Where I was... Element 26 Dance and Fitness

Where   I am   now... Element 26 Lifestyle Artistry

"What is your WHY?"
When it came to health and fitness my why was simply, I didn't want to die.  I wanted to live. I wanted to live a better and healthier life to the fullest.

"What do you value most?"
I think I value my family most. I define family not only as those that share family ties through blood or marriage but it also extends to those that are like family. 

"What drives you?"
My family drives me.  My desire to live drives me.  My desire to be there for my family drives me.
Success drives me. Seeing others succeed drives me.

"What values ground you?"
My personal relationship with Jesus grounds me.
My relationship with my immediate and extended family grounds me. My desire to succeed in a real and attainable way grounds me.

"What encourages you to grow as much as possibly can?"
My family. Both immediate and extended.

"What fuels you to push forward when you suffer a set back?"
Family.  (I'm seeing a theme.)

"What principles matter most to you?"
The principles that matter most to me are spending quality time with my immediate family and enjoying every moment. Looking and feeling my best. Living life to the fullest. Having a stellar work ethic and reputation.

"What are you currently doing that goes against your mission?"
When I put my business before my immediate family and my own health and well being. When I don't eat right like I should.

"How can you combat this?"
Find balance with work/business and family. Find balance in your diet.

"What is your plan to overcome obstacles?"
Accountability.  Having those in my life to ground me when I am overwhelmed or am piling to much on my plate or stretching myself to thin.

"How do I want people to describe me?"
Melissa truly cared about my health and well being.  She wanted to see me succeed as much as I wanted, if not more. Melissa was a great mom and wife and was a hard worker.

"What legacy do I want to leave?"
Melissa was passionate about her family both immediate and extended whether they were related by blood, marriage, or relationship.  She was passionate about health and fitness and the well being of those around her. She truly was kind and respected others.

"What makes me happy and fulfilled?"
Accomplishing what I set out to do.  No matter what it is. Completing things.  Seeing things through to the end. Winning the battles and eventually the war.

"Why do these things matter to me?"
I think it's been ingrained in me to care about success and people.

"How do I define success?"
Completing the tasks at hand and pushing through. Working hard to see things through but not using people to get there.

THE MISSION STATEMENT OF
​Melissa Davis and Element 26 Dance and Fitness:
TO HELP MY "FAMILY" LIVE AND NOT DIE, 
TO LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST EXTENT 
OF HEALTH AND VITALITY AND SUCCESS.

"What is your WHY?"
Thinking over the last three years and what seems like the literal hell I have been through I think I can still honestly say that my WHY is still that I want to LIVE and not die. But in eight years my WHY has deepened and broadened because of all that I have been through. 


"What do you value most?"
I obviously still value my family. But these past three to four years has definitely changed me. Yes, my boys are super important but one day they will grow up and move out and start families of their own.  I also realize how MUCH I value my health after gaining all of my weight back and getting completely out of shape. I miss how good I felt when I could lift heavy weight, run, dance, not get winded, teach multiple classes, train people and not feel like a hypocrite. I miss feeling good in my skin. I realize how much I value JOY. After years of darkness and sadness I am ready for full and unadulterated JOY. I value laughter. I value fun. I value beauty. I value adventure. I value my spiritual relationship with God. It has taken me 15 years to move forward from major hurt from "good Christian people" and to be honest I don't know that I have really truly moved forward but I am working on it. And with that, I value forgiveness. I took all of this for granted for far too long. I don't know that I can narrow it down anymore to one thing that I value most. Actually, you know what? I value second chances and third chances and fourth and fifth and on and on and on chances most. 

"What drives you?"
Man! These are tough questions to answer right now! 
Well, I can tell you that right now what is driving me is my desire to get out of the hole/pit/rut or whatever you want to call it that I found myself in. That is a great driving force right now. I am no longer ok settling for the cold, dark, damp floor of that hole I was stuck in. I am fighting like hell to get out and stay out and that force, that drive is stronger than it has been in a very long time. This time it isn't really about losing weight or getting in shape or how I look or any of those things it is about getting out of that rut before that rut becomes my grave and then there is no longer a way out. I think that is way I am driven by this whole concept to "EMBRACE THE WHOLE". I know longer want to be boxed into one niche of "dance and fitness". I want to do all kinds of things with all kinds of people. I feel like I can do it all under this one covering of "Lifestyle Artistry".

"What values ground you?"
This answer hasn't changed too much, my spiritual life grounds me. I might not be in church every week, but I have always said that going to church makes you a Christian about as much as going to McDonald's makes you a hamburger. 
My relationships with my people that waited patiently for me to say, "I'm ready, let's go!" grounds me. My desire to succeed in a real an attainable way grounds me.

"What encourages you to grow as much as possibly can?"
I am blessed to have a "Tribe" around me. Each person has a different strength when it comes to our relationship but the common denominator is each of these people encourage me to go after what I want and grow and not get stuck. My desire to live and get out and stay out of that rut encourages me to grow.

"What fuels you to push forward when you suffer a set back?" 
The coldness of that dark and damp floor of that hole of depression. I don't want to ever go there again. I wallered there way too long. Also knowing what the joy of success felt like before I fell...that pushes me.

"What principles matter most to you?"
This hasn't changed too much. Being a good, responsible, ethical and moral person matters to me. I want to have a stellar work ethic. I want my reputation to be amazing and to go before me and speak for itself.  I want my life to "bear fruit" so that people see who I am. I don't want to have to tell people who I am. I want them to SEE IT because my actions show it.  And I will preface this and say this is my personal opinion. I believe it is a major red flag if you have to say to me that you are such a "good Christian person" or you have such a "good Christian company". Why? Because if that was true you would NEVER have to say it. An apple tree never has to tell you it is an apple tree, does it?

"What are you currently doing that goes against your mission?"
My current battles are apathy, laziness, anger, bitterness, resentment, etc.

"How can you combat this?"
Forgiveness. Get up and do it anyway. Love. Let go. Forgive.

"What is your plan to overcome obstacles?"
Honestly. One step at a time. Put one foot in front of the other. Literally, I make a list of what I need to do and tackle one thing at a time and start doing things and checking them off the list. It's all I know to do to get things done and overcome the shortcomings and the obstacles. And on top of that is what I said last time...Accountability. That is where my "Tribe" comes in!

"How do I want people to describe me?"
That woman is a fighter. I think the Devil himself cowers when her feet hit the ground. 

"What legacy do I want to leave?"
I want to leave a legacy that no matter how hard things were I never gave up. I fought like hell for myself and others. I want my legacy to be that I didn't just lay down and rot and cry and feel sorry for myself but I got up and fought for myself. I fought to live and succeed. I fought for my children and my tribe and my business and my joy. I want to leave a legacy of a fighter.

"What makes me happy and fulfilled?"
Accomplishing my goals and what I set out to do no matter what it is. Even if it is small, like, I am going to drink a gallon of water or huge, I am going to lose 45 pounds. Or in between, I am going to start a whole new side hustle that encompasses everything that I love: Makeup, Hair, Skin Care, Spiritual Matters, Dance, Fitness, Self Care, Walks, Challenges, and More. It also makes me happy to see others succeed and to see others happy and fulfilled.

"Why do these things matter to me?"
I think these things matter to me because I know I was created to be kind and care about people and to help people. The years and the hurt have made me a little rough around the edges but at my core I still want to accomplish my own goals and help other people make goals and accomplish those goals too.

"How do I define success?"
Again, this hasn't changed. One step at a time. Pushing through. Getting the job done. Not stepping on anyone to get the job done. Helping others along the way. Being honest and ethical every step of the way. Being a woman of my word. Seeing things through.

THE MISSION STATEMENT OF
​Melissa Davis and Element 26 Lifestyle Artistry:

Embrace the WHOLE of Life. SHOW people who I am, there should be NO need to tell people who I am. Fight like hell to LIVE and reach my goals and help others do the same. Embrace the BEAUTY of Life. Feel Beautiful and Help others FEEL beautiful in all ways...the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.