HAPPY HOLIDAYS from HUSL Today

I know I have been slow in posting the last few weeks and for that I apologize. After finals, big projects and a few other things mentally drained me I took a few days off. Turns out those few days turned into weeks and I finally got the chance to REALLY rest my mind & relax. I hope you all enjoy your holidays and welcome the new year with an open mind!!!

Cheers to peace, love & happiness in 2011!!! 

Merry Christmahanakwanzaka and a Happy New Year to all of you!!!

Regular posting will begin again on January 10!!! 


LOVE!!!

...a quick announcement

GREAT Morning beautiful people! This week I've been EXTRA busy prepping 4 my trip home for the holidays. I apologize about the lack of posts. I'll be running around a lot more for the next few days but I'll do my best to post some inspiration for you all before Christmas.

P.S. You can now rehearse calling me "Assistant State Attorney"!!!! Now all I have left is to pass my background screenings and the bar and I'll be one of the best prosecutors you've ever met!

Love!!!!

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

GREAT morning beautiful people! Happy Hump Day!!!

"If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody" -Chinese Proverb

Allow me to tell you a quick story: This past week my team and I all adopted a child via our chapel's annual Angel Tree program. As part of the program, we were given "Angels" with a child's name and their Christmas requests. One of the girls from our team went to Target to purchase her angel's gifts and during checkout she began conversing with the clerk about the purpose of the toys she was purchasing. Imagine her surprise when the man exclaimed "Oh my God, you're shopping for my son!!" At first she was in disbelief and thought the gentleman was mistaken until the child's mother, also employed by Target, came over to confirm. They quickly rallied around my girl to help her find the perfect gifts for their son. They thanked her profusely and the mother was almost in tears. While telling her amazing story, my girl admitted that before the encounter she was not in the giving mood. She confessed, "Before I saw the impact of my actions, I was not passionate about getting the gift for my angel. NOW that I've seen what can happen when you give a little bit of yourself, I'll continue to give selflessly of myself and encourage my friends to do the same."

One of my favorite parts about the holiday season is that it becomes so easy to give of yourself to others. Granted, there are opportunities year round but the spirit of giving is stronger as are the initiatives to get others to give. Opportunities to volunteer, to donate, and to generally bless others with your talents are plentiful and I encourage all of you to take advantage of them. Sometimes we become so involved in our own little bubble, that we forget about the struggles of others. Sometimes we become preoccupied with getting a new promotion or buying our first home or upgrading our material things, that we forget how little others have.  Allow yourself to connect with others who are less fortunate than you are.

Do not think that you do not have anything to give. You can give one of the most valuable resources-your time. Sometimes charities have all of the funds they need, and all they need are people willing to give their time. For example, one of my friends volunteered his time to shop for underprivileged children who were given $200 courtesy of their neighborhood's Elk's Lodge. He did not have to give any money, only a few hours of his Saturday morning to an underprivileged child. He confessed "I did not know some people had it so bad. I live in a big house with a nice car and these children live in places that do not even have numbers on their buildings. It was a wake up call for me to count my blessings."   Don't wait for a wake up call to see how helping others can move your spirit, seek out the experience! No matter how little you give, you can make a difference!

If you are successful, recognize that you did not become successful alone. The true test of success is your ability to "reach back" and help others become successful in their own right.

SN: *singing* Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la!!!!!!

Today's song choice: Kanye West-All of the Lights

Love!!!

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

GREAT morning beautiful people! Congratulations on making it past Monday and having another opportunity to do something magnificent!

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race” -Calvin Coolidge

Do not ever think that anything can replace the value of rolling up your sleeves and persevering through tough times. It wont help you to acknowledge defeat early on. It wont help you to refuse to fight. It wont help to give up. When faced with obstacles you have two choices: (1) You can choose to run from your troubles or (2) You can choose to turn around and fight for your success. Its a decision that you alone will have to make and you alone will have to deal with. There is but one line of advice that I can give someone going through a tough time and that is this: sometimes suffering is your path to a blessing and ur blessing is living through it to emerge as a stronger and more confident person. It is my sincere hope that all of you will choose to pick your battles and "press on" through them. I cannot promise that they will all be easy, but I can say from experience that each obstacle carries with it a potential lesson to make you a greater person. I wish all of you peace and blessings on this beautiful and brisk Tuesday morning!


Today's Song choice: Shiny Suit Theory-Jay Electronica ft. Jay-Z & The Dream (sings backup)

Love!!!

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

GREAT morning beautiful people!!! Happy Monday! Did ya miss me? I missed you all and I'm so very glad to have my exams in my rearview mirror. Do me a favor and say a prayer for my success.  Enough about me, here is today's quote:

“You've done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.” -Ralph Marston

Today I challenge all of you to turn all of your frustration (from every angle of your life) and turn it into determination! Dont waste your energy allowing yourself to feel frustrated. Recognize your frustration and the source of it. No matter what is causing you to frustrated, remember you can gain control of your life by learning to control your emotions. Once you are able to recognize the source of your frustration it will become easier to eliminate it. Channel your frustration into something productive and make great things happen today!! You have to decide you want to remain positive in the face of adversity. I believe you can do it now all you have to do is believe in yourself!


Sidenote: Its my absolute favorite time of the year!!  I adore (almost) everything about the holiday season and I hope you take the opportunity to enjoy all the Christmas-like cheer. If you should happen to run into a Scrooge remember this: The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing very loud for all to hear!!

Today's Song Choice: Mariah Carey-All I want for Christmas

Love!!!!

Give Thanks...

Since the holidays is the time when most people wake up and realize their true blessings, I figured its a great time to share a few things that I am thankful for.

I'm thankful for:

Life
Family
Friends
Love
Happiness
Music
Knowledge (and my continuous quest to get more of it)
My Job
Wisdom
Open Minds
Sunshine


Now its your time to share. What are you thankful for??
While you're making your list, give a listen to "The Turkey Song"



Happy Holidays to you and your family!

Love!!!

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

GREAT morning beautiful people!!! Today's quote:

Like the elephant, we are unconscious of our own strength. When it comes to understanding the power we have to make a difference in our own lives, we might as well be asleep. If you want to make your dreams come true, wake up. Wake up to your own strength. Wake up to the role you play in your own destiny. Wake up to the power you have to choose what you think, do, and say. -Keith Ellis 

Wake up people!!  Awaken the beast inside of you and become unstoppable. When someone puts an obstacle in your way, figure out a way to conquer it. Dont let the obstacle force you to quit. Quitting is not an option! There is always a way to make something work, you just have to be willing to find it! Accept the cards you were dealt and play them as best you can. Stop using the past as an excuse. You cant change where you were born. You cant change who your family is. You can't change what your childhood was like. What you can do is focus on the things you can change. Focus on deciding the type of person you want to become. Focus on sculpting your career path. Focus on your future and use your past as motivation for a better life. Focus on surrounding yourself with people who can help you become better. When things (job, relationship, school) don't work out  in your favor, it is because you do NOT need those things in your life anymore. Dont spend your time dwelling on failure. Bad relationships, negative people and jobs that dont challenge you are all DEAD weight; BURY them! Do not mourn when you lose those things, use them as a challenge to wake up and recognize what you still have. Dont fall victim to complacency. Dont be afraid of change. Dont be afraid to eliminate the things that are holding you back. Wake up and give yourself the opportunity to do something great today!

When life hands you lemons, ask for sugar and water and make a delicious lemonade!!

Today's Song choice: KeKe Palmer-The One You Call

Love!!

P.S. Remember to go through your social networking accounts and remove everything that doesnt pass the "Grandmother test." Whats the grandmother test? Its a standard for social networking that requires you to remove anything from your profile that you would be too embarrassed to show your grandmother.

GREAT morning beautiful people!! Happy "Almost Friday" to those of you who work a standard workweek and a Happy Thursday to everyone else!

"If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” -Albert Einstein 

Have you ever noticed there are moments when you are so happy all you can do is smile? I sure hope so. Do you remember what you were doing? Was it shopping? Was it spending time with your family? Was it snuggled up with your significant other? 

Its no secret that we have a tendency to tie our happiness to people and things, but today I challenge you to break those ties. While I am not recommending that we rid ourselves of the things that make us happy, I am challenging you to transfer your happy energy from people and things to goals and accomplishments. 

Is your happiness tied to the weather? Are you as happy in the rain as you are when the sun is shining? 

Is your happiness tied to material things? Are you as happy when you're at home watching television as you are when you're out shopping? 

Is your happiness tied to a person? Are you as happy doing things alone as you are when you are with your S/O? 

Is your happiness tied to food? Are you as happy when you're eating (even though you're not hungry) as you are when you decide you're satisfied with the food you've already eaten?

YOU are the one who must decide to tie your happiness to your goals & accomplishments. Focus on yourself and what makes YOU who you are. Things perish and people let you down. Master the ability to deal with your own problems and discover what life is like when you have decided you want to be happy!! 

  

Remember you have to believe in yourself before you expect others to do the same! 

Today's Song Choice: Fred Hammond-No Weapon

Love!!!

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

GREAT morning beautiful people!!! Happy Hump Day!

Its a double duty day of quotes today:

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.  ~Meister Eckhart

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

This morning's message is all about giving thanks. Today I woke up and it was one of those mornings where I realized how blessed I really am. I dont think you get it. I lit'rally woke up this morning and said "Man I am blessed." Although I publish inspiration for you all, sometimes I lose sight of my own strength and inspiration. I have my own struggles and insecurities but I chose not to allow them to get the best of me. This is because I believe for every ONE thing I could choose to complain about, there are 100 other things I could give thanks for. For example, I could complain about having a headache OR I could give thanks for awareness, for sanity, for having the funds to purchase meds and for having a warm place to sleep it off.  I have come a long way on my journey to adulthood and I am still learning and deciding the type of person I want to become. I am not the wealthiest woman in the world but I am not poor either. I am thankful for where I am and I appreciate everyone and everything in my life right now. I encourage you to do the same. Maybe you dont understand what it means to be thankful for the little things but I hope you do. With that said, I hereby declare today a day to give thanks. Don't wait until Thanksgiving (or any other holiday) to recognize what you are thankful for, you can do it right now! Fight for what you believe in, give yourself to the people you love and remain humbled and thankful for all that you have. At the same time, recognize that you can work to create or obtain the things you lack.

Since this song was in my heart this morning, its my song choice. Check it>> Total Praise.

Love!!!

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

GREAT morning beautiful ladies and gents! Happy Tuesday!

"It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you'll drift in that direction." Warren Buffett 

Always surround yourself with positive people who will keep you in line but its time to add another characteristic to that list: someone who is better than you. Are you the smartest person you know? Are you the wealthiest person you know?  If your answer to either of those questions is yes, its time for you to get out and meet some new people.  Today's challenge is to find people who are better than you. Do not get this challenge confused by allowing people who make you feel insecure and "less than." Do not ever allow anyone to make you feel that way and if its clear they do so on purpose, grab the scissor and cut all ties. No one is better simply because of who they are; they are better because of what they have accomplished and because of their potential to accomplish more. Find people whose behavior is what you aspire to be and allow their attitudes to rub off on you. This person could be a mentor who just passed the NY bar (Congrats XW) or they could be a friend who is a better writer or a better dancer than you are. Connect with people who are better at the things you seek to improve about yourself.

Today's Song Choice: Greatest Love of All-Whitney Houston 

SN: If you missed the Eagles v. Redskins game last night you missed an EPIC win!