Devenia Reynolds

I would say I attribute my success first to my mom, my shero. Watching her battle through the struggles of life and just knowing that I'd never seen her give up, I would contribute to her first and foremost because she was the first of my everything. Watching her go back to school gave me courage to go back. Watching her be the first individual in her family to build a brick home, and it's hard to be a first, you know. I would say that she was definitely my focus starting off, because I started way back when, determined that whatever I set my mind to do, nothing's stopping me. If I could see it, I could do it. But I had to find God first. My mother was my first example to press, to say, oh, I can do this, because I've seen mama do it. I seen mama go through hard times, and I can remember sometimes seeing my mom struggle, but then I seen how resilient she was. I attribute it definitely to my mom first, and then God, because I was introduced to Him also at an early age. I'm still learning, we're still daily, daily, daily learning.

I would say the best career advice I've ever received is to believe in oneself, have courage and confidence, and the ability to do what you have set out to do, and then knowing how to balance. You have to believe in yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, nobody else will.

I would tell them, yes, they can. Yes, you can, and it has to be a household name, it has to be personal. First, I would definitely give them a word, and that word would be Philippians 4:13, I, you, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. And then I would say, believe in yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, nobody else will. Make sure you are writing a vision down and visited often, because lifetime will try to come and deter, distract, cause you to forget what you set out to do, what your dreams were. I would tell them to stay connected to those that push you, those that challenge you, those that give you corrective criticism, so that will help caliber you into what your goals are, what your vision is. Remain quiet, find a quiet place, always to steal away. Self-care, every 30 days, every week, find your place that you just settle down, be quiet. If it's riding in your car for an hour, don't turn on the radio, just let your thoughts come to a place where you can find clarity.

The biggest challenges in my field right now are lack of application, lack of experience, and lack of communication.

The most important values to me are God first, family, and then everything else. I strive to keep that focus, though it's not always easy. I believe in self-motivation because the world around you will discourage you, so you have to motivate yourself. Prayer, positive affirmations, and being self-observant are essential to me. I'm always checking myself, asking God to help me, looking within to help myself. I don't try, we deliver at some point, because that's the way God's will is. Everything is in timing, structured in timing and scheduling.