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?
Could it be? New music from Lauryn Hill? I smell a comeback…check out L-Boogie’s new (or unreleased?) track “Repercussion”. I’m really digging this track, what about you? I heard that Lauryn Hill will be on the ticket for Rock the Bells, will you be there?
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?
Loves J*Davey. Their music is so eclectic, I love their neo-funk style. I happened to catch them at the Roxy a few weeks ago, Jack Davey is an awesome performer. She has that “it” factor that many lack. Check out the new video “Outta the Window.”
I’m a sucker for album art and music posters, so when I saw these prints on Fly’s blog by Emek , the artist behind many of Erykah Badu’s album covers and concert posters, I was immediately captivated by the imagery in his pieces. The symbolism in the LSD/psychadelic/60s-inspired style really speaks to what we know and love about Erykah Badu – earthiness, femininity, higher consciousness, coupled with an intrinsic sense of militance.
New Amerykah Part II should be coming soon, I can’t wait!
I’m so excited it’s spring. Much like the flowers and trees, the warm weather triggers an awakening in our bodies and spirit. After being in hibernation all winter, it’s time to get outside and get it poppin!
A few simple ways to get into the spirit of spring:
Get outside! Enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. See and be seen.
Wear bright colors. Spring is high time for corals, pinks, yellows, and greens. Color directly affects your mood, so brighten up!
Eat lighter. Abandon the heavy meals of winter for lighter, fresher, produce filled dishes.
Spring cleaning. Toss out that clutter, water your plants, open those windows, and rearrange your space.
Get a pedicure. Bring those toes out from under those socks and boots!
Ramp up your dating life. Liven up your current relationship, or if its all bad, get a new partner. It’s mating season, baby. Get with it!
What are some ways for you to get into the spring season? Share in the comments!
I’m a total Raheem Devaughn groupie. I can admit it! Check out Raheem’s leaked track “I Don’t Care,” a mid-tempo groove from his third album, The Love and War Masterpiece.
I hadn’t heard of Mateo until I saw him perform at UCLA Jazz Fest this past spring. His velvety voice dominated the audience’s attention…something hard for an unknown artist to do, especially in a place like Los Angeles where “who you are” usually trumps your talent. Mateo’s pretty mean on the 88 keys too, he’s multi-talented. “Get to know” Mateo, he’s worth the listen.
Honey Soul’s post today put me up on game — hip hop turned 36 years old on August 11th! Hip-hop, you’re a grown ass adult now…
Hip hop has it good and bad qualities, but that doesn’t change the fact that it has had an integral impact on who I am. Hip hop’s influence on me is like being born in the ghetto. No matter where I go and how much I evolve, it’s still a fiber of my core. And not just me, hip hop has raised millions of kids around the world over the past three and a half decades. If you were born after the late 1970s, you don’t really know a world without hip hop.
So break out your fly sneaks, custom nameplate, your pimp cup and your shades, and light one in the air for hip hop!
