TO ME, MAGNIFICENT IS THE BEAUTY IN THE SMALL MOMENTS, BIG MOMENTS, OUR THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS THAT ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING, THE BLOOD FLOWING THROUGH OUR VEINS THE SAME WAY AS RIVERS FLOW THROUGH THE LAND. MAGNIFICIENT IS THE BEAUTY OF HOW WE ARE ALL CREATED OF FLESH AND BONE, BUT STILL, WE ARE ALL SO DIFFERENT. MAGNIFICIENT IS THE MAGIC OF HOW YOU AND I EXIST IN AN ENDLESS UNIVERSE. MAGNIFICIENT IS MAGICAL. HI MAGNIFICENT PEOPLE! MY NAME IS THARA AND I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN NORWAY. I AM A BIG-TIME ANIMAL LOVER, EX-FOOTBALL PLAYER, AND PROFESSIONAL BINGE-WATCHER OF NETFLIX SHOWS. I GREW UP AS A QUITE FORTUNATE CHILD IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S SAFEST AND WEALTHIEST COUNTRIES. MY PARENTS USED TO SAY “GROWING UP IN NORWAY IS SIMILAR TO WINNING THE LOTTERY”.

I MIGHT NOT HAVE REALIZED HOW LUCKY I WAS AS A CHILD, BUT THE OLDER I GET THE MORE I REALIZE HOW FORTUNATE I’VE BEEN. HOWEVER, I FEEL LIKE I’VE ALWAYS BEEN SURROUNDED BY CERTAIN EXPECTATIONS. THE EXPECTATIONS ARE THAT I WILL GO THROUGH ALL LEVELS OF SCHOOL INCLUDING A UNIVERSITY WITH PERFECT GRADES AND MANNERS. EXPECTATIONS OF WORKING HARD ALL THE TIME, AND FAILURE WERE UNACCEPTABLE. FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE, I’VE DEVELOPED THIS FEAR OF NOT BEING SUCCESSFUL, NOT BEING PERFECT.

AND THE ONLY WAY TO BE SUCCESSFUL WAS GOING TO SCHOOL, GETTING GOOD GRADES, AND GETTING A GOOD EDUCATION. I THOUGHT SUCCESS MEANT GOING TO WORK EVERY DAY, GETTING PAID ONCE A MONTH, AND BUYING A NICE HOUSE TO START A FAMILY. BUT THE OLDER I GOT, THEN I REALIZED THAT THIS LIFE WAS NOT WHAT I WANTED AT ALL. AND I STARTED TO CARE LESS ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THOUGHT OF ME, AND MORE ABOUT WHAT I WANTED FOR MYSELF. I STARTED TO GROW INTO THE CONFIDENT YOUNG WOMAN THAT I AM TODAY, WORKING HARD FOR MY DREAMS TO COME TRUE. THE FEELING OF CARING LESS, DOING WHAT YOU WANT, AND WORKING HARD FOR YOUR OWN HAPPINESS IS MAGNIFICENT.