I’ve never been a stranger to cutting people off. It was how I protected myself from the ills of this world — from people who wanted nothing but to suck me dry. I had never experienced being cut off myself, though, so you can only imagine how painful it was when my best friend decided to do some cutting.
Read MoreAt 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 MoreI never doubted what God spoke to me prior to this particular situation. I always stood confident in His promise and owned it as if the words were tattooed on my torso. But this one was different. My situation didn’t look like what God had spoken. It didn’t feel like it after a while either. The promise God whispered to me felt miles away. Though He equipped me with affirming words to confirm what He spoke, I just couldn’t believe it — not with the way my situation was looking.
Read MoreShe pressed send on a message to an old thang and poured a glass of Chardonnay. The day had been long enough and she needed something to take her mind off the misery.
Long hours at the job, a recent heartbreak, and the loss of her favorite aunt was making life seem pretty bleak lately. She was just going through the motions.
He pressed me to write this post. It had been sitting in my drafts for months. I knew the exact angle I was going to take, I just hadn’t started working on it yet. God was pushing me, though. He wanted me to get it done as soon as possible. I couldn’t understand what the rush was, but considering the urgency, I did what He told me to.
Read MoreI overheard a group of women in the locker room as I was getting changed for my usual lunchtime workout session. One complained after weighing herself for what she claimed was the fourth time in two weeks. “I still haven’t lost any weight,” she said. “I’m not coming back,” she continued.
From the outside looking in – me being a stranger and all – it appeared that her imperfect results had inspired her to quit the gym altogether.
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.
Read MoreIt was penned by Alisha Nicole, Founder and Author of Living Over Existing. Alisha is on my private ‘Inspirational’ Twitter list for reasons such as this — her uplifting take on life and entrepreneurship.
Read More“Becoming Mr. & Mrs. Smith” was the title of Red Table Talk’s most recent episode. I immediately pressed play on a video that I knew would lend insight that I long anticipated, from one of my favorite celebrity couples: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith. The pair sat along side co-hosts, Adrienne Banfield-Jones and Willow Smith, to dissect how Will and Jada met, the growth of their relationship, and how they’ve successfully sustained their 20-year marriage.
Read MoreWhen I decided in December 2017 to avoid taking vacations this year, I had no idea what it would mean for my personal growth. I’d made this rash decision in an attempt to rebuild my savings account — which had drained a bit since putting money down on a new car. I was single, but something in me told me to save for my wedding. So I did.
Read More“What Oprah didn’t do….
She didn’t concede when her network struggled to find its rhythm its first year.” —Ashley J.H.
I had a three year streak of creating new content and newer ideas. I was on a high from winning my first award, and being featured on various digital & print outlets. I was still soaring from the positive feedback I was receiving from my spoken word showcase and my constantly growing holiday homeless initiative. I was on cloud nine from having launched a podcast and opened a shop.
Everything felt good. Everything felt right.
It was a few months after my first real heartbreak, and right after my college best friend (and roommate) packed up her things and dropped out. I was alone. Sad. Hopeless. Everything I had known, left. And there He was, simply there to comfort me. I had no idea what the feeling was at the time, but it was irrefutable – He was among me.
“Check on your strong friends.” That sentence sweeps social media every time a new suicide hits the news. People suddenly urging each other to go check on the “strong friend”, as if the “strong friend” shouldn’t have been checked on before. People worried that the one who displays the least vulnerability, may be on the headline of the next news article.
Read MoreIt's been 15 days since I've written a new post. 15 days of existing in a moment, without thinking about how well it'd be received if I shared it. 15 days of just being. Absorbing for the sake of my process rather than for a post.
Living. Learning. Existing.
Read More"I don't appreciate you talking about my girlfriend," he said as he aggressively approached us about what he felt was disrespect toward his white girlfriend.
He was black.
Read MoreThe bondage of social media has become increasingly detrimental to our mental health. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat - and everything else those 'young folk' use - have been ushering people into debt, self-loathing, and depression. As great of a tool as social media can be for brands, businesses, and artists, it can tear us apart individually.
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