Elsie Jackson

I would attribute my success to my parents and my upbringing. I grew up in a Christian home since I was born, and although they didn't have much education, they instilled respect - respecting others and respecting the opinion of others. Not just teaching us, they showed us. I used to help my mom prepare food for the homeless when I was young, a teenager. So a lot of the way I do now, that came from my parents. Respecting people, respecting the opinion of others - regardless of the way I feel, I respect, highly respect, I always say, I highly respect the opinion of others. I might not agree all the time, and I will sometimes say I disagree, but I have to, I made it a habit to respect their opinion. And that's how I get along with people, too. I don't like to argue and fuss with anybody about anything. That's their opinion. There's nothing I can do about it.

The best advice that I've ever received was from our first lady that passed away last December, and I find myself quoting her all the time. She said, we cannot be so heavenly-minded until we are no earthly good. She told us, you cannot be so heavenly-minded till you know earthly good. I enjoy life, I have a balance. But the thing that I have in my bio, my state supervisor bio, is I can see the good and the bad, no matter how bad the bad is. I can see the good in it. And my mom gave us the greatest advice when we were growing up - do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And she said, regardless of how they treat you, she says, squeeze goodness out of you. That don't matter, or how you're treated, still treat others the way, you know, you would like to be treated. And I know that's a Bible scripture, but my mom taught us that when we were younger, coming up. She says, squeeze goodness out of you, no matter how you're treated, and I have to say that it has followed me. I treat people the way that I like to be treated, regardless of how I'm treated.

Love yourself. I just did a single women's workshop at the retreat, and the advice I give is love yourself. Take out time for self. Do not be forced to take out time. Time to self, respect yourself. Love yourself first. You have to love yourself. Do some things for yourself, take yourself out to dinner, at lunch. And sit there like you've got somebody with you, and when they ask how many, say one, and the booth, please. Love, love yourself. Care for yourself. Dress accordingly, you know, dressed like the woman that you are, regardless of how you feel. Sometimes it might not feel like anything but force yourself and be yourself. The main thing is being yourself. Be yourself. People love and respect you, believe it or not, for being yourself. Don't try to be like anybody else. Be yourself. I get many calls from women being over churches and encouraging them and letting them know that you can make it, you know, you can make it regardless. You can make it in whatever it is. I've gone through a lot in my life and I feel like I can help others. First of all, love yourself. You can't send it out if you don't love yourself. Take care of myself, and I. Of course, I can say we're gonna keep God first in everything that we do, but focus on self. Go out to eat, shop, whatever, and I'm not a shopaholic, but do for self, and then you easily can extend it out to others. The love, the care, the respect.

My biggest challenge, because I'm great at following, but also leading, is when I'm leading, my biggest challenge is when you have someone that's, I don't want to use the term combative, but you're always gonna have someone that doesn't agree with whoever, whatever. That's the biggest challenge that I have, is when one challenges, I mean, disagrees, doesn't see your point at all. And I compromise, you know, I'm easily compromise, but that would be the biggest challenge, is when one doesn't agree and be adamant about it, and it'd be like good advice or outlined plan or something like that.

In my personal life is loving and caring for people. Loving and caring for people, and I hold that deeply to my heart. I love people. I'm getting ready to go help feed the homeless, reaching out to them with my brother. I'm going to join him, and we're gonna go in. Well, he has that ministry, and I told him I would like to join him and go with him sometimes with the homeless, and giving to them. But loving and caring for people, that's one of my greatest passions. I love people and care for them. And that is both. Even at my job, I treat the co-workers the same. Well, really, like family, pretty much. Everywhere I go, I just treat people like, like family. I know I have my biological family, but I pretty much treat everybody like they're my biological family. My manager just told me in my year-end review, if I ever retire, they're gonna be sad. That was one of the best compliments, you know. I do, I treat everybody like I would my biological family, and that is no joke, that's just me.