Thanks for reading y'all,

Love,

Christine Electra

Nothing feels good about failing at first.

Nothing feels good about falling short of a goal you’ve set for yourself.

Why would I ever in a million years espouse the idea that failure might be the very thing that pushes me towards success?
What crazy person ever thought that failure would be the healthiest thing for me?

I did. And I still do. 

But I think that’s the really beautiful thing about failure.
Without failure and it’s crushing weight on our souls, after endeavoring for aspirations we’ve worked so hard and come so close to,
we wouldn’t know just how sweet success can taste. 

I’ve made failure my friend, because without it, I’d never know how to get back up after being knocked down.
I’d never know why the goal was worth it, if I’d never failed before.
I’d honestly and truthfully have no appreciation for the goals I’ve set before myself if I hadn’t failed in my first attempts and attaining them. 

Failure reminds me that even though the thing I want the most isn’t in my grasp, that it’s still within reach.
It reminds me that every time I fail, I’m still trying.
I’m still going.
And I’m not giving up. 
Failure reminds me that I’m still moving forward.

Failure has become my friend.
Because without my not-so-easy-to-have friend, failure, I’d never know what true success can really feel like.

No one ever learned a single thing about life by getting knocked down and staying down.
It’s not from the failure that we learn, but what we have learned through the process of failing and in the act of getting back up again.
Getting back up hurts. 
Getting back up means admitting that you aren’t where you want to be.
Getting back up means accepting defeat and moving on despite that.

Failure means they might know.
Failure means not only do you know that you didn’t achieve the goal but so does everyone watching.
There’s nothing easy about that. 

I hope you remember that failure still means you’re trying.
That means you’ve kept going!
That means you got back up again despite whatever odds you faced today, maybe even just this morning.

So keep going. Maybe failure isn’t your friend yet. But I promise if it is your faithful friend already, in time, success will be your reward and confidant. 

Thanks for reading my ever present internal, written down monologues and reflections, y'all.

Love,

Christine Electra


P.S. I failed 3 times today before 8 A.M. But I also got great news about a database project. It’s all about balance right?

​If you want to read one of my favorite articles on failure- click this link! 

Those of you in the Chattanooga area may know about the UTC STEM Challenger Space Center,
but this is all new to me! 

My inner science nerd side definitely came out today when I had the chance to be a part of this fourth grade's Mission Control operation,
where they learned how to launch rockets, operate a space ship, and so much more!

I loved getting to watch these kiddos take such an interest in STEM and Space Exploration, and I might have been a tad jealous that I didn't know about this when I was in elementary school!

Thanks for reading, y'all.

All my love,

Christine Electra

Success must be your own.

The biggest competition you have is staring at you in the mirror every morning. 
I’ve always heard that we are our own worst critics but this year taught me how true that was. 
I will always critique myself harder than Simon Cowell would if he was judging my daily performance of completing tasks. 


I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to tearing myself down.

And the worst part?
I never knew it until now.

Through my own self exploration and coming to terms with myself, these last few months opened my eyes to the fact that the only thing holding me back…Is me.
The only thing keeping me from doing what I want to do most is my only lack of belief in, myself.
Obviously, I didn’t recognize this overnight and I haven’t fixed this problem overnight either.


But I can tell you what I have changed and am continuing to work on!
I closed my inner circle of people closest to me.
I only listen to and truly take to heart the opinion of those who have my best interests in mind and truly love me and want the best for me.
Those people are far, few, and in between, sometimes — but I’m blessed that I have a strong circle of those people.
I couldn’t begin focusing on how I would achieve my goals until I stopped listening to the goals others had set for me. 
Too many cooks in the kitchen ruin the broth. Or the rhinestone studded dreams. But I digress.


Over the last year, I evaluated what goals I wanted for myself and what’s best for me.


I reclaimed my life and chose to be selfish with my goals, time, and desires.
You’ll never get what you want out of life by pleasing others and keeping everyone else happy if those actions don’t align with what you want for yourself.

I can only find success in my goals and aspirations when I give those dreams everything I have, without reservation. That begins with making sure nothing holds me back from chasing those dreams with everything I have to give.

The best decision I’ve made in my 22 short years is prioritizing myself, my health, and my own personal beliefs.
I’ve started making decisions - from incredibly minuet, to life-changingly large- and asking how those decisions align with my priorities.
If they add to my own personal happiness and align with the goals I'm working towards, then awesome!
But if they don’t, then there isn’t much of a point.
It’s all about perspective and prioritizing.


I’ve learned the word “no” is a beautiful thing and is to be said often and with conviction.


At the end of the day, you can’t do everything. You’d lose your mind trying.
Becoming selfish with my calendar was LIFE CHANGING! I realized it didn’t matter what everyone wanted to do on Friday night, if it’s not helping me chase my dreams, education, or goals, and I don’t want to…then I’m not going to! 


Success cannot be ours until we have reclaimed our lives and started living proactively again, instead of reactively towards the world around us.
In my own personal life, I’ve found I am at my best, when I become my own priority. 

May we all learn to scream “NO!”  From the mountain tops And reclaim our day planners to benefit ourselves, our mental health, our dreams, our goals, and our families once more,

Love, 

Christine Electra

(Who is probably screaming “MY CALENDAR IS MINE!!!!” from Signal Mountain right now.)

Thanks for listening to my rhinestone studded ramblings, y'all.

Rodney is never going to forgive me for how high his blood pressure was by the time we go to Atlanta through the snow -- but it makes for a great story right??

Thanks for reading about my rhinestone studded road trips, y'all.

All my love,

​Christine Electra

My favorite part about my job as a titleholder is visiting with precious children at Children's Miracle Network Hospitals across the state. Today, I had the chance to love on some sweet kids at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt during the River of Hope Radio-a-thon!

I loved getting to spend time with new friends and get lots of hugs from sweet little ones -- even better than, It was so sweet to see professional hockey players from the Preds' team come play hockey with little ones outside of Seacrest Studios!

This job just gets a little bit better every day.

​Thanks for reading these rhinestoned wrap ups about my journey this year!

All my love,

Christine Electra.

It's Time to vote for your local Children's Miracle Network Hospital for their chance to receive a cash prize that serves the kids in their respective hospitals!

Obviously, I am EXTREMELY BIASED as the spokesperson for Erlanger Children's Campaign,

but I DO in fact what you to vote for Miracles to happen in whichever hospital you choose! 

If you know me, you know that the kids in these hospitals have my entire heart wrapped around their precious little fingers.

SO I do hope that you vote daily to make miracles happen for these sweet faces by helping your hospital win a huge donation from this contest!

Visit www.voteformiracles.org and remember to vote every day to make some magic happen for these sweet kids!

Thanks for keeping up with my rhinestone studded road trips and fundraisers this year, y'all.

All my love,

​Christine Electra

I really can't believe it's all said and done now- I always dreamed of being Miss Memphis one day, and I can't believe my year is up. ​