Out the door...inspirational quote to start your day

Good morning ladies and gents! Here is today's quote:

"There's no limit to what a man can achieve, if he doesn't care who gets the credit."

 -Laing Burns, Jr.

Getting credit for a job well done is always nice. I hope none of you become one of those people who focus their energy on doing things they know other people will see. While there are exceptions for intellectual property and various issues with compensation many of your quests to receive credit will prove fruitless. Have you ever met someone that focused all of their attention on making sure they got credit for even the most menial tasks? How much work do they actually finish? Do not go around waiting for someone to congratulate you on your accomplishments. Do not hold your breath to hear the words "Job well done." Complete a task with excellence and move on! The time you spend waiting for positive reinforcement from others could have been spent on another task. Time wasted is time lost.  Unless they are your boss or can have an effect on your career, do not pay them with your attention. Focus on self-gratification techniques and do not give someone the power to break your spirit.


This post is dedicated to all of my readers who are committed to striving for excellence!

Sharing is Caring: 6 FAMU students to cover FIFA world cup from South Africa

Source: famu.edu

Six Florida A&M University (FAMU) journalism and graphic communication students will join students from Shantou University in Guangdong Province, China in Johannesburg, Africa where they will produce daily multimedia stories about the 2010 FIFA World Cup of Soccer and its impact on life in South Africa.


“I’m pretty sure what we’re doing is unprecedented for a journalism program at a historically black university,” said Joe Ritchie, the Knight Chair in journalism at FAMU. “Few journalism students anywhere get to do a foreign reporting internship of any kind and to be at one of the biggest events on the planet is a huge deal.”

The students will be responsible for posting stories with video, audio and text as well as blogs, photo galleries and podcasts covering a range of topics related to the World Cup as well as to general social, economic and political issues about South Africa. Individuals can view their daily reports at http://www.famustu.net.

More after the jump.

Sharing is Caring: Parts of Gautemala swallowed by sinkhole

Image source: http://images.chron.com/photos/2010/06/01/21890128/0601dv_guatamala_sinkhole.jpg
(Source: CNN)

Residents of a center-city neighborhood in Guatemala City, Guatemala, are still in shock after a massive sinkhole opened last weekend, gobbling several buildings and nearly an entire intersection, according to local officials.
Over the weekend, the nearly perfect cylindrical crater developed and consumed whatever was on its surface, including structures and utility lines. There were no reports of deaths related to the sinkhole.

The sinkhole's destruction added to the tragic events in Central America related to Tropical Storm Agatha, which left a death toll of more than 175 people in the region that includes Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

The 20-meter (about 66 feet) diameter sinkhole is about 30 meters (about 100 feet) deep.

Guatemala City's human rights ombudsman, Sergio Morales, confirmed reports that since 2005, residents in the area had complained of rumblings, fissures and sinking terrain.

"Yes, we can attest that they have been complaining since 2005 and we are looking into the initial complaints, " said Morales.

"We are looking into the original response by municipal authorities," he said

Read on for more details.

Music Break

This is more than a dance, it is an ancient African American art.
Many have tried, including this guy and this guy but it cannot be imitated.

You can observe and participate in the electric slide at the following gatherings of 10 or more black people including but not limited to:
Bachelorette parties
Weddings & receptions See generally, the finale scene of The Best Man (2000)
Birthday parties
Baby showers
BBQ
Graduation celebrations
If you're a pro you can put your own spin on it & not mess up the rotation. If you should mess up the rotation, please take a second to observe the sliders around you then fall back in place!


Sidenote: My friends and I started an electric slide at the inaugural parade. Dont judge us, we had been out in 17 degree temps since 5am and it was the best way to get our blood moving!

oooh its shocking!

Out the door...inspirational quote to start your day

Good morning all! Its time for today's out the door quote:

“Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.”

-Sarah Caldwell 

Have you ever been in a situation where you learned something totally weird and you wondered whether you would ever use it? Lets say the moment where you connect the question to the answer is the "aha moment."

 I had an aha moment about three weeks ago. Rewind to June 2006 I left my headlights on in my car while I was at work (why must the gadgets be so tricky?). It was 5 pm on a Friday afternoon and I planned to visit the beach for a romantic dinner. I skipped to my car but was quickly disappointed when my car made a clicking noise instead of the usual vroom vroom when I turned the key. After hearing the sound, my female co-worker told me I needed to jump start my car. Another co-worker gave me the jump I needed (thanks John)  but not before he took the time to show me how to do it myself. I was reluctant to learn because the Florida humidity always did a number on my tresses and I did not want to spend more time in the heat than was necessary. Note that my father was the first to show me, but I was only pretending to pay attention because I thought I could always depend on AAA (dont judge me). My co-worker dragged me from my driver's seat and showed me how to open my hood and connect the cables. 5 minutes and a frizzy mane later, I learned.  Fastforward to May 2010 a friend of a friend found herself at home in a situation similar to the one I encountered in 2006. Picture 6 women in 4-5 inch heels & tight dresses. After 3 minutes of waiting around, I discovered they had jumper cables but couldn't figure out how to get the hood open. *Insert superhero theme here* I leaned over and opened the hood exactly the way my co-worker had showed me. After the hood was open I gave them brief instructions on how to execute the jump and all was right with the world. *insert sarcastic applause*

“Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.”

-Anton Chekhov

Aside from Geometry, I appreciate all of the knowledge I have accumulated over the years. Each time I have an "aha" moment I'm more motivated to take advantage of every situation I'm placed in. I encourage you all to do the same. You never know why someone is placed in your path at a certain time and you may not know until four years later. Take advantage of every encounter because even a fool can teach you something. 

Hit the ground running!!!

Field of Dreams

I'm a firm believer in the power of sharing goals. Sharing your ambitions with others may lead to new opportunities for you to reach new heights or it may inspire someone else to aim higher. I also think there is power in holding people accountable for their actions & words.  

Image source: http://www.michaelfruchter.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/baseball-field.jpg

With that said, here are my short term goals:

1. Sticking to my budget. I've had a budget for some years now but I always manage to skirt around it when it comes to "treating myself." I've become more conscious of my spending so I realize that "treating myself" has gotten expensive. I've treated myself to filet mignon and new designer suits when I could have lived happy without either. I've told myself things like "I work hard, I deserve it." While I stand firm in my belief that you should give yourself permission to treat yourself I must admit that this is an area where I struggle. I've made a vow starting today to find other ways to treat myself. If you struggle with this, the same goes for you. If you have a budget to stick to then you cant continue to use retail therapy to make yourself feel better when you're stressed. If you struggle with your weight, you cannot use cupcakes and ice cream to make yourself feel better. Condition yourself to enjoy other things. Instead of giving myself $100 treats, I've reduced my treats to $10-$20 and when I stick to it for longer I may choose to increase the amount. Better yet, I challenge you to eliminate the need to treat yourself until you reach your ultimate goal. My father taught me at a young age that God will not put more on you than you can bear. The same goes for funds & resources. If you cannot handle what you have now, it is less likely that you will be blessed with more until you get a handle on what you already have. This leads me to...

2. $ave moola.  I wasnt born with a $ilver $poon. My spoon was more like polished stainless steel, it wasnt quite silver but I had what I needed to get the job done. I never wanted for much and I lived a happy childhood. Money doesnt buy happiness & it doesnt buy friends. BUT you cant buy a house or car with happiness. Although I am happy and I have real friends I seek to accumulate wealth because moola it gives me piece of mind.  Rainy days are less gloomy when you have the funds to jet set to sunshine. I also have two companies I'd like to have running smoothly within the next 6 months and business require capital. Sticking to my budget=saving money=less loans=more freedom.

More goals when you read on...

Music Break

Ladies & gentlemen I give you the Godfather of Soul!




Fast facts:
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included "Say it Loud" as one of their 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.


In 2004 "Say It Loud — I'm Black and I'm Proud" was ranked number 305 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

It is notable both as one of Brown's signature songs and as one of the most popular "black power" anthems of the 1960s. The song was released as a two-part single which held the number-one spot on the R&B singles chart for six weeks, and peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100.

R.I.P 

Push yourself to reach new limits!

I'm pretty sure he has been in the ER more than a few times. I admit I cringed a few times while watching, but its worth a peek. Watch for yourself:



The man featured in the video is Damien Walters. I decided to post it as inspiration to you all. Think about how much Damien has to push himself to reach new limits and successfully execute more challenging jumps. Think about the fear of injury or anxiety he might feel before he prepares to attempt a new jump. Although your anxiety levels may not reach exorbitant levels, we all experience some level of fear or anxiety when working to execute our vision. I hope Damien provides inspiration for you to continue pushing yourself towards greatness!

Out the door...inspirational quote to start your day

 Good Morning all, below is today's quote of the day:

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”
-Gail Devers

Be sure to take a moment and meditate before you tackle your tasks for the day. Clear your mind then fill it with positive thoughts. Encourage yourself to keep your dreams alive.

Welcome to June!

Good morning friends! Let me be the first to welcome you to the month of June. There are so many things happening this month including the World Cup, the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, Father's Day and African-American Music Appreciation Month. In addition to these wonderful reasons to embrace June, HUSL Today has added "Dreams to Reality" to the repertoire. Keep reading it gets better.

HUSL Today will celebrate African American Music Appreciation Month with a daily music post. The selections will emphasize the legacy of African American soul, R&B, hip hop, rap, pop & (for my DC folks) go-go artists. Consider it a celebration of great black artists past and present.

Additionally, we will use the halfway point of the year to reflect on our New Year's resolutions & turn them into lifestyle changes with our Dreams to Reality theme. If you did not make a New Year's resolution take time to think about things you have wanted to change & stir up the initiative to declare today your Day of Dreams. Take a few moments to reflect on things you want to change in your life. You may choose to keep your goals private or share them as I will share mine. Everything from our "out the door" quotes to our TIPS will be geared towards helping you live your dream. Since I am also working towards my dream, it is a journey we can take together. We will tweak our weaknesses and make them strengths. We will tweak our strengths and make them shine brighter. It will not be easy, but if you are committed we will walk together.

Finally, we will feature posts with updates from the World Cup games & of course honor our father's on June 20.

You cant see me right now but I'm doing a happy dance. 

Stay tuned!