Meet Sylvia Lemus, Executive Vice President at Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors, a freelance songwriter, singer, public speaker, and facilitator.
How many times have we passed up on an opportunity because we felt we weren’t good enough? Happens to the best of us, right? Sylvia Lemus lived with this feeling for a major part of her life. She has been working in real estate for the past 14 years and recently started her journey as a freelance songwriter.
In her professional career, she has turned down promotions and raises as she thought she didn’t deserve it. But her boss didn’t allow her to give up and believed in her. Starting as a temporary hire staffing newspaper in the office to becoming the Executive Vice President, Sylvia has come a long way.
Her family immigrated to the US from Guatemala when she was four. Growing up poor, their love for each other helped them survive the difficult times. She is particularly close to her younger sister. As both her parents worked, they were left in the care of a person who sexually molested her. Sylvia didn’t realize what happened to her until she was in middle school. She struggled with social anxiety, panic, terror, extreme sadness. Her parents didn’t come to know about it until she was 20. This incident of her life affected her deeply, becoming a hindrance to her growth. From suffering from imposter syndrome to low self-esteem, it took her a lot of time to heal.
As a child, Lemus always wanted to become a songwriter, but the circumstances did allow so. Last year during the pandemic, when the whole world stopped, she decided to officially launch her freelancing career in songwriting, singing, public speaking, and facilitating. Her family was struggling with mental health issues, and COVID, and work stress. When she was on the verge of breaking down, her song “Rise” saved her. She gifted the song to her sister, reminding her that she’s not alone.
She loves her 8-5 job as it has paved her way towards growth. She has been asked to speak about her reason for staying motivated, her song, the inspiration behind it, and also about sexual and mental abuse. Talking about her organization, Lemus says, “SRCAR® is a real estate trade association. We help REALTORS® in their business by providing the tools they need to service their clients. Including political advocacy. We don’t represent one party but instead came together to be part of the REALTOR® Party that champions homeownership rights. This is helpful to people because real estate remains one of the top ways for people to generate wealth, and it often helps people that don’t have that generational wealth to position themselves for opportunities that they could not have otherwise.” As a freelancer, she is delighted to get an opportunity to connect with people and spread hope through writing, singing, talking, and listening. People are encouraged by the words used in the song. She is grateful to all those who have supported her along the way.
The idea of speaking up and asking for help has been beneficial for her. She has realized that if she wants to succeed, she would need a team. Her passion in life is also to share the love of Jesus with others. She loves her family and likes to stay connected with the surrounding community.
Sylvia has finally taken a step towards what she wants and loves whilst staying committed to her work. Sharing a motivational message with the readers, she says, “Wherever you are in life right now at this very moment, you deserve to have happiness and fulfilment. Sometimes it takes some deep digging to find the nugget of hope, but it’s there. Look for people that can pour into you to help you enjoy your life as it is today and also mentor you into a better tomorrow.”