The new year presents an opportunity for many to shift course and change directions. As people draft tailored goals to achieve and new things to attain, others reflect on what they want to leave behind. As Michell Clark shared in his latest Instagram video, in order to make room for what’s to come, you must identify what to release.
You must let go of some things to create space for new things.
Read MoreAbout a year ago, I wrote about how the constant chase for more is ruining our present moment. Many overachievers tend to bypass the enjoyment of their current moment, in pursuit of what’s next. This is, admittedly, a habit that’s hard to break. With constant reminders of how short life is, and how great everyone on the internet seems to be, it’s no wonder we’re all rushing to reach our destiny.
Being taught “you have to be twice as good to get half of what they have,” was the beginning of my perfectionism. The saying that permeates the walls of black homes taught me two things: 1. I need to work extra hard, and 2. I cannot mess up. A microscope was on me, as a black woman, to do things right and to do things well.
This became evident in all my professional roles.
Read More“Hey, our online request form is down. Can you help resolve?” I asked. A critical function of our office is being able to process certain requests in a timely manner. In this situation, however, we were unable to receive requests because that part of the site was down. It hadn’t even been 24-hours before we started receiving frantic e-mails from students and alums who had tried to access the form but were met with this roadblock.
There was no solution at the end of her e-mail. No alternative she was willing to offer up.
Read MoreI stopped dieting and calorie counting a few years ago. I realized that my attempts to slim down were rooted in self-loathing rather than self-love. I knew that the only way to combat that was to truly love myself — as soon as I did, I learned that my size was perfect for me.
One thing I never shied away from, though, was healthy living. Instead of fad-dieting — like I had done so many times in the past — I was simply eating better, consistently. Not for weight loss, but for health care.
Read MoreI began my journey toward finding my peace after moving out of my parents’ house about five years ago. After living in the chaos of having college and grad school roommates, then back to a house with my parents and older brother — and having to write my name on my groceries — I was ready to venture off to a new place of solitude and quiet peace. I wanted to own and enjoy this transition.
I learned early on, that while place can affect peace, perspective is one of its largest contributors. With that revelation, I began the self-work necessary for cultivating peace.
At this point I’m positive that any millennial can attest to how addictive social media is. I’m sure there’s a handful of baby boomers can testify to the same thing. Constant access to family, friends, and strangers makes you feel like you’re connected without really being connected. Having the ability to directly interact with people near or far without the undivided attention a phone call requires, may seem like life’s dream. Being there without really being there seems like a lifehack. In theory, social media is great for social connectivity — in practice, not so much.
Read MoreA good thing happened. After three years of blogging on my own platform, I was asked to become a contributing writer for xoNecole. I couldn’t believe that my ‘side hustle’ was finally manifesting itself into a paid gig. And the best part: I’d be impacting even more women than I was on my own side of the internet. It was a dream come true.
Read MoreI used to work in the marketing department for my local branch of a national non-profit. I knew all about social media trends, creative content curation, and how to create compelling narratives out of the most mundane stories.
But after only a year and a half, I left that field.
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