Monthly Intentions

August is here!  It feels like the months are just rolling over, but I’m determined to differentiate.  I don’t like the feeling of not being able to track time and growth (even though time is an illusion).  If we can’t track our growth then we won’t be able to see our advancement over a period of time.  You should be proud of how far you’ve gotten despite all of the obstacles and walls that we’re put up against you.  No matter what, you kept going!  This month’s intention is 

Perseverance 

Continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure or opposition

Maybe We Should Practice Avoidance

Often, when we talk about perseverance we think it’s amazing that we’ve been through all of this hardship and kept going.  Yet, those of us who do struggle with the “difficulties, failure, or opposition” are looked down upon for wanting out.  Sometimes I feel like there is an incessant need for us to deeply struggle in the world before we come out on top.  The need to struggle instead of not struggling (if that’s an option), slows our progress down.  Not everything requires your perseverance, instead some things require your avoidance.  Why go through the unnecessary pain that generations before us have made into a tradition, if we don’t have to? I’m not saying that we’re not going to struggle and have hardships in life.  We should be able to go through the hardships and obstacles that are specific to our lives and what we chose for ourselves. 

Perseverance Needs to Be Worth It

I’m all here for perseverance, I just want it to be worth it.  Persevering through a journey on a path that you didn’t chose yourself is a waste of your time.  If you’re going to persevere at least put that “continued effort” into something that is worth it.  Your path is yours and only yours.   Don’t let others force you to go through an unnecessary struggle, simply because they say that’s what’s best.  Persevering is only worth it if your end goal stays the same throughout your entire journey.  But if it changes, so should your hardships and struggles.  In other words you shouldn’t be struggling or facing obstacles for something that you don’t even want to do with your life.  If you’re plans change does this mean that your struggles will get easier? No, it just means they change. 

Don’t Be Embarrassed

What we don’t talk enough about is whether persevering is even worth it.  Often times, we set out to do something with our lives and try to stick to that path because changing our minds can be embarrassing.  Society makes it embarrassing, it’s perfectly normal to not have the same job for 50 years. We are all multifaceted, but the  environment that we live in makes it hard for us to explore all of the possibilities within us.  I want us to all explore ourselves as much and as often as possible.  We are always growing and changing.  We owe it to ourselves to see what we can become.  You are not bound to anything in life.  Not to a place, not to people, and you are not bound to your initial or latter thoughts.  Struggle is inevitable, so why make persevering harder than it needs to be?

Currently, it feels like the world is being pulled in many different directions. Calamities are now normalized, and the weight of them have become overbearing .  I find myself getting used to bloodshed because that has become our new normal, and I hate it here.  The space that we’re living in has my spirit feeling stressed and uninspired, due to the many directions my mind and energy are being pulled.  This month’s intention is about being

G R O U N D E D

Being grounded is something that we should all constantly strive to be.  However, it’s something that we often forget we have to work towards.   Feeling grounded does not happen because we want it to, we have to work towards it the same way we have to work towards all the things we want in life.  Staying grounded should be on the top of the list of things that you are prioritizing because it contributes to your peace of mind.  Often times, our peace of mind can be left on the back burner as a result of the many things that we are trying to balance in our life.  If we’re not careful, that connection that kept us grounded can be broken and we can start to feel lost.  

Pay Attention

Let’s dedicate this month to being and staying grounded.  You might unknowingly be doing things that contribute to being rooted in the space that you’re in.  You also might be doing things that add to the chaos of being pulled in different directions.  The point is to pay attention.  What are the wellness activities that actually contribute to a better you?  This is completely subjective to you, but it still needs to be healthy for you.  You indulging in bad habits because they feel good are not going to contribute to your peace of mind.  This is where the hard work comes in.  You have to filter out the bad behaviors that are contributing to the chaos.

There Has to be a Balance

The feeling of being grounded to me means that there is a balance between how still and active I’m being. There has to be a balance, if too much energy goes in either direction I feel like I am drifting away.  To help with this I practice behaviors and activities that make me connected to the earth, people, and energy around me.  These activities vary from person to person because wellness is subjective. One of my favorite things to do that keep me grounded is spending as much time as possible in nature.  It’s a bit ironic because I’m scared of bugs, but it’s still one of my favorite places to be.  Something about being outside makes me feel safe and alive. What are the things that make you feel like that? 

Keep it Consistent

If sitting in nature is not for you, or your environment doesn’t allow you to do something like that then do activities that work for you.  Some activities that I do are yoga, listening to music (you can get my playlist here), meditate and journal, masturbate, try my best not to kill my plants and drink a shit ton of tea (but you probably knew that already).  My wellness activities don’t have to be yours, what do you enjoy doing that makes you feel centered?  Whatever they are, you need to fight to keep them consistent in your life.  They have more of an influence over you than you know. 

P.S. I was featured in Feedspot’s Top Black Millennial Blogs & Websites to Follow in 2020!!! I’m grateful to know that my hard work is being recognized <3

June is a month that I feel like we were all catapulted into without any say.  We simply just can’t control everything, and life reminds us of this every time something unplanned comes about. However, when it comes to the things that we do have control over, like our actions, we are unknowingly taught to follow and comply. This is so that things can run in the order that others see fit.  I, like everyone else have been taught to follow as well, but when I truly started to think for myself I knew I needed to be defiant in my actions so that I can challenge the constructs that were made for me to fail.  This month’s intention is…

Defiance

Take Risks

Being defiant often has a negative emphasis to it, but it all depends on how you view it.  Do you see it in a way that thinks being defiant means to have an open disregard or contempt?  Or  do you know that showing an act of defiance means to have a daring and bold resistance to an authority or to any opposing force. Let’s focus on the latter.

You Haven’t Done Anything Wrong

Defiance is a difficult thing to step into at first.  The emotions of guilt, regret, and shame flood in when others take your act of defiance as a sign of disrespect.  I have felt these emotions myself, and they are difficult to work through.  This is due to the disapproving glare that people leave behind.  This leaves you thinking that you have done something colossally wrong.  When you disrupt the order that everyone follows they seem to turn against you.  You’ve uncovered the facade that they live under, and now they have to deal with it.

We should all be challenged and uncomfortable.  Being defiant to the constructs and systems in place is where it starts.  You don’t agree with some thing? Speak up! You think that you’ve being wronged? SPEAK UP!  You are not going to get the validation and approval that you seek just because you’re standing up for something you believe in. 

We Should Be That Support

The most important thing to note is that knowledge is power, but it is also burdensome.  Knowing that no one wants to support a cause where support is crucial can be strenuous.  You are only one person, but your voice and actions have more power than you think. Small acts of defiance can go long way with the right intentions behind it.

Start by educating your family and friends on what you see is wrong with the things that are going on in this world.  Be unapologetic about it.  If you fear for their reaction then you never really cared in the first place. Even if the problems in this world don’t directly effect you, they are still worth fighting for.  Often times the support of the people who are not effected matter the most.   Let your voice be heard, it can hold weight where you least expect it.  

Don’t Know Where to Start?

Sign the Petitions Below!

https://www.standwithbre.com

https://blacklivesmatter.com/defundthepolice/

https://blacklivesmatter.com/demand-racial-data-on-coronavirus/

https://blacklivesmatter.com/coronavirus-demand-more-from-the-government/

March felt like 365 days instead of 31 and I’m happy it’s done because the amount of emotions I went through in that 31 day period were enough to last me a year.  Reassurance was a hard thing for me to accomplish in March because I refused to be okay with what was happening around me.  I was definitely one of those people who ignored what was happening with COIV-19 around the world.  I have the flight receipts to prove it.  The question is will I even be able to get on that plan? Probably not.  I didn’t want to believe all of the things people were saying about how bad things were getting until it directly effected me.  Which is predictable but disappointing because things shouldn’t have to effect you directly for you to take it seriously. That being said this months intention is…

Acceptance

This is pretty fitting because a lot of us tend to lack this.  We don’t want to accept or adjust to the times that we’re in and thats’ understandable.  I recently talked about this in my latest podcast episode titled “Adjusting and Adapting Takes Time”.  Adjusting to new environments is hard even if this new environment is our home.  It’s hard because saying in our homes longer than w’ve ever been before can get uncomfortable quickly.  But the first step is ACCEPTANCE.  Ya’ll, we need to start accepting the times that we are in and making the best out of the situation.

This can mean anything you want it to mean.  There is no wrong way to cope with what we’re going through, unless that coping mechanism includes going outside and trying to socially interact with people.  I just want you to accept the times that you are in, and this means accepting how you feel in these times.  There is not wrong or right way to feel.  Don’t feel pressure to do all of the things you never got to do before because now you have the time.  Trust me you don’t have as much time as you think you have.  Don’t get mad at yourself laying around all day when you “could have been doing something productive”.  Even if it doesn’t feel like it, you are doing the best you can for the environment that you’re in, and that environment is home.  So how much motivation could you possibly have?

Not only do we need to accept the mechanisms that we’re using to cope with the times, as I said before we need to accept our emotions.  I know for me this part is a bit more problematic.  I always think that I should be thinking in a different way than I actually am.  Not living up to the expectations of the emotions that I think I should be having is exhausting and just idiotic. I can’t tell myself to feel a certain way, I feel what I feel, and that’s it.  The same goes for you.  Feeling anxious, relieved, sad, melancholy, indifferent?  Those are your emotions.  They are aren’t right or wrong so don’t suppress these feelings, feel them.  Letting yourself feel emotions sometimes feels air is leaving your lungs, but it is more necessary than you know.  This is something that I have learned quite recently.  

So this month we need to buckle down and get in tune with ourselves, because all we have is time.  Take the time to feel whatever you’re feel and let your body and mind go through it, don’t push it away.

!DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE!

It’s not surprising that February came and went as quickly as it did, but being unapologetic is something that we all should be doing every day. The amount of strength and resilience it takes to live in your truth is immeasurable.  As we slide into this month it would do you well never to forget that.  This month has more days than the last, so I think it’s okay not to dive in head first, it might get a little over whelming.  This Month’s Intention is…

Reassurance 

– Removing ones doubts and fear

When I say reassurance, I’m not talking about from others.  I say this because the truth is you can’t always rely on the people around you to reassure you.  You need to reassure yourself, and this is called self-reassurance my friends.  We will all doubt ourselves from time to time, but what are the ways we combat this?  The fact of the matter is that we don’t always have the time to wallow in our self-doubt and low self esteem, so finding ways to reassure in a way where we actually believe what were telling ourselves is key

1. Whenever you start to doubt yourself when it comes to your career, look into the people who have already made it in your field or a field similar to yours.  When were working hard is often hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  But when we see examples of people who look like us and are accomplishing the goals we want to accomplish, we know its possible for us.  If you’re the first person doing what you’re doing and can’t find many examples of other peoples success in your field, look into the successful stories with people who were the first too.  All things start somewhere, and the person behind it was just like you.

1. Constantly tell yourself that you can only do your best and nobody else’s.  Through social media we see a sped up version of everyone’s success stories with out their struggle.    No one is transparent so it’s important to know that you’re only seeing the good parts.  Also, everyone’s circumstances are different.  Some of us have more connections than others.  So don’t hold it against yourself when you’re not where you want to be right now.  You are only doing the best that you can do, and your time time will come.

1. Remember that reassuring yourself is something that you have to work towards.  It’s hard to convince yourself that you’re the shit, when you genuinely don’t believe it. So take your time, because there’s levels to this shit.  The hard part is getting yourself to believe your positive attributes more than the negative ones.  You are enough and you are worth it, there is nothing more too it.  SAY THAT AGAIN.

The goal is to never get pass the point where reassuring ourselves is no longer possible, because we simply don’t believe in ourselves.  Once we get to this point it’s hard to convince ourselves otherwise. Another thing to note is that this month’s intention is about self reassurance, not finding reassurance in others.  You can’t always rely on the people around you to lift your spirits.  They might have their own shit going on, or they just might not be the right person to do it.  You are not always going to have someone around to make you feel better about your self, and associating a person with giving you confidence and praise is unhealthy if you can’t do it your self.  So use these steps to help you reassure yourself, and let me know how it goes!

Don’t Forget to Subscribe Cunts.

As I have said before, last month took too damn long to end.  But we are finally in a new month and I’m feeling better already!  It’s BLACK HISTORY MONTH, so of course you already know I’m in a good mood.  This month is about celebrating my culture and community without apologizing.  By this I mean that we are celebrating who black people are and how far we’ve come.  The amount of strength and resilience that black people have had to gain over the many years is immeasurable.  Saying that I am proud to be black is an understatement, more like ecstatic, honored, and grateful for the blessings that this beautiful skin has bestowed upon me.  Like the Queen B says, our skin shines like pearls.  This month’s intention is about being 

Unapologetic:

unwilling to apologize

Please Stop With the Apologies.

I apologize to people for absolutely no reason.  Do you know how stupid this makes me feel after the fact??? I apologize just for apologizing.  There’s no need for it, but I do it so that other people can feel comfortable in my presence.  Why is it that I feel like my presence would make people feel uncomfortable around me, you ask? Because of who I am and what I look like. But I refuse to keep apologizing for who I am. No one goes through the same lengths I do with make sure that I am comfortable around them, so why should I?  

You Are Who You Are

We must stop apologizing for things that don’t deserve an apology.  Can you think of  some examples/situations? Comment them below!  Do not apologize for who you simply are just because others might not understand you. You are, who you are and that’s it, nothing else needs to be said.  Continuously apologizing for who you want to be, ends up dimming your light.  Then you stop believing in yourself, and then you accomplish nothing. STOPPP apologizing!!  If people don’t understand you and always want an explanation, they are not for you.  Move on.  

You Don’t Have To Reflect People’s Image of You.

Being unapologetic is no easy feat, however.  Living in your truth is quite difficult when the people around you don’t want to make room for you.  People will scarf the image that they have of you so far down your throat, you won’t even know who you are anymore.  The representation of who you are should solely be based on your values and no one else’s.  Don’t let people skew the image of you simply because they don’t want to make the space in their minds to see you in a different light.  You don’t have time for people who only see you through rose-colored glasses.

Create An Open Space For Others

This month I want you surround your self with people who see you for who you want to be, not for who they want you to be.  Also, make sure you are making open spaces for others to express themselves freely and without judgement. You can’t be the type of person who wants everyone to accept them for who they are, but are unwilling to help others do the same.  Go out and be unapologetic this month!  Tell what you discovered about yourself!

Don’t Forget To Subscribe!

It is finally 2020, the start of a new year and decade! It feels like so many things can happen, and absolutely nothing can happen at the same time. I feel like I’m at this weird “in between” state of being (but then again I always feel like this when the new year rolls in).  Last month’s intention was “Patience” and it taught me a lot more than I was willing to learn tbh.  It taught me that I am responsible for how much of my patience I want to use on people.  Patience is not something that is infinite, and the amount that I have is especially limited.  Don’t judge me, I’m working on it.   It is my responsibility to decide how patient I will be in different situations that pop up in my life.  But it is also my responsibility to just say ENOUGH. I can only be oh so calm before I start acting out of character (and no one wants to see that). But enough rah rah about last months intention, we are in a new month, a new year, and a new decade.  This month’s intention is…

Accountability

Being responsible for all the bullshit you choose to do, and living with the consequences of it

Damn that’s Harsh!

I know this definition might sound a bit negative, but it’s all about perspective honey.  Holding yourself accountable for the choices that you make will really teach you a lot about yourself.  It will teach you about both, your positive and negative tendencies.  But most of all it will have you in your bag.  For those of you who aren’t hip to the lingo being “in your bag” basically means being in your feelings or being real with yourself.  It’s about damn time that we’ve gotten to this point, don’t you agree?

Okay, this is a bit much.

Holding yourself accountable for your choices can feel overwhelming.  But I want us to remember that holding yourself accountable does not mean that we are responsible for all of the things that happen to us, or the way that others react to us.  We are simply responsible for the actions that we take and the consequences that result from it.  This does not mean you get to start overthinking every choice you’ve made.  It simply means that the choices that you made were your choices and no one else’s.  However, for some reason as society we LOVE to play the blame game.

It’s Not My Fault!

When we eventually realize that the choices that we made weren’t the best, we tend to blame the negative things that result from it on others.  This is where we are fucking up as a society!  It’s okay to be wrong cunts! In fact, others will respect you more if you can admit where you went wrong.  But in order to admit such things you need to let go of that pride, and be okay with being humiliated.  We all need to get more comfortable with being embarrassed!  Being prideful is the sole cause of so many catastrophes that take place.

But Wait, Theres More…

In order for people to want to hold themselves accountable, we as a society need to make a safe space for them.  You can’t just start attacking others because you know that they’re wrong, it will cause them to get defensive.  When people get defensive they can never see where they went wrong in the first place (I’m speaking from experience).  We need to make it easier for people to hold themselves accountable.  No one should be scared to admit that they’re wrong because no one is right all of the time.  We need to be teachable. But in order to be teachable, people need to want to be taught.  Let’s keep an open mind and allow people to hold themselves accountable before we start attack them. 

It’s November!  The whether starts getting cold (*cries*), school starts to get stressful if it hasn’t already, and you start counting down the days till Christmas.  In the month of November our mind tends to be on autopilot because of the busy schedules that we have.  We become so preoccupied that we don’t pick our heads up out the fall leaves until Thanksgiving comes around. We tend to forget to slow down and just breath in the space we’re in until Christmas comes, and before you know it we’re in a new year.  By the end of it all, the only thing you can remember about November is your nosey ass aunt asking you what you plan to do with your life while you’re trying to enjoy that mac and cheese (which you only get like once or twice a year).  November passes by because we can’t wait to get to Christmas, but I think we’re missing out.  There’s a lot to learn in the midsts of a transition, and we shouldn’t take it for granted.  This month’s Intent is…

Gratitude  

The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness

Making this months intention gratitude might be a bit predictable and on the nose, but I don’t give a flying fuck because it fits the times that we are in. Growing up, we are told that we  “should be grateful for what we have”.  But gratitude was never truly explained to us.  We’re kind of just forced to be appreciative without knowing why or how to show it.  As we grow older it slowly starts to make sense, but we don’t think about being grateful as often as we should.  Although it should be, gratitude is not something that just crosses our mind until we realize that we have been taking things for granted this whole time.

The line between gratitude and guilt starts to blur because we don’t know the emotions that we’re supposed to be emitting when we are feeling grateful.  If this is the case then we are missing the point.  When we lean over into feeling guilty it’s because we start to feel bad about the things that we have and what others don’t.  You can’t change what everyone on this earth has and the opportunities that come their way.  That’s too much honey!  You can only change what you have control over and you don’t have control over other peoples lives, so move on from that guilt.  Instead think about returning the kindness.  Think twice about the actions you make and whether or not it really takes that much energy to make someone else’s day with a simple favor.  Allow people to be grateful for you the same way you’re grateful for them.  Returning kindnesses is just as important as being grateful about the kindness that others show on to you.  Pay attention to what going on in the world around you, not the just the world that exists in your mind.

Gratitude is something that should bring you back to earth when you’ve been drifting away in your own world for a bit to long.  We have every right to be engaged in the work that we are doing to accomplish our goals’, and it’s important that we are persistent (*wink wink*) about where we want to be in life.  But without gratitude we forget to stop and realize how far we’ve come, and how much we’ve grown.  The lessons that we learn from gratitude are endless.  Feeling grateful isn’t just about being thankful it’s about the realization and appreciation of the things that you have in your life.  When you are appreciative of the life that you have, those little inconveniences mean nothing.  Things that annoyed you so easily before, don’t, and it’s because you are appreciative.  Being grateful effects how you interact with your environment, the people in it and yourself.

We go through the motions of our day so quickly that we aren’t able to remember the little things that might seem minimal, but matter the most.  Gratitude allows us to be humble and take a step up back from only thinking about ourselves.  We become humble, and realize that every moment truly does count.  How are you going to implement being grateful into your daily routine?  What are some tips that you’d suggest?  Comment Below!

Photographer| Jokovisuals.com