afraid’ engraving, which I’m sure you can connect the dots on, this necklace is a reminder to step outside my comfort zone and not be afraid to share myself with the world (beyond what I share on my blog). I have experienced enough ups and downs in life to recognize that fear is usually the thing that holds me back from trying. On the reverse side of the necklace are the words ‘I was born to do this.’ I’ve never felt I was ‘born’ to do anything in my life. But because of how fears have shaped me, I do believe I was born to live my life learning to overcome them. This necklace is my sentimental way of remembering how powerful courage is.

Without courage, I may have never…

Opened up to new friends who’ve become family.
Moved to Maui and discovered the kind of person I want to be. A person who inspires others to be themselves by having the courage to accept and believe in myself. A person who is kind to everyone because she knows that we’re really all equals and that no amount of money or luxurious possessions makes any one person better than another. A person who inspires others to be fearless, try, keep trying and enjoy creating life how you want to live it, not how you feel it should be lived in order to feel accepted by others.
Trusted the friend who set me up on a blind date with the man whom I now call my husband.
Persevered the stressful years of working toward a bachelor’s degree.
Applied for an internship that ignited my public relations career. 
Created LittleMissFearless.com.

It’s not required as part of the giveaway, but I’d love to hear from you in the comments about what courage has done for you. Fear is a universal feeling, so take heart and don’t be afraid to spill your sentimental guts out. 😉