Some great things are going on outside of my blog world and I hope to share all of the details soon! The silence is not abandonment, but busy working on something that will change the world.
Create the life you want. Dream and go after every dream that you can imagine.
Be Excellent. Be you. Do you. Tell your own story. On your own terms.
I have had all of the materials I needed to complete my vision board since early January. I was so enthusiastic about getting it done in the first few weeks, and had all intentions of showing mine off alongside all of the excellent examples on my timeline but I got sidetracked. I cannot tell you exactly what I got sidetracked with because the list could go on forever. It is now March 22 and I have finally completed my goal!
I read a few articles on Vision Boards, but I mostly just went with my heart and cut out things that meant something to me. The areas I decided to cover are ones that are important to me. Last year was the beginning of a transition to being fearless and intentional. I stopped wishing and started doing. I left all of the wishing behind and decided to take the necessary steps needed to achieve my goals.
This year has brought me to another level in my spirituality and faith. I believe that I am where I am supposed to be, and I am going to do everything I said I was going to do. So my vision board encompasses not just things I want, but people who I aspire to be like, things I want to give to others, and my true desire to travel more.
PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE ME
This section covers 4 women who are doing exceptional things in the world and I am so inspired by their message and their truth. I look forward to sitting across from Ellen, telling her how I started #BlackExcellenceSaturdays and how I am using social media as a tool to change the lives of many.
ESSENCE FESTIVAL 2015
I have been trying to get to Essence for years. It is a very tough weekend to get out of town sometimes, so my plans have fallen through time and time again. This year I am going to make a strong effort to get there. I honestly want to be involved in the efforts to spread the word about healthcare prevention and the resources available across the nation. I have already put forth some efforts to make this happen!
MATERIAL WANTS
I am trying not to be focused on material wants, but there are a few things that I am going to enjoy when I obtain them. My husband gave me his car when I moved to Houston and has been driving my big Buick. He is selling it since he will be traveling for the next year, but when he settles back home I am going to buy him his dream car, an Audi A8 (A4 in the picture, but you get the point). I also will eventually need an upgrade, so I threw a new Lexus on there for myself.
As I expand my network, opportunities are presenting themselves that require a decent camera. I have a lot to learn about the world of film, production, and editing, but the right tools are necessary to start the process. My husband bought me the fragrance Flower Bomb a few years back and it is the best thing I have ever smelled. A new bottle would be greatly appreciated. (wink wink)
My husband and I did not have a wedding or a honeymoon. We have never really had the money around our anniversaries to do anything special, but this year I want to change that. We will make 3 years this July and we are planning something meaningful for ourselves, stay tuned.
STYLE
I have not focused much of my time or money on fashion, but I need to focus more on being a tad big stylish when I am out on the scene. This is a work in progress and will be ongoing, because I struggle with spending money on clothes. I have always been very practical and only purchased items that were very basic and plain. It is time to live! Live in COLOR!
OUR NEXT HOME
After being in Houston for the past few months, I realized that I want to live in the city. The ‘burbs are nice, but the things I enjoy the most are in the city of Houston. Plus, the specialty schools are amazing in the city and I do believe my child will benefit from these experiences.
Everyone says that they want to travel, but I am no longer wishing. I want to be financially prepared for the next glitch fare. We are actively making efforts to plan trips that will create memories. My husband will be seeing the nation through his new position, but we plan to see more of the world together. Kenya, South Africa, Brazil, Australia, Italy, and Germany are all on the lists of places to go. Just waiting for the door to open and we will be flying through.
HEALTH/WELLNESS
I want clear skin. Who doesn’t?
I am so unhappy with my current weight and I am struggling to find balance between work and caring for my son to get to the gym. There are no excuses, but I am actively seeking out the time to get to the gym I want to join and to practice Bikram. My biggest issue is childcare. My family and friends don’t live close to either the gym or my house. I will not stop trying to figure it out, until I have figured it out.
GIFTS/CELEBRATION
I want to use my gifts to help others and I want to be able to give wonderful gifts to those in need and whom I love.
My friends are doing big things here and across the world. I hope to be able to celebrate with them soon.
This has been an amazing and eye opening experience. I look forward to sharing my accomplishments that come from this post. I love my life and cannot wait to do this again, with a new vision in place.
Until then. Be you. Do you. Tell your own story. On your own terms.
Here lies my first vision board: 
Over the past few weeks I have met some amazing women who are doing spectacular things. The further I go in life, the more excited I am to be around successful women who are living out their dreams and creating their own lanes. Society has focused on the conversation “Can Women Have It All?,” while women are out there having it all and some. I have rarely walked into a room full of powerful women who were ever complaining about not having it all.
Yesterday I had the deepest revelation of my role in my marriage. Despite the fact that I feel like I do so much, I realize I am able to do it and still enjoy everything in life. I am able to balance motherhood, being a wife, cooking, cleaning, handling our finances, thinking for the future, all of my personal endeavors, and a few fun activities every now and then and never miss a beat. Instead of resenting my ability to juggle it all, I am accepting my power and taking pride in who I am.
I have come to accept that who I am as a woman is not a burden or a strain, but how I was designed. One of the faults with societal pressure is that all women are forced to feel that their lot in life is to do certain things, but in reality everyone was not created that way. I applaud and admire any woman who decides not to be a mother, to not get married, or to live life outside the box of social norms. That is their choice and they took control of their narrative instead of walking down an assumed path. That does not make them less of a woman than me. We are both as powerful individually and even more powerful together.
I am releasing the pressure to live within a box or to see the women around me as different because of the choices they have made. Motherhood is amazing, but so was life prior to motherhood. Being married is amazing, but so was the summer when I moved back to DC single and free. We lived that summer honey. Juggling life is amazing, but so are quiet moments in the bed doing nothing. No one writes the agenda for women, we are writing our own and taking pride in our decisions.
Women have been marginalized in so many areas of life, but as we break through barriers, glass ceilings, and kick down doors, everyone is starting to realize we always belonged in the room in the first place. We are no longer asking for a seat at the table as a minority, but creating our own circles of power with women of like minds and spirits. We have our own table. You can’t sit with us. We are reclaiming our power and doing whatever we want. There are no limits to who we are as women. We were not made in a shadow, but in an image of greatness, excellence, and power.
I am who I am because I rejected the guilt of not being someone I was never designed to be. I am where I am because I love myself for who I am. I am going to another level because I am working with women who are fearless, flawless, and fierce. We are woman, hear us roar. This growth and connection is so natural. We are not taking over, but stepping into our rightful places.
We are the history makers of tomorrow. Let’s make history. Be you. Do you. Tell your own story. On your own terms.
Who I was when I began this blog is not who I am today. Over the past year I have transformed into someone I never knew existed or would have believed existed. The transformation that has taken over my life is indescribable. I thank God daily for my struggles and my triumphs, because all of it has created this cosmic energy of compassion and love. I do not do any of this for others, but for a greater purpose that I am only beginning to understand.
I have been through some very high highs and some very low lows. I have been blessed to be able to process and absorb so many lessons, because I am not ashamed of my circumstances or hiding behind who people think I am or who they want me to be. I convey my shortcomings and downfalls with very little to buffer the reality. I am a constant work in progress and I hope that people are bold enough to love me for me and foster my growth through this process. I love me so much that no external dislike towards me or my journey can fill any space in my life. There is no room for negativity.
I am not where I want to be, but I have a vision. I move with a purpose, for a purpose, and on purpose. I have spent this Lenten season focused on my energy and understanding the process of attracting what I want and need in life. I am careful about who I allow in my presence, because it is important to maintain a certain level of energy in the work I do daily. Keep watching because I will not stop until I have completed my assignments.
Be Excellent.Be you. Do you. Tell you own story. On your own terms.
People see you at various points of success within your life, but very few people see you in the midst of the process. They see you as you enter into a challenge and many times won’t see you again until you are exiting that challenge. All of the tears, late nights, self-doubt, and conversations of quitting are not put on a display for the world to see. Based on the images of the beginning and the end, many people assume that you have something special about you that others may not have. Despite this perception and misconception, the only thing that makes me different from the next person is that I went through what I had to go through to get where I wanted to be.
Many times people ask for something and as they enter onto the path to get what they asked for, they self-destruct. People turn around to go back to their comfort zone at the first sight of handwork, adversity, or stress. Every person that is extremely successful today had to go through some dark moments. Even those who we think woke up and had it all, still had to endure life to get to a place of peace, joy, or love. We measure the success and happiness of others based on the materials that they possess instead of the characteristics that they have obtained.
I try to be as open as possible on here to share that this process is not always pretty. Many times you try to smile through the pain, but it becomes overwhelming. I am not perfect, my life is not perfect, and I am not done going through rough times because life will not stop because you remain stagnant. Although I am in a happy place right now, this place has come with its own set of challenges and sacrifices. I have wanted to turn back and return to my comfort zone, but my calling and my amazing support system has forced me to push through.
If you are truly yielding to your internal instinct and living life to the fullest, you are going to have to endure some painful moments. You can never prepare for these moments, but you have to believe that they will pass. If you get stuck in the middle of your journey, because you feel that your current state is your future state, then you will never make it to your next destination. We assume that life will wait on us, but know that if a seed is placed in your life and you do not care for it, God will take that same seed and sow it into someone else’s life.
What I had to go through may not be what you had to go through, but we both had to go through something. As we fight through this life to get to the next level, build people up as they navigate through their journey. When you tear another person down when they are struggling to get to the next level, you are only removing the rungs from your own ladder and hindering your own progress. You may never see what I go through, but just know that I had to go through some things to get where I am.
This thing is bigger than me and because I am only a piece of the bigger picture I must remain diligent and steadfast. Don’t focus on everyone’s picture perfect beginning and end, respect that there was a process even if you did not see it. Don’t criticize what others have when those are the exact things that you want. Get off of the side lines spectating at everyone else’s success and do what you have been called to do.
Your success is waiting on you. Be you. Do you. Tell your own story. On your own terms.
I spent the last hour and a half having a dynamic conversation with some amazing women! We let our guard down and discussed the inner workings of a marriage and how we are dealing or have dealt with various issues in different stages of our relationship. It was powerful to hear things about each other that we did not know. It was powerful to hear how so much of our life has intersected at various points when we really didn’t even realize it. We were vulnerable and we helped ourselves through our words and helped each other. We went longer than I expected, but every moment was time well spent! Take a few moments to listen to various parts and share any feedback you may have! Marriage works, but it takes work.
When I first got married I thought that I had failed and made the wrong decision. Everything was so difficult to get through and we argued about everything, and by everything I mean everything. I would ask, “Can you take out the trash?” He would respond, “The trash doesn’t seem to be full.” I would take his response as him saying, “No,” instead of it being a simple observation. I would explode into a firestorm of criticism about how I don’t ask him to do anything and all he had to do was take out the trash. He would respond in kind with, “It wasn’t that serious,” and shoot a firestorm of criticism at me. It was an intense time and things only got better once we realized it was miscommunication and not pure evil.
On the other hand before we got married if I asked him to take out the trash, he would do it without any questions. Hence the bigger issue of just being together and being married. There is something about the bounds of marriage that intensifies everything. I think there is a fear that if you let go of this one issue then you will lose every battle in the future. As silly as this sounds, the fear of being controlled by another person is a valid fear to have.
After catching up with a long term friend and having many conversations with my girlfriends about their marital journey, I realized that many of us are going through some of the same things. No matter who our husbands are, where they have come from, or what they do for a living, there is a common thread that connects us all to the struggle. Marriage is hard and either we talk about it openly or we assume that we are the only ones going through it and feel worse than we need to.
A group of friends who were engaged or married discussed our biggest issues and we settled on trash, dishes, and laundry. Although these things seem so minimal, they ended up in very explosive discussions and tension between each couple. Things build up over time and something that may be so small can be overly analyzed because we refuse to back down over something completely unrelated. Our strength comes from being patient with our spouse and ourselves. This thing takes some work!
I am very excited to launch this new Google Hangout Series, Marriage Matters on March 3rd at 8:30c/9:30e. http://youtu.be/wpBBaJ3gudY. This series will feature a very open discussion with women who are married, engaged, deeply committed, and divorced. We will be discussing our biggest issues, our reactions, and how we deal with issues as they arise. The maximum is 10 participants and everyone must be set up for Google Hangouts prior to that day. You can also watch live and comment throughout the discussion.
I am expecting great things to come from this discussion. Be you. Do you. Tell your own story. On your own terms.
I started off 2015 with a very sound routine. I would wake up early, use my prayer beads to meditate and pray, listen to NPR or a podcast and absorb some new information. Then I would do a quick social media scan and start my day. When I started my mornings this way, my life and day seemed to go a lot better. I was balanced and focused on the task ahead. I found a morning ritual that would work for me and I loved it.
When I started this routine, I did not have my son here at the time. It was very easy to do when I was alone, but once I brought him home I slept less, woke up later, and could never find a rhythm. I did not try hard enough to get back focused and disciplined, so my ritual fell to the wayside. I allowed myself to be swept away from the very thing I knew that I needed, a morning ritual. Discipline. Structure. Consistency. As I started to get off kilter, things at work began to also veer far from where I wanted it to be and I could barely handle it. My patient care never suffered, but my professional interpersonal relationships did.
I usually voice my opinion face to face and allow the other person an opportunity to reconcile at that moment, but this particular time I decided to send an email in the heat of my fury and waged war on a few people. This very direct discussion spread quickly to those who were not directly involved, and a phone call was made to me that solidified my desires to part ways with this company. Although I made the decision to find employment elsewhere, I did not let go of how that person made me feel. I carried that weight around with me, and that on top of recurring issues in the workplace shifted my energy negatively.
I have not been centered since receiving that phone call. The unbalanced way in which I operated meant that I was easily thrown off even when I thought I was prepared for battle. Small issues became major issues because my vision was skewed towards this negative energy that I allowed into my life. I never released that moment to then reflect, grow, or correct the other party involved. I received the negativity and held on to it for too long.
I was so focused on that moment that I could not see the bigger picture. I had to be forced by God to take a step back and understand that our ways are not His ways and our thoughts are not His thoughts. Although I thought I was going to be in a place for a longer season, He has a plan that is greater than the eye can see. I am able to be so open and reflective, because God is not allowing me to wallow in my mess but forcing me to go through it and step out of it without any traces of residue or damage to who I am and where I am going.
This was simply a pit stop to a higher place, but I almost missed out on my blessing because my energy was jacked up. I was walking along the balance beam and faltering, but I never got off. When life has hit me time and again, I have stumbled, fallen, and been hurt in the process, but I never got off. The road to success is not wide, it is not straight, and it is not easy. You have to believe that everything will work together for your good.
I know that everything is working together because in a matter of days I have been blessed beyond anything I could have ever asked for or imagined. You have to walk along your own path, centered and balanced as you move towards your goal. Your energy is what attracts your blessing. Never allow a moment or man to shift your energy so far that you are off balanced and distracted from your path ahead.
Stay focused. Be grateful. Positive energy. Balanced. Be you. Do you. Tell your own story. On your own terms.
When I was going through a huge moment of spiritual growth, I began to learn about the inner light. The inner light is the glow of your spirit that shines even when you do not speak, illuminates a dark situation, and radiates and attracts people to you in ways you cannot understand. That light can be so powerful that it attracts great things, but at times it can attract people or situations that want to steal or dim your light. Your light is your power.
I always loved people and being around people, but learning about my inner light allowed me to permeate into the lives of strangers without them even realizing that they let me in so quickly and so deeply. As a healthcare provider, it puts families and patients at ease when they are in your care, your colleagues trust you, and you leave an impression no matter how long or how short you are in a place. Your light is your power.
It is hard to put in words how I discovered my light, but once I understood it, embraced it, and used it naturally, I had to learn quickly that I had to protect my light. Light does not only attack good things, but it also attracts negative things and people. I went through a rough period where it seemed that life was trying to dim my light. It was one bad situation after another bad situation, and yet even if it dimmed for a minute, I centered myself and allowed my light to shine through my situation. Your light is your power.
I have interacted with people who have tried to dim or turn out my light, but I learned how to detach from those who sought to snuff out my light and recognize those characteristics early. Many times it is hard to detach, because the light thieves are the ones who should be protecting your light or teaching you how to protect your light. Relationships, jobs, and financial situations can all come as darkness and overshadow your light, but when you know your power, purpose, and position you remove those things or you remove yourself from those situations to ensure that your light is always illuminating at its full capacity. Your light is your power.
I have met some of the most amazing people in the past 3 months. I have reconnected with many amazing people I met growing up and all that remains between us all is that they don’t overshadow or attempt to steal my light, and their light is shining just as brightly as mine. The power of presence is within your light. Everyone has a light. How brightly you allow it to shine is up to you. What you put out in life will always return. Light will produce light. Darkness will produce darkness. Enhance your light by putting out light. Protect your light by disengaging with darkness. Your light is your power.
This little light of mine. I am letting it shine. My light is my power. Be you. Do you. Tell your own story. On your own terms.
Daddy issues. Mommy issues. Color issues. Self-Image issues. Body image issues. Inferiority complexes. All of these things spew out of our hearts with disdain for others, when in reality we are jealous and envious of what they may have. I used to see people with their parents and hate the way they took them for granted. I would think, “If that was my mom, I would…” or “If that was my dad, I would…” I hated myself for not having those relationships, and I disliked others who did not understand how great they had it. There are many people who have Daddy Issues, a lot of people who have Mommy Issues, and then the smaller group of us who have both. The concept of being parentless is so painful and exclusionary at times. You feel that you do not have an anchor or a home base, because you are not connected to at least one of the people who brought you into this world.
I pitied myself and self-loathed for being a sort of orphan and wore my wounds externally. I constantly poured salt into my own wounds and made sure that my pain was visible. I carried myself as a victim of circumstance and clung to the concept of being different for all of the wrong reasons. All of this boiled down to being jealous and envious of people for reasons they could not control.
Rehashing this sounds so silly, but as a child that longed for connection, it was my reality. Although I did not battle long with my color issues because I went to a HBCU where I was surrounded by multicultural and multicolored beauty, I did look in the mirror and tear myself apart. I longed for a sense of perfection that made me say, “You are not pretty enough,” “You are not tall enough,” “You are not short enough,” “You are not skinny enough,” “You are not thick enough,” “Your hair is too short,” “Your face is too round,” and it played out in times of failure as if any of those things were connected to my outcomes. I look back now and long for my college physique, but at that time I felt that certain aspects of me kept me from achieving my goals.
I am not sure where my epiphany came, but I remember getting into a friend’s car my Sophomore year and she said that I looked different, prettier, happier even. My inner self had changed and I had accepted me for who I was and that allowed my inner beauty to enhance my outer beauty. Prior to this moment, I had failed to realize that my self-doubt and criticism of irrelevant things were the only thing keeping me from achieving my goals. I had nothing to lose, but my personal, self-imposed chains. The freedom that came with acceptance allowed me to change my energy and attract light with light. I no longer yearned for what I did not have, but I highlighted my strengths and let them overshadow my weaknesses.
Life is a learning process and it takes time to become the best us. There is always a better version of us waiting to be tapped into. The depth and complexity of who I longed to be was tied to many things, but released by the power of love. I had to love myself enough to know that I was more than enough today, and will be more than enough tomorrow. I appreciate my experiences more, because I am able to connect with those who may be going through a similar situation. I can now give hope to those who may feel that the lack of something is a stumbling block, when in reality it can be used as a stepping stone.
Jealousy and envy is more than just wanting someones lifestyle or material items, it can go deeper than that. The desire to have what someone else has or had will not bring those things to you, but accepting your circumstance will allow those voids to be filled with the things that you need.
You will not get what you want, but you will get what you give. Be you. Do you. Tell your own story. On your own terms.
noonecantellmystory 