Daily Inspiration

GREAT morning beautiful people!! Here is today's quote: 

"Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; While others, on the contrary, obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous efforts than ever before." -Herodotus 

Before you allow anything to get to you, ask yourself "Whats the worst that could happen?" I know some of you don't want to think about it, and I'm not asking you to share but I want you to contemplate it, if even for a moment. Go ahead, think about it. What is the WORST that could happen to you? 


Everyone has a different answer to the question. Initially, you may think of something immediate like losing your job or becoming homeless. If I know you like I think I do, you allowed yourself to go deeper than that. Some of you may say the worst that could happen is that you never secure gainful employment. Others may cite things like cancer, HIV, unwanted pregnancy, death of a parent, development of a debilitating disease, etc. My answer? I'm glad you asked! The worst that can happen to me is that I would die and go to hell. What does my answer mean to me? It means if the worst thing that can happen to me involves dying and going to hell everything else is not the worst thing that could happen. Internalizing that allows me to maintain a healthy stress level as I pursue my goals. 


I started asking myself the question because as my time to begin bar prep looms on a very near horizon, I have started to feel an immense pressure. I had to remind myself that failing the bar is not the worst that could happen to me. Mattafack, I'm not going to give life to the possibility of failing BUT, failing is probably the source of the pressure I feel. Since failing is not the worst that could happen to me, I'm already confident. 


Regardless of your answer, take a survey of your surroundings. Has the worst thing happened to you yet? If the worst thing you can imagine has not happened to you, everything else is obsolete. Continue to PUSH forward knowing that you are blessed to have the opportunity to do so. 


When things seem so tough you want to give up, ask yourself whether its the absolute worst thing that can happen. If its not your worst thing, let it go. Let it roll off your shoulder like water on a duck's back and keep it moving. 


Today's Song Choice: Mary J. Blige-Living Proof


Spread Love!

Daily Inspiration

GREAT morning folks! Here is today's quote:

No matter how good or bad you think life is, wake up each day and be thankful for life. Someone somewhere else is fighting to survive. -Unknown

Don't wait until the calendar tells you its time to be thankful before you start to give thanks. Start your own initiative to be grateful and stick to it. Make a promise to yourself such that you never allow a day to go by when you don't acknowledge your blessings. Commit to being grateful for the things you have. Moping about what you don't have doesn't change it so why bother with doing it? Accept that things are not as you would like to be without initiating a self-pity party. If you're honest with yourself, you can acknowledge that you have so many other wonderful things to celebrate. Being humble and thankful will take you far.

I recognize that staying encouraged and being grateful can sometimes feel like a job but  thats life. Life is not perfect and no matter how many people "like" your FB updates proclaiming such, no one has a life absent of trials and tribulations. 2011 may not be panning out the way you planned and thats ok. I'm not asking you to confess your troubles or your triumphs to me or anyone else. I want to empower you to be grateful. Don't waste time focusing on negative things, its time you won't get back.  Take it from me, use your setbacks as motivation to keep pushing. If things don't work out the way you planned, it doesn't mean you failed. The only way you can fail is if you quit.

There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Today's Song Choice: Let Go-DeWayne Woods

Daily Inspiration

GREAT morning! Happy Monday! Here is today's quote:

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. -Steve Jobs

One lesson I have learned on my life journey is to trust my instinct.  By instinct, I mean that feeling you get in your gut when you're trying to assess a situation. Its that little voice in your head that tells you to exit an urban establishment after witnessing the argument between two men escalate. Just me? Ok.  I know it sounds basic and maybe some of you are far beyond learning to trust yourself... thats excellent; I am on my way to becoming like you.

We are all born with basic instincts and sometimes we ignore them in favor of whatever we can justify. Its like all the lessons our parents taught us but we pretended not to listen to because thats what teenagers do. If my "gut" is telling me something doesn't feel right chances are my gut is right. Now I have to admit, I'm still learning to speak the same language of my instincts so I read it wrong sometimes. Its a journey I think everyone should go through. Too often we ignore our instincts in favor of following someone else. So, with that said I challenge all of you to turn up the little voice inside of your head and turn down the white noise from everything else. Learn to trust yourself because you know more than you think you do. Learn to trust your instincts because you can accomplish more than you're limiting yourself to. As Steve Jobs said, it will make all the difference in your life.

Now if only my instincts could do something about my poor sense of direction I'd be much better off *giggles* =)

Spread Love!

Today's song choice: Rihanna-You Da One

Daily Inspiration

Hello my loves! I hope you're having a FANTASTIC and MAGNIFICAL week! Here is today's quote:

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. -Norman Vincent Peale 

Ask yourself: How do you feel about your life? Are you content or are you settling? Are you happy or are you delusional. 

I'll give you a second to answer...

Times up! I hope all of you were able to answer that you're happy. being happy doesn't mean you have to lie when you say things like "I love my life." It doesn't mean trying to convince everyone that everything is perfect.  It means finding joy in the things you have. It means making a conscious decision to live as a happy individual. It means to accept things as they are today while continuing to work towards a better tomorrow. 

It means empowering yourself to wake up your inner strength. Understand that there is a higher power, a divine power if you will, working in your life and you must get in touch with that power in order to understand your purpose. You will experience let downs because sometimes you need to be broken before you can be molded and re-pressed. Recognize that it is healthy to have your own personal goals, but it is also necessary for your personal goals to ALIGN with your spiritual path. If you have a goal to become something you weren’t meant to be in the first place, you WILL be knocked off of it. So if you’ve been knocked off of our path accept it as a moment of reflection. Open up your heart and your mind to re-evaluate where you are in your life. Have you been forcing yourself into a direction you know should be running away from? 

The same goes for relationships and love. Don’t force yourself onto something that obviously wasn’t meant to be. How many times does your spouse have to tell you a lie before you accept that they are a liar? Be content with that. Accept that they are a liar and don’t waste your time trying to change that. How many times does your spouse have to cheat or deceive you before you’re ready to accept that they are not worthy of your trust? How many times do they have to violate you or disrespect you before you wake up and say enough is enough? 

Life is too short to live without joy. Be grateful for this new day and each new day you are blessed with. Fall in love with your experiences for they will make you strong. 

If no one has told you this yet today, I want everyone reading this to know that greatness is within you. Your current circumstances do not define who you are or where you can go from here. Take your setbacks in stride as a set up to make a HUGE comeback. 

Today's Song Choice: Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston-When You Believe


P.S. I want to first apologize for the lack of consistent posts lately. I'll share the deets when everthing pans out but just know its been really hectic on my end lately. As much as I'd like to stay up late and write posts, I don't have the energy like I used to. 

Daily Inspiration

GREAT morning everyone! First off, let me start by saying ITS MY BIRTHDAY so that makes it an even GREATER morning!!! Yay me! Second of all, its my birthday!!! Ok ok ok, I'm done I promise! Here is today's quote: 


Everyone and everything that shows up in our life is a reflection of something that is happening inside of us. -Alan Cohen

Forgive me, but the post below is a wee bit lengthy. I felt inclined to share. 

Its amazing what you remember when you allow your mind to stop and think. 

I remember the time when my older sister and I tried to ride our bikes through the mud and we both fell. I remember throwing away our clothes because we knew we'd get in trouble. I remember seeing my stepmom in the hospital deteriorating from Stage IV lung cancer. I remember how I felt when she hugged me for the last time.I remember how I felt when I hugged my first niece after she came home from the hospital. I remember falling so deeply in love with her  that words couldn't explain. I remember my first love, and my first heartbreak. I remember the times I felt like God was mad at me. I reflect on those moments now as a time of growth for me. I learned to listen to myself and trust my gut. I've learned that even when it seems like my world revolves around something, its still considered one of the "small things" when I take a step back.    

Its amazing what you remember when you allow yourself to be humbled.

I never realized how easy it is to forget how far you've come. I remember growing up in Belle Glade and being teased for looking so different. I remember crying to my father because I didn't feel beautiful. I remember my first day of college. I remember how many times I wrote my personal statement for law school. I remember staying up late nights studying for the LSAT while still balancing a full course load. I remember how I felt when I first got admitted to Howard Law. I remember calling my friend so elated that one of my dreams had come true. I remember how I felt when I first hit 100 page hits on my first blog.  I remember how it felt to dance with my father at the Debutante ball back in 2004. I remember teaching my younger sister how to ride her bike and the first time she rode without training wheels. Its amazing what you remember when you humble yourself. I remember not getting the score I wanted on the LSAT the first time. I remember not leaving "on time" to move to DC.

I said all that to say that I want all of you to stay humble. Stay in touch with who you are at your core. Most importantly, keep God first (or if you don't believe in God, keep your faith at your core). Its easy to praise him when things are going your way, but I challenge you to thank him for the challenges that shape your character. I challenge you to find joy in your life EVERY SINGLE DAY. I challenge you to NEVER allow yourself to go around feeling sorry for yourself. I challenge you to be grateful. I challenge you to be humble. I challenge you to be good to yourself and to live a lifestyle that works for you. My birthday wish is that you will accept this challenge and go on a journey to create a better life for yourself. 

Peace & Love

SN: I'm maddddd late but CONGRATS to my HUSL (especially Section III) folks for BEASTING their bars! From Florida & Georgia to NY to Cali and every state in between I am proud of all of you! #swag 

Daily Inspiration

GREAT morning beautiful people! Happy Friday! Here is today's quote:

Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential. -Winston Churchill

Confession: A few days ago I found myself a little discouraged. I started to feel like my degrees and my intelligence weren't enough. Like I hadn't networked with enough people. Like I was weak. I started contemplating settling into a job I didn't want because I thought finding a job I truly love was a dream. Yea, I was trippin', HARD. Thats the part of post-grad life they don't tell you about. Thats the part people won't admit they experience. It donned on me that 1/2 the battle on the journey to reaching your personal goals is to remain motivated when things appear to be at a standstill. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, muster up the strength to keep your momentum going. Also important is to tell someone how you're feeling. Don't allow that kind of stress to simmer inside of you. Stress can be seriously debilitating and its important to acknowledge that it exists and to work through its root causes. Continue to believe in yourself. Don't allow your surroundings to break you. Don't allow your spirit to be saddened. You have to find your inner strength and rely upon it to continue fighting for your dreams. When all else fails, you will succeed if you continue to push forward. Even when it appears the odds are stacked against you, brainstorm ways to get around them because quitting is unacceptable.

Today's Song Choice: Rihanna Cheers (Drink to That)

Do your happy dance in 5, 4, 3, 2...NOW!

Spread Love!

Daily Inspiration

GREAT morning everyone! I'm baaaaaaackkkkkkk!!! WHOA! Its been 21 days since I last wrote a REAL post on TG. I'm thankful to those who continued to check in. I appreciate your loyalty. Consider it a mental hiatus =). Here is today's quote:

If you haven’t all the things you want,
be grateful for the things you don’t have 

that you wouldn’t want. -Unknown

Growing up, whenever I complained my parents always made a point to remind me that things could get worse. Oh to only have to worry about a broken chain on my bicycle again. After a long day of doing nothing, I grabbed my remote (because who gets up to turn on their tv anymore?) and tuned in to a marathon of True Life on MTV. For those of you unfamiliar with the program, it is a documentary project during which MTV follows normal people around who are dealing with a given situation. For example, one episode I watched was called "True Life: I have Acne" and another was called "True Life: I'm an albino." Now I realize one of the reasons my parents always resorted to "stop complaining, there are people who have it way worse than you." I know one of the reasons was to get me to stop whining but I also know they wanted to be aware of the perils of others. While I was complaining about a broken chain on my bike, there was a child who was never blessed with a bike. While I was complaining about being out in the sun for too long, there was an albino child who could not play outside for more than 20 minutes without getting a severe sunburn.

My point is, take a look at your blessings before you start to complain about your struggles. I know its easier said than done but trust me, once you start to focus on your blessings you will change your life. I know you have a job you love yet but there are other positive things you can focus on to keep your momentum going. I know you're disappointed you didn't get your promotion but you have to continue working hard. I know you're heartbroken that your relationship didn't work out but be thankful to have had the opportunity. Take every experience and LEARN from it. Understand you were placed in that situation for a purpose. Take time to figure out what that purpose is and move on.

Remember, there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for!

This post is dedicated to the "Metro Bandits" (insider) *giggles*

Today's Song Choice: Erykah Badu-Didn't Cha Know

Spread Love!!

Morning Inspiration

GREAT morning my beauties!!! I know you all missed me because I sure did miss you all! I have a quick minute to post so I thought I would share some inspiration with my loves. Here is today's quote:

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. -Dalai Lama

I know this week its been tortoise slow at Talented Generation, but I promise things will pick up soon.  I appreciate you all for sticking with me. This may be a day late and a dollar short since today is Friday but eff it. Has anyone ever told you "Its a blessing to be a blessing?" Well its true. Don't believe me? If you have an opportunity to be a blessing to someone else, take advantage of it. Take note of how it makes you feel.I bet it makes you feel good. I bet it makes you feel better if you do it just because you wanted to do it and not because you were expecting something in return.

Today's challenge is to use your energy to make yourself happy but allot enough energy to do something kind for someone else.

Today's Song Choice: Kirk Franklin-Smile 

Spread love =)

Morning Inspiration

Woot Woot! Its Friday! GREAT morning beautiful people. I don't think you all heard me so I will say it a tad bit louder. I say GREAT MORNING beautiful people! Aren't you happy to be alive? Aren't you happy to have another day to accomplish something great? Aren't you happy to have another opportunity to do something nice for someone other than yourself? Aren't you happy to...gottomighty you get the point. Here is today's quote: 

"The greatest trouble with most of us is that our demands upon ourselves are so feeble, the call upon the great within of us so weak and intermittent that it makes no impression upon the creative energies; it lacks the force that transmutes desires into realities." - Orison Swett Marden

I am FRESH off of the heels of the excitement of Fashion's Night Out and I feel good! Forgive me if I overuse smiley and exclamation points today. I am in an AWESOME mood. S/o to the good folks at Neiman Marcus for the freebies and the models for their fabulous looks (many of which I plan to duplicate this fall). Ok thats not what you came here for. 

Moving on. 

Don't ever settle. I know people say that sh*t a lot but there is a reason the phrase has stuck around for so long. Don't ever settle. Don't ever think about settling. If there is something you want, go after it with all of your might so you can see to it that it becomes a reality. You don't want to be  the next Uncle Rico-past your prime telling everyone who will listen about what could have been if coach had put you in during the 4th quarter. Nobody wants to hear how you think you can throw a football over a mountain. 

We're family here right? Good! So I can be honest with ya'll for a minute. Come in a little closer, I don't want everyone in our family business. 

Today's word of the day is Reassess. Before you all go off trying to chase your pipe dreams, please understand that I am speaking to reasonable goals. If you have had the same goals since high school and you haven't made progress since you graduated in 2001, it might be time to reassess. Maybe you can make a scaled down version of your dreams come true. I want you all to push yourselves but I don't want you to set yourself up for disappointment. I don't want you all going off at fawty (40) years old trying to train for the olympics. I want you all to push yourselves to become more but I also want you to adjust your dreams accordingly. If you missed the bus to get drafted or to become the next big pop star...reassess. 

You only get one chance to play the game of life and I don't want any of you to look back on your life and feel regret. I hope all of you can look back on your life so far and see progress. Aim to become a better person than you were yesterday. Work to become a better daughter, son, sister, brother, cousin and friend. Open up your heart and release love into the atmosphere. 

Today's Song Choice: Luther Vandross-Never Too Much

Spread Love!

Morning Inspiration

GREAT morning beautiful!! Happy first day of school to all the parents, students and teachers. Remember this is not the time to get a break, it is a time to pay attention. Get involved with your school. Here is today's quote:

If evil be said of thee, and if it be true, correct thyself; if it be a lie, laugh at it.-Epictetus

I come to you all today with a heavy heart and since I don't believe in sharing when you are angry I will just leave it at that. Every once in a while a situation presents itself to me and angers me to the point where I cannot think straight. In light of the situation, today's lesson is brought to you by the letter R for research. Research before you form an opinion about something. Research before you decide to open your mouth and voice said opinion. You won't always be around people who will correct your ignorant behavior so you must take the initiative to both censor and educate yourself. If there is something, or someone, you do not know much about censor yourself. It is best to keep your opinions to yourself than to risk sounding like an idiot for discussing something you don't know much about. On the flipside, if you discover someone spreading inaccurate information about something you are passionate about it is your responsibility to address them. I'm not saying you all should be confrontational or go around being the rumor police but you should address them and the rumor. If you choose not to address it because you think someone else will, you are only adding to the problem. Spreading lies is an injustice to everyone affected by them. If you discover an injustice, do something about it!! Don't wait around for someone else to protect what you're passionate about. Obviously they don't care based on their actions.

If you don't fight for yourself, no one else will fight for what you believe in.

Today's song choice: Juicy Fruit-Mtume

Spread Love!

Morning Inspiration

GREAT morning beautiful people! TGIF! Feel free to do a lil dance because I know I hit the jive this morning when my alarm clock (and Jesus) woke me up today.

"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." 
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Well I guess you all could say I am officially BACK from my vacay. I did take an extra day off just to recoup from everything taking a week off allows you to do. As you can imagine, adjusting back to my "normal" life was difficult. There is just something about going from a beautiful getaway in a place where I can forget my worries to a back office where I have to answer to people that I can't force myself to look forward to. I don't always dread coming back from vacay, I just always dread coming back from vacay. Seriously, I'm thinking of pitching a show but I won't tell you all my idea because I don't know you like that. Just kidding. Wait, you came here for inspiration didn't ya? I shared my anecdote in order to tell you to forget about the happenings of yesterday and start today anew. In case you didn't catch that, yesterday is a metaphorical reference to anything that happened in the past. You caught that didn't you? I'm proud of you. That argument you and your best friend had on Monday? That happened "yesterday." That disrespectful email you received last year? That happened "yesterday" too. Let all of the bullsh*t go and continue to prosper in your own life. The things those people did to you are there karmic energy to deal with. Just like J Hud sings about in her weight loss commercials, its a new day. Even if you end up doing something you wouldn't prefer to do today, appreciate the blessing of an assignment. Respect that others would like to be in your situation right now by resisting the urge to complain. Begin today and every other day in high spirits and with a mind filled with optimism. End today the same way.


Because they don't hand out trophies for getting out of bed, get up and enjoy today's song choice with me: Kelly Clarkson-Break Away.

Spread Love!

Morning Inspiration

GREAT morning my loves!!! Happy Monday!! I hope you enjoyed your weekend because I sure did! Now it is time to get back to biz-nass! Here is today's quote:

"Life's real failure is when you do not realize how close you were to success when you gave up." -Anonymous 

If there is ever a time today, or any other day, when you feel like giving up I challenge you to keep working. Instead of giving up, take a quick break and clear your mind then return to work. Take a few more moments to write down the top 5 things you need to do, then do them. Alongside your list of things to do, write down the things you have already done. Create an "already done" list, if you will. Recognize that while you may not think you have come far, or accomplished much, there are people who wish to be where you are. You may think graduating is not a big deal but you may appreciate your accomplishment more if you think about the people who never got that far. You may think your entry level position is not a big deal if you don't recognize that there are people who are unemployed. You may think the car you drive is not that fancy if you don't recognize that there are people without a vehicle. Appreciate your blessings and continue to push yourself towards greatness. You are closer to success than you think. Give yourself the benefit of seeing it through. You deserve it. 

I hope this helps you find a way to enjoy your Monday. If this hasn't helped much, come back in a few minutes as there will be more posts to follow this one!

Ramadan Mubarak to all my Muslim Brothers & Sisters!

Today's Song Choice: Bone Thugs-First of the Month<---an obvious choice, of course.

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Morning Inspiration

Good Morning beautiful people!!! I admit I'm a little late with today's inspirational quote but better late than never, right?

Today's Quote: Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A world of optimism and hope. A "you can do it" when things are tough. -Richard M. DeVos 


If no one has told you in the last few hours that you can do it, I'm here to change that. Listen closely. Come a little bit closer. Are you ready? *taps screen* YOU CAN DO IT! Pow! When you feel yourself getting discouraged, say this five times to yourself and push yourself to keep working. You can complete the tasks you set out to complete. You WILL complete them. You can do whatever you set your mind to and you WILL see it through. Don't wait around for someone else to give you that extra PUSH, push yourself! Nobody is going to care about your success as much as you do. No one will care about you being discouraged the way you will. Find your source of motivation and hope. Hold on to it. Write it down on a piece of paper and post it around your home. Make it into a graphic and save it to your desktop. Don't ever forget why you do what you do. Keep your eyes on the prize.


Spread Love!!

Morning Inspiration

GREAT morning everyone! Happy Tuesday! Guess what today is? Its the first day of M.A.R.C.H! Whats March you asked? GREAT question! Its an acronym for Month After the Recognition of Colored History. What is the significance of M.A.R.C.H? Well I will tell you. March 1 (while it may be a birthday for some of you) is the day when the weight is lifted off of the shoulders of educators, students and retailers alike. Why? Thats a discussion for a post later today. NOW is the time for your daily dose of inspiration.

In the spirit of stepping outside of the box, today's inspirational words are brought to you via video by Steve Jobs. The speech is a few years old and was delivered at a Stanford Commencement Address. You won't be sorry for listening.


Here are a few quotes from the footage above:

"You can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards"

"The only way 2 be truly satisfied is to do what u believe is great work and the only way to do great work is to love what u do" 

"Your time is limited so dont waste it living someone else's life!" 

Spread Love!!

Morning Inspiration

GREAT morning beautiful ladies and handsome gents! Happy Monday! If your Monday started anything like mine, you need a DOUBLE dose of inspiration and I am happy to give it to you. 

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. -Albert Einstein

I am only one, But still I am one. I cannot do everything, But still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.

       - Edward Everett Hale

Allow me to take your mind off of your work for a few moments. A few years ago, ABC did a special called "What would you do-racism in America" which used actors, props and hidden cameras to test how people would act in certain situations. The premise of the show focused on racism in America and served as evidence that America is still far from colorblind. You can watch a clip here, here and here. Viewers are encouraged to answer the question "What would you do?" Would you turn a blind eye or a deaf ear if someone else is in trouble? Would you be selfless and stop something bad from happening? 


Although I understood the premise, I interpreted many of the clips as examples of how so many people will stand idly by to watch others do wrong. While I am not condoning putting yourself in harm's way, I am challenging you to consider what you would do if placed in one of the situations similar to what ABC created for its series. This question does not only pertain to those types of situations, it also translates to natural disasters and community volunteer efforts. When there are calls for volunteers in your community do you answer? When there are food drives in your area do you participate? Do you participate in community service activities? How are you making a difference in your community? 


Today's song choice: Jagged Edge-Good Luck Charm




Spread Love!!! 

P.S. If there are any problems with the site or if I have any announcements, I will disseminate the information through Twitter. You can follow me at twitter.com/yourfavblogger or you can simply come to the blog site and look at the Twitter feed on your right. 

Morning Inspiration

GREAT morning beautiful people!!!

It is the duty of youth to bring its fresh powers to bear on Social progress. Each generation of young people should be to the world like a vast reserve force to a tired army. They should lift the world forward. That is what they are for. -Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Do you realize as Young Professionals we are the future of business, technology and everything else involving our world? We will be running the country within the next 5-10 years.  Isn't that the most amazing thing?! It is if you ask me. Not amazing enough? Well do you also realize that we will be CEOs, CFOs, company execs, millionaires and housewives (if you aren't already one) and subsequently can call ourselves someone's boss (if you aren't already one)?! We will be the people finishing the space stations and protecting the lives of our neighbors. We have an obligation to the next generation to raise the bar by giving them better opportunities than we had. Do you ever sit and think about these things? I do it all the time. I encourage you all to set aside silent time weekly (yes that means every week) and let your mind wander. If nothing else, it will give you time to see how AMAZING you are! Where does your mind take you? Allow yourself to dream BIG. Find some time to just be alone with your thoughts and get to know yourself. If we are going to be the future, we have to know who we are. Its ok to surprise yourself with your greatness but it is not ok to be uncomfortable with exploring your greatness. You cannot be a leader of tomorrow if you don't know how your own mind ticks, yes? This means you will have to figure out how you learn and how your brain works. Are you a visual learner or hands-on? Do you learn from experience or is hearing the information sufficient?! Knowing these things is crucial to honing your leadership abilities. Knowing this about yourself is crucial to your ability to learn new things. As a leader, you must always be open to learning and building your knowledge.

It is our duty to bring progress and change to the world. Our parents and CEOs have created a world of opportunity and it is our responsibility to take advantage of it.

Today's Song Choice: The Jackson 5-Who's Loving You

Love!!!!

Morning Inspiration

GREAT morning everyone! Happy Hump Day!!

"Today is just a good day in disguise" -Paul Venghaus

Its freezing.
Its cloudy.
Its raining.
Traffic is extra terrible.
Work is tough.
My co-worker is getting on my nerves.
Friends are unavailable.
There isn't enough time in the day.

All of these are things we could complain about, but I challenge you not to. I encourage all of you to start looking at your days as opportunities to make great memories. Instead of complaining about the rain, marvel at the beauty of the rain drops splattering on your newly waxed car. Instead of complaining about traffic, plug in your iPod and listen to your favorite songs. Instead of complaining about well you get the point. Despite how your day may have started out, you still have a chance to make it a good one. I want you all to be able to climb into bed this evening and think "WOW! Today turned out to be a good day."

Life is beautiful. 

Try repeating that phrase out loud when things get tough. I promise you it will help you keep things in perspective. It will allow you to recognize the ups and downs without losing sight of the beauty of it all. When your boss gives you a new project at 4pm on Friday, accept it and say "life is beautiful." You may not want the extra work, but you could be unemployed.  Everyday you are alive is an opportunity to enjoy all of life's beauties.

Today's song choice: Lupe Fiasco-I'm Beamin

Spread Love!

Morning Inspiration

GREAT morning everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your 3 day weekend (I know I did!) but now we must refocus, get re-energize and start our work weeks off on a positive note!

“A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves” -Unknown

Allow me to share a quick anecdote: This past weekend my girls and I spent a great amount of time together. When it came time for us to switch locations it worked out in such a way that everyone was in a different car. We are all leaders in our own way but only one of us could lead the way to our next destination. While following my girlfriends (and singing loudly to Songs in A Minor), it donned on me that in order to be a great leader you must be humble enough to admit an area of weakness. Following travel directions is not my strength; the TomTom ONE is my Ace in the hole. Also not my strength are things involving arts & crafts and math problems involving trigonometry or differential equations. The point is I am not too headstrong to admit this to all of you. I challenge you all to become comfortable in figuring out your weaknesses. Doing so will allow you to have a better understanding of how to approach situations in which you are not the expert. YES I said arts & crafts are a weak spot for me but you can bet your bottom dollar that if the situation requires arts & crafts I'll get my hands covered in gobbly gook and do my best. It sounds like a contradiction but I know you have all heard of "fake it til you make it."

Acknowledging that you are weak in some areas does not mean you cannot turn them into a strength, but you must first acknowledge it. Further, you must also be comfortable enough to follow another when you realize you have stepped way out of your comfort zone. This does not make you any less of a leader. In fact, following another person who has strengths opposite yours makes you stronger. How? Following another requires opening up your mind and relinquishing total control of the situation.

As leaders, especially young strong-willed leaders with Google at our fingertips, it can be difficult for us to do this because we prefer to do things on our own. If you want something done right you should always do it yourself right? Well thats not quite true. No man or woman is an island and you should never try to be. We cannot do it all on our own. Everyone needs help. Recognize that you will always maintain control over yourself but there will be situations where you will have to delegate and take direction. Granted, doing so requires a great deal of trust but I know you all can do it! I'm not saying relinquish control over your life but if your boss assigns you and a group of your colleagues a project that is outside of your forte, take a step back and asses the knowledge of your peers before jumping in the pool head first knowing you can't swim. You will have to learn to trust others and their instincts when you are outside of your area of expertise.  You will also have to trust that they have your best interests in mind.

As leaders we must not only learn how to give direction, we must also learn how to take it. Strike a balance between the two and you will grow with each new experience.

Today's Song Choice: Mariah Carey & Boys II Men-One Sweet Day


Spread Love!

Morning Inspiration

GREAT morning everyone! Happy "Almost Friday!" I hope your week has been productive and fun so far!

Thoughts can be used one of two ways, like a Band-Aid or like a rubber band. Choose to stretch. - Rhonda LaShae

You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. - James Allen

Today's focus is on conscientiousness. You may recall me saying this before and its worth repeating: YOU control your thoughts.  I encounter so many people who have lost control. They are allowing their life to spiral out of control. They have forgotten that they control their mind state. Their relationships are in the dumps and so are their attitudes and finances. Stop allowing your situation to control how you think. When you find yourself getting discouraged, stop and find something to be thankful for. You may be unemployed but you have a strong support system. You may be broke but at least you have friends and family who have stepped in to lend a hand and a few bucks. You may be lonely but at least you have Twitter followers who check in on you *giggles*.  Your internet may be intermittent but at least it worked long enough to submit the assignment you waited until the last minute to finish. You get my point.

Learning to control how you think about your life is not only a good thing it is imperative for your sanity. Wake up and realize YOU are the master of your life. Don't be afraid to boldly go where you know you should be going anyway! Stop fighting your spirit and allow it to take you to the pinnacle of your potential!  You are stronger than you think you are. You are smarter than you think you are. You are more capable than you think you are. You are everything you need to be. You are the captain of your own ship. Where will you sail?

A random sidenote: A guy approached me in the grocery store yesterday and he immediately opened up to me about his troubles. Picture it: I'm standing in line with my Crunchberries (DJM) and Quaker oatmeal thinking of what I would make for breakfast today and a random man makes eye contact with me. I was thinking he would come try to get my number but he managed to strike up a convo with me about my cereal. We laughed and then it got REAL. Granted, I just wanted to buy my cereal but after I recognized he really needed to get the things he was telling me off of his chest I listened more intently. I noticed he assumed a lot about my past in the way he told his story and I didn't know how to immediately respond. My instinct (and my weakness) is to always try to control the conversation, especially with random strangers. When I looked around and realized I was in a public place with ample security, a little voice told me not to try to control the conversation but to simply listen. We stepped away from the checkout counter and I allowed him to tell me his story. He spoke about his struggles at home and how he felt he couldn't go to his wife or daughter with his issues because he feared how they would judge him. I responded with words of encouragement and challenged him to go to his wife and daughters with his feelings because they could help them all to grow closer. Not only did I learn something about his life, I learned something about myself.  I used to be quick to dismiss people like the man in the grocery store and I have learned to stop and listen.  A quick run to a grocery store 6 minutes away from my residence turned into a 40 minute trip and I wouldn't change it.  The point of me sharing this is to encourage you all to listen when random people come and talk to you. There is a message behind every interaction we have. There is a reason people are drawn to you. You may not think you want to hear what they have to say but they could very well offer you direction in your own struggles. You may learn how to handle things through their mistakes. They may be on the verge of a break and they see you as someone who may be able to offer advice. Just my thoughts...


Today's Song Choice: Dru Hill-How Deep is your love? 
Spread Love!!

Morning Inspiration

GREAT morning everyone!

"Worry never accomplishes anything. When you have a problem, it is best to concentrate on the solution to that problem, not the problem itself." -Thomas D. Willhite

Despite knowing what I know about assumptions, I am going to assume every one of you has experienced what it is like to worry. I understand some of you may deny this and that means this message is not for you. As Young Professionals I am going to assume you have worried. We have so much to worry about: getting good grades, getting into a good school, keeping scholarships, paying tuition, getting the books you ordered online on time for school, adjusting to living in the "real" world, finding a job after graduation, making a good impression at a new job and the list goes on and on.

Today's challenge is for all of you to learn to focus on the solution to the things causing you to worry. Make a list of the things you worry about and figure out how to alleviate the worry. Putting them down on paper will help you form an accurate picture of what your priorities should be. Prioritize each worry and attack each one with specificity and seriousness of purpose. If it is something that keeps you up at night or causes you to lose focus, you should put it at the top of your list. Focus on what you can control and what you have the power to change. You can't change the fact that you will have responsibilities, but you can change how you approach them. If you are worried about your student loan debt, contact your lender and ask for a payment plan that works for you. If you are worried about not getting challenging tasks at work, set up a meeting with your supervisor to discuss your expectations. If you are worried about getting a job, set aside time every day during which you send off job applications. There is a solution to everything, you have to be willing to acknowledge your problems and work through your true emotions in order to find it but its there. If your worry persists and you start to feel like you cannot get a handle on it on your own, seek professional help or the assistance of family and friends.

Bottom line: Don't walk around filled with and troubled by worry every day. You will get wrinkles and start to age beyond your years. Ok that was vain, judge me. You should be living in the moment and enjoying the opportunity to live another day, NOT consumed by worry.


Today's Song Choice: Beyonce feat Jay-Z-Forever Young (LIVE)


Spread Love!!