These days I’m trying to be more conscious of the media I consume. The blogs I read, the music I listen to, the content I watch on television. I find that these things have a direct effect on my state of mind, and I must be ruthless in filtering what goes in and out of my mind in the same way I watch what I eat and drink.
As much as I love mindless gossip, fuckery, and low brow entertainment, I’ve found that these things aren’t contributing much to my consciousness. In fact, it detracts from because it sucks up time that I could be using to read, watch, and listen to things that would contribute to my personal development, feed my mind, and entertain while informing me at the same time.
Bad media is just like eating junk food. It’s so good initially…but the aftertaste and the impact on your waistline and overall health is really bad. I know I sound snobby, but I have to be relentless in watching what I consume. I can spend my free time and energy doing things that will fulfill me rather than getting a temporary crack sugar high from bad media.
Will I still read gossip blogs? I’ll likely take a peek every once in awhile. Will I continue watching the Real Housewives franchise? I’m not removing it my DVR. But I’ll spend more time reading Think Simple Now, Elev8, or even MadameNoire (a site for black women that isn’t gossipy). I’ll watch more food and design shows rather than cat fights and bitch fests. In fact, I’ll get back to reading books more than watching television in the first place. I won’t totally give up my media junk food diet, but I’ll consume less of it.
So talk to me, people. How much junk food media do you take in? Do you care how much (or how little) you take in? Do you try to filter?
This song has been stalking me for the past 36 hours. My boyfriend played it yesterday on his iPod…then I watched the video you Youtube…then it randomly came on my Pandora this morning while I was driving to work. Coincidence? No. I believe in listening to those little signs that come your way. The universe clearly thinks I need to hear it…and that it should inspire me to do something about my current circumstance.
My circumstance is that I’m meant to work for myself, but I’m too afraid to quit my job and fully dedicate myself to operating my business. I’m afraid because I’ve been conditioned by my family and society to have “a real job,” and work for someone else until I retire at age 65. My heart’s desire directly conflicts with everything I’ve been taught my entire life. My heart, mind, and spirit crave creativity, freedom and flexibility TODAY, not in 35 years.
I’ve attempted to strike a balance between my heart’s desire and practicality. I’ve begun building a business on the side while working full-time, which is no small feat. My business could grow more effectively if it weren’t for that got-darn full time job! That got-darn full time job that I depend on to pay my bills and keep a roof over my head and food in my stomach. That got-darn job that I need to survive.
That got-darn job that’s not very stable in and of itself…that could be taken away from me subject to the company’s whim. To my company I’m just a number in a cubicle, not a person. If they fire me and I’m out on the street starving, it doesn’t matter because they will have managed their bottom line by saving money on overhead.
So when am I gonna get up? I’m gonna keep building my business. Whatever happens with the full time job just happens. I don’t know what the outcome will be….but whatever happens is according to God’s will. I believe my heart’s desire is already fulfilled, and that it will pan out accordingly.
I don’t drink hard liquor much these days, but I’ve been sipping on sangria for the past several weekends. It’s such a tasty and refreshing summer drink, I love it so much I’ve deemed every Sunday of the summer “Sangria Sundays.” There are a ton of ways to make sangria, but here’s my take on it…
Ingredients
1 bottle of red wine
Random fruit, chopped into bite size pieces (I prefer apples, peaches, and mangos)
1/4 cup simple syrup
Juice from 2 limes
Ice
Directions
Throw it all into a pitcher, stir, and let sit for a few hours. Letting the mixture sit is a very important part of the process, as this allows the juice from the fruit to infuse the wine…try eating the fruit after drinking, it heightens the experience!
We each have the power to dispel negativity. Stop it dead in its tracks! Granted, this is easier said than done, especially when someone’s negativity makes you angry. But really, it comes down to making the conscious decision to not engage negativity, and respond to it from a place of love. Although a person may direct negativity toward you, most of the time it’s not really about you. It’s an emotional trap used for the purpose to suck you in, hurt you, and bring you down. While you might have been the trigger, negativity is an individual’s personal feelings about something, which cannot be controlled by another individual. You can only control your own responses. Your ego might drive us to stoop down to that person’s level, but you should choose grace instead.
This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get mad if someone comes at you foul. Never be a doormat to anyone! It’s unrealistic to not get mad if someone insults or berates you about something. It’s healthy to acknowledge your true feelings about something. Acknowledge it, get mad, get pissed off, yell, curse, do what you gotta do. Just get it out of your system! Then make peace with it, and send the negative inflicter love and positivity. Doing this will stop negativity dead in its tracks and cause it to die.
If you find yourself dishing out negativity, catch yourself and figure out why you’re doing it. Find the root cause of your feelings and deal with it before you project them on to someone else. This is something even the most positive person has to deal with at times, it’s just a part of the human experience. Just own your feelings, and deal with them accordingly! I find that affirmations help me to deal with negative feelings I may be harboring. One of my favorite affirmations is “I am poised and powerful, my greatest expectations are realized in a miraculous way.” [ from Florence Scovel Shinn's book Game of Life]
So tell me..how do you deal when negativity is directed at you? What do you do when you find yourself directing negativity at others?
I’m not talking about me! Though my family and boyfriend would beg to differ. I’m talking about those fruits and veggies rotting away in the fridge. I have a tendency to go overboard when produce shopping. Whether its an unbeatable sale on seasonal fruits at the grocer, or getting caught up in the beauty of locally grown veggies at the farmer’s market, I go ham at produce stands. This typically results in me hoarding more fruits and veggies than time can handle, which eventually go bad and get tossed in the trash.
You would think I’ve learned my lesson by now, right? Nope, not at all. I still buy more produce than I need, but I’ve adopted a few techniques to save money on fruit and vegetables that go bad.
-Throw extra veggies in a pasta or stir fry
-Puree fruits or veggies and make into a face mask or body scrub
-Make sangria with extra fruit
-Preserve it (freezing/canning)
-Make a fresh fruit smoothie
-Make a sauce or salsa
A little bit of creativity can turn decaying produce into a refreshing drink, smoothie, or skin product. Saves you money and makes your skin look amazing!
Do you toss rotting produce? Do you keep it and make it into something else? Or are you balling and don’t care if you have to throw it out? Share in the comments!
I was introduced to the Kitchen Ninja last Sunday, when my boyfriend’s blender failed to puree the Aji sauce we were making. We couldn’t bear abandoning our mission of creating Aji sauce, which warranted an emergency Target trip to find a food processor. I didn’t even know at the time that Kitchen Ninja is one of those “as seen on TV” type products until I saw the infomercial early this morning. Infomercial product or not, it was worth the buy because it pureed the heck out of the Aji sauce!
The Kitchen Ninja people aren’t paying me to write this review…although it would be nice if they did . I truly believe this product is a home cook’s dream — it chops, purees, blends..and most importantly, it delivers on the promises set forth in the infomercial. I’ll need to buy my own, because I know my boyfriend won’t part with his Ninja. I’ll have to get my own.
3 piece online is an online boutique based in Atlanta, GA. The owner of 3 piece online, Jacquelyn Roberts, uses hip hop, and African American community culture to create whimsical pieces to inspire living spaces. I immediately fell in love with her throw pillows, because you know I love hip hop! Jacquelyn’s designs are very eco-friendly, she uses old tees and jeans to create throw pillows. Check out some of her designs! Go to http://www.3pieceonline.com/shop to see more.
Jacquelyn was kind enough to share the inspiration behind some of her pieces:
“Craftwork 101: The Barber Tumbled Marble Coaster features original digital artwork by Jacquelyn Roberts capturing the crafts that sustain our communities. This is the first in a series mostly because I go to the Barber every Saturday .”
“Graffiti and Jeans Throw Pillow was the first I created because I received a t-shirt from local graffiti artist Michael Mauldin and wanted to preserve it. This pillow is also backed with upcycled worn-in blue jeans.”
“Love No. 1 Tumbled Marble Coaster features original digital artwork by Jacquelyn Roberts capturing Love in our communities. This is also the first in the series and it shows the joy that exists in mature love.”
“My Beat Goes Boom Throw Pillow features an old worn in cotton green t-shirt handpainted with reflecting boom boxes and backed with upcycled worn-in blue jeans.”
I need music for everything. I listen to music while I work, while I blog, when I clean my house, even when I shop. So invariably, I need to listen to music when I cook.
My cooking soundtrack depends on my mood, and the dish I’m making. Afro-latin beat is great for when I’m making Arroz Con Pollo, Arepas, or Chicken Fajitas. When I’m making Jambalaya or Fried Chicken with a side of Southern Cabbage and Cornbread, I like to listen to Juvenile, UGK…any Southern rap track containing high amounts of bass. When I’m chopping veggies and making sauces, I like listening to something with jazzy hip-hop influences, like Foreign Exchange, Slum Village, or A Tribe Called Quest.
To my cooks out there, what do you listen to when you cook? What music inspires you in the kitchen?
Yesterday I met up with a good friend from college to catch up over coffee. We haven’t seen each other in awhile, and it felt like it had been too long because she’s such a great person. Just like old times, we chatted over ice blended lattes about random stuff from rap music to celebrity gossip to family to career aspirations. She’s always been a person I could bounce ideas off of and compete with in a healthy, non-toxic manner. As long as we’ve known each other we’ve always inspired and motivated one another in a positive way.
As I drove home from the coffee shop, I thought about some of the things that inspire me. Music inspires me. Food. My sister. My boyfriend. My friends. Yoga, spirituality, knowledge, art, fashion, design, and nature. When I experience creative blocks, these are things that remind me to keep doing what I love, to never stop writing, and allow me to get back into a state of flow.
I write this to share the things that inspire me, to inspire you to consider the same. If you actually take the time to read my posts, I know that you’re also a creative being who may experience the ups and downs that come with your gifts. So tell me, what inspires you? What do you do when you experience creative blocks?
It’s so easy to sit back and let things happen. A little bit too easy, if you ask me. Sure, you can wait on that guy to call you, you can wait on that company to get back to you after you submitted your resume, or you can wait until your pants don’t fit anymore to decide to lose weight.
Or you can take initiative, be proactive, and get the ball rolling. You can get up a half hour earlier to exercise before work. You can call that guy. You can shoot that company a quick email following up on that job opening. It may be a step outside the comfort zone, you may not be met with an immediately favorable response, but you will have done yourself justice by taking the reigns and being proactive, instead of sitting idly waiting for things to happen without you doing anything.
The ideas of “letting go” and “letting things fall into place” aren’t meant to replace action. Let go, and let things fall into place after you’ve made a move to get the ball rolling. By being proactive, you create momentum. Be proactive first, then reactive. Balance the two.
. I truly believe this product is a home cook’s dream — it chops, purees, blends..and most importantly, it delivers on the promises set forth in the infomercial. I’ll need to buy my own, because I know my boyfriend won’t part with his Ninja. I’ll have to get my own.
