A journey of self-discovery is a continuous affair that may sometimes come with the discomfort of stretching one’s boundaries, but the elation derived from the success of breaking these boundaries is worth the discomfort.

Earlier in the year, my decision was to keep pushing myself to step up and dare to be different. Daring to be different to me means not settling for less but to keep aspiring and putting in my best. I’ve realized that once a mind opens up to such thoughts, life presents the playing field.

Sometime in July, I saw a call for action in the newspaper inviting interested people to audition for the opportunity to model at a fashion show and my interest was certainly piqued. After quelling the initial butterflies in my stomach, I dashed off an email to the organizers of FFA – Fashion For All.

A part of my brain was praying that they shouldn’t respond so that I would chicken out but lo and behold, they responded and invited me to the audition.

Yours truly Jacqueline built up all the imaginable excuses – valid and not so valid – within me. I told myself that I am too old, that models come in rail thin sizes, that they are probably only looking for Asian, Far-East, and European looks. Just think of the excuse, I had it, however, the niggling voice that pushes me wouldn’t let me rest, so I went for the audition.

Two weeks later I received a pleasant phone call that I had been selected alongside 30 other participants and to cut a long story short, we started rigorous and interesting training sessions that took place in the evenings after work hours.

This exposure has shown me sides of myself that astound me. In me, I’ve found facets of every woman. I realize that failure is truly for want of trying and that most times our fear which stems from being judged by others holds us back, forgetting that the people we face are human like we are and all have their own burden of insecurities to deal with.

The wonderful organizers of Fashion for All did a fantastic job and pulled off a successful show. I daresay that all those who participated in this event went away the better for it. I gained friends, laughter, and limelight and I must express my appreciations to Zareen Khan of W2W, The Founder of FFA and her team. To my fellow models ( yes we’ve earned the title) I wish you all the best as you reach for the stars in your endeavours.

The best things in life are yet to come for those who believe and while you are searching for these best things, embrace yourself and your curves because your beauty has no boundaries. Love who you are in totality and know that your age does not define nor limit you. Stand tall in quelling those niggling thoughts of doubt that gets in the way of living your dreams or aspiring for more.

Just walk your ramp wherever it may be.

Below is a gallery of some of the photos that were taken before and during the event. For more photos, you can check out  W2W FACEBOOK page.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.