Ms. Maya Angelou. I just want to say thank you. You paved the way for little black girls like me
You told us why the caged bird sings You allowed your thoughts and words to work for you You inspired so many black poets to write Just like you You left doors opened that you had to burst through You inspired a generation of writers that will go toe to toe with anyone who tries to say you weren’t the truth That your words and work wasn’t phenomenal A writer a director a black activist Like How many black poets do you know that had a chance to recite their words at an inaugural Even the white president couldn’t deny your presence Now that’s what you call black excellence
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I’ve been going through quite a lot this last year and a half. Questioning everything, but mostly my choices and myself. In a lot of ways feeling sorry for myself because things aren’t going my way. So I did like most Creatives do, I went through my old work! A reminder that I’m actually pretty damn good at something and when I put my focus and intentions on what I actually enjoy doing; the Spark comes back! I’ve been working on The Hippy Counselors guide to Balancing your Sh!t for so long that I actually just left it on the back burner. I felt like I couldn’t share this piece of work because I haven’t achieved some level of success that I put in my head. IT’S ALL AN ILLUSION! I’ll never be fully prepared so I figured I should just put out what I have and keep it pushing. It’s from that conscious decision just do instead of looking for some answer that I actually understand where my happiness comes from. What does Happy look like to you? You maybe asking yourself “Happy has a look’? I guess most people don’t question what makes them happy. We don’t take the time to consider if we are really happy. We are such future-thinking people that we are never truly in the moment of awareness of self. I like most, didn’t really question what made me happy, honestly come to think of it it never really was a thought. I thought the things I had made me happy. Or being able to hang out with friends and socialize made me happy. But when I started to feel everything inside me change, and then my outer body matched how I felt on the inside. I was empty! I’m not happy at all. I’m not even content, I’m just here. I can literally remember saying those words to someone “I’m just here.” Can you imagine at 23 feeling like you’re just here? Not understanding of what you have going on, not being able to process you’re thoughts in a manner that made sense to you, so you know for damn sure it wouldn’t make sense to anyone else. I didn’t even have the confidence or strength to say I was unhappy. I felt like others would try to take on that feeling as if it were their fault or something. So I really kept my thoughts to myself. When someone would ask me “How I was doing?” “Good” is of course the Universal answer. I knew I needed to deal with it. Unfortunately these feelings have crept back up! My 27 year old self is feeling like that 23 year I once was. OH no!! I’m clearly doing something wrong because I have yet again told someone “I’m just here” just merely existing. Trying to figure out life all over again.as if I really had it figured out to begin with So here’s a story for you! We all know Los Angeles as being the home of Hollywood. Home of the entertainers, many make moves to the city to pursue careers in the entertainment field. I essentially moved to LA for the same thing. But when I got there and the manager thing didn’t work out, I found myself feeling lost. I honestly felt like I failed, because how can you get fired before things even get started. Something happened in that time, I discovered TSAW; Tasha Smiths Actor Workshop, and I found my therapy. I found a piece of my happy. Doing something I never thought I would do. Growing up I always been kind of shy, I liked being in the background. But this was the first time I actually really stepped out of my comfort zone and discovered a whole other talent. It felt good to prepare for scenes, get into character and to have props for our set. It was a piece of creative freedom I never knew existed. As much fun as I had in the class, I did a lot of crying! But it was good crying. Great cries at least. We would do exercises like emotional dumps and of course when you break down scenes with the Chubbuck technique you use a lot of personal situations to obtain your goal of the scene. In the short amount of time that I took classes (shout out to Kevin Benton and Ms. Tasha Smith) I realized I was looking at the whole counseling thing I had going on in the wrong way. I literally felt like I was going to therapy every single Wednesday, and at that point; I really needed it. This time span helped ignite The Hippy Counselor. I felt like I was on to something I just couldn’t quite put my finger on. A few states later and some other BS in between and the picture is much clearer. Happiness is not convincing yourself that you’re asking for toomuch. Everything you want and are looking for is out there. Never ever lower your standards or expectations so you can finally be “happy.” I promise you will find exactly what it is that you are looking for if you stay true to yourself and what you want. So I was doing some research and found a few common qualities in “Happy” people: Now this list isn’t final just a few things to take note of 1. Happy people know HAPPINESS is a choice. They understand it does not come from outside. It is a decision to consciously create their own happiness.(your friends, family, partner blah blah blah CAN NOT be the source of your happiness). You and you alone are the source for your happiness. 2. Happy people don’t complain (all the time) they know it is a waste of time, energy, and only produces more of a negative mindset. It’s hard to stay positive in a sea of negativity! When you find your self being a negative Nancy you have to Stop and evaluate, “is this something even worth pouring energy into?” Most of the time the answer will be no. 3. Happy people never blame others. They take 100% responsibility for their actions and outcomes, or the lack thereof.. You can’t play Victim and expect to WIN! Reflect on what YOU did to get in that situation. When it comes down to it there was always a decision that you made that helped ignite the fire. 4. Happy People avoid toxic people, and they place priority on healthy relationships, and spend time with positive, like-minded people. Protect yo’ Energy! You have to set boundaries and limits on people, places and things. If it isn’t feeding your soul let it go. And if you find yourself taking more then you are putting out. Self reflect on how you’re putting out toxic negative energy. 5. Happy People are more effective than most at mastering their emotions. They feel things like we all do, but are not slaves to their emotions. We get our feelings hurt (most times) because we only see from our Perspective. You have be willing to Open your mind up to other ways of thinking, THAT doesn’t mean you have to change your thinking. But you may learn how to add something new to your own perspective. 6. Happy People Practice Mindfulness, a mental state of relaxed awareness of the present moment, this is a powerful tool for experiencing happiness when practiced regularly. Be mindful of your (self) talk those negative things we tell ourselves, remember that’s the quickest way to manifest! 7. Happy People embrace change and they are not creatures of habit and are comfortable with the unfamiliar. You are growing! Its ok!! Just like a plant, as it begins to get to big for its pot, it has to be moved into a bigger one to allow it to grow more. You can’t be comfortable in your one little pot. Some of you know what it feels like to be uncomfortable. It looks like tiredness, repetitive situations and scenarios, feeling like there’s more you could be doing. Hell all around BORDEDOM! When you start to feel this way, you know it’s time for you to make a change. Embrace it, don’t fall in the trap of complaining about it; because the more you fight it. The harder it hits you in the face! 8. Happy People are kind, generous, and take great pleasure in helping others achieve happiness. They do not seek personal glory. They Give! And Give freely and abundantly! Within the parameters of their personal boundaries, of course. Be of service in some kind of way, everyone has something they can offer to others. 9. Be kind, but be kind to yourself first, so you understand what that means and feels like. Because you are a reflection. What you see is What you get. But there is a flip side to your generosity. Recognize when people are taking advantage of it and cut it out. 10. Happy People are life-long learners. They constantly work at educating themselves, learning, unlearning, and relearning. You don’t have to go to school to be educated. Knowledge is all around you once you truly go out and seek it! 11. Happy People are secure in who and what they are. Their sense of self-worth does not come from what they own, who they know, where they live or what they look like. Their worth comes from an understanding of self, standing in their truth and being open enough to understand others perspective. 12. Happy People “Walk it, Like they Talk it”. They practice what they preach. They live it. You can’t talk about being happy, or teach others how to be happy if you aren’t living it every day. It’s not always easy, but that’s not the point of doing it. It’s worth it. You are worth it! The people you love are worth it. We can create the happiness we want because it’s already in us. We just have to take the time to unlock what those things are. Be kind to YOURSELF! The Reality of it is; you are not doing all of these things 100% of the time. And that’s OK. What matters is you put effort into it daily, you hold yourself accountable for creating what you need daily. You know if you fall short, you can pick yourself up again. So ease off yourself because at the end of it You, Me, We are just humans. So essentially what does happy really look like? Being happy has depth and deliberation to it. It encompasses living a meaningful life, exploring your purpose and sharing it with the world, utilizing your gifts and your time. It's Supercharged when you feel part of a community. And when you confront demons and conflict. Conflict will always arise. It involves a willingness to learn and stretch and grow, which sometimes involves discomfort. It requires acting on life, not merely taking it in. You can’t just “BE HERE”. Spoiler Alert! Pain is a part of Happiness. Happiness is not your reward for escaping pain. As human beings, feeling sad, stressed out, anxious and afraid is a natural consequence of daily events. Furthermore, it is acceptable to feel that way. Remember this isn’t for anyone but you, so you do not have to share these things with others. The point is that you acknowledge you have a problem, “demon” or past trauma that is infecting you and make the conscious decision to put these things in check . Without letting them overwhelm you. After all, negative situations open us up for the opportunity to make the changes we need. Happiness would be meaningless if not for sadness and hard times. Without the contrast of darkness, there is no light. The official release of my poetry book Poems to a King. Can I Get you High? is available Today on Amazon! I'm overly excited to share my work with you, and I hope you enjoy it just as much as I enjoyed putting it together. If you purchase between June 17,2019- June 19,2019 I will be taking $1.50 off the Original purchase price.* As a Proud alum of the Great Bethune-Cookman University I ask that you take that $1.50 and donate it to the "We are Our Answer" initiative for Bethune-Cookman. This is an HBCU located in Daytona Beach,FL, the school is also the host for the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Historical House. Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, opened the Daytona Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in 1904 with $1.50, faith in God and five little girls. She had Faith that those who understood her Passion and Purpose would understand how important it is to be educated. The school quickly became what we know today as Bethune-Cookman University. However, the University that triumphed through much adversity in 1904, is in need of your Support! Financial Support, Community Support, Alumni Support; all the Support and Help that can be offered right now. Due to unfortunate mishaps with previous Leadership and mismanagement of funds; the University and most importantly the Current Students, Prospective Students and Alumni are suffering. We have to Protect and Preserve our HBCU's they are the direct door to Preserving OUR CULTURE. It just takes $1.50 to get the ball going! If Dr. Bethune can do it, We can Too! *price reflected on Amazon is discounted price! |