Never To Big To Ask For Help!

So, I got a call from a friend complaining about how she was treated after receiving help from a colleague at work.

She was very upset that her colleague had gone around boasting about how she was a major factor in her (my friend) getting her promotion and regretted taking her help.

My only reply to her was why? are you to big to ask for and receive help? To which she replied No. I then asked her whether the assistance she received was beneficial to her? To which she replied Yes. Her tone immediately changed and she calmed down when she realised she was the winner in the end!

Nugget for the day; Never get upset when people boast about helping you. You are never to big to ask  for or receive help. Keep your eyes on the prize and stay focused. Ask yourself, was the help i receive beneficial? If yes, keep calm and move forward!

Shake It Off!- Monday's Ramblings

An opinion is a view or judgement formed about something not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

The older I become the better I get in differentiating an opinion from truth. As i wrote in one of my previous posts, people will always try to tell you the right way to live your life, as if they were you. I am learning to take on positive opinions, evaluate them and see if there is any truth in it and if there is not, throw it out!

Fact is when someone says they have a problem with the way you do things, you must recognise they are the ones with a problem. The problem is not yours! You have a choice to assist or decline help in solving their problem. In so far as whatever and however you are doing what you are doing does not affect anyone negatively, their sleepless nights should not be your problem.

Always evaluate yourself; If you believe they are right, then improve- Constructive criticism is good. However if after evaluating yourself you are confident you are doing what is right for you. The please let their opinion be their opinion. Leave it at that!

.R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

We all need to learn a little more about respecting each other. We the 7 billion inhabitants of our planet, earth. We are all born human but as we grow up we learn social differentiation made by men like us which has its benefits and disadvantages.

A social group believing and teaching its members they are better than another is the major disadvantage of social differentiation; A certain race, religious group or social economic class believes they are superior. They start to believe it is their duty to ensure everyone else becomes like them, or should learn to do everything the way they do.

The inability to accept and respect our differences is one of the greatest problems of humanity. We do not all have to see things the same way, we do not all have to share the same beliefs about our human existence, we do not all have to run our countries the same way either however we must respect human rights.

We must all find ourselves in our life journey and learn to love who we find. We must all learn to respect each others beliefs even if they are not what we like!

In so far as you are not trying to shove your belief on me, I am at peace with you. I respect your views and your right to hold them even if they are different from mines. We must all realize we are all on our own journeys and Respect that!

Before you are white, black, asian, muslim bhuddist, christian or gay. Remember you are part of the human race! we are more similar than you think.

100 Years of Beauty: Marshay

Cut.com have released a video showing how women with natural hair have styled their hair every decade since 1910.

Watch and be inspired!

Beautiful Mahogany. Black Pride.

I awakened to Black Pride in 2011. Before then I saw almost everything 'white' as superior. I lost much of my hair to a bad perm job and decided to cut it all and not relax it till it grows out a little.

To cope with my difficult black hair I turned to youtube.com to find videos to inspire me. There I encountered the Natural Hair Movement. It is 2015 and my hair is still all natural.

I have to confess black hair is hard to maintain, I am tempted so many times to perm my hair but whenever I look in the mirror I see so much beauty in its coarse unruly nature over and over again. So I postpone it.

Let me clarify; I don't rock my hair natural because of 'an anti-white hair movement' (Please wear whatever hair makes you comfortable). No No, I rock it cause it is 'richly' beautiful! It is my essence, My skin shines like beautiful mahogany underneath my crown of natural tight curls. I look in the mirror and embrace myself.

Daily, black people all over the world are redefining what it means to be black. We are becoming more and more educated. We are re-awakening to black pride! If you are reading this and you are black you are the dream and hope of the slave, you therefore owe it to every soul that died in slavery to beat and rise above the negative expectations of others.

A simple way to do this is to always 'choose the straight way', because it is the right thing to do, yes but most especially because you are black! So many slaves dreamed of the future and freedom you are living now. Just imagine what they would have done if they had an inch of the opportunities you possess?

This quote from Dr. Maya Angelou; 'I am the dream and hope of the slave' is always floating around somewhere in my head. The struggle of the slave must never be in vain. It inspires me to make the slave proud wherever I am on this earth!

If your black and reading this.. so must you...

Golden Globes 2015 Red Carpet Favorites!

She took a risk and pulled it off! I love Emma Stone in this monochrome Lavin Pant Suit. She has kept accessorizing simple which puts all focus on the suit, this was a good choice as the side bow is accessory enough. The pockets on the pant suit also give the outfit attitude. Bravo! Emma Stone.

I mean who on this planet does not love Felicity Jones! The structure of this Dior Haute Couture suits her petite frame and the color her skin tone perfectly. Although I think she should have done something more exciting with her hair, perhaps a side sweep? I however see how that would have covered the beautiful collar! Again very minimal accessories. Clean lines! Clean lines! Clean lines!

I confess I am addicted to clean lines. Everyone's favorite inmate Taylor Schilling was resplendent in Ralph Lauren! Same up do hair-do and minimal accessories!

Kate Hudson was the red carpet's ice queen in this White Atelier Versace peice. Love the silver and white mix and her body in that dress is amazing! Same hair-do and accessory trend continued here.

My not so favorite for the Golden Globes 2015 would be my chief Gladiator Kerry Washington!

The shape of this outfit does not fit Ms. Olivia Pope. I mean she looks better on her nights out in Scandal which causes me to wonder why she did not enlist the services of her on-screen stylists? The outfit makes her look a little like a lady bug. She look a lot shorter, and as much as I love clean lines, I think this is a little to hard on the eyes!

Self Discovery!

Life is what we make of it. It is a journey with good and bad experiences, laughter and tears. We are all born different with unique capabilities, and this is what makes the world beautiful. The problem however is somewhere down the line we start to conform to other people's standards.

Growing up people tell us who we should be and the type of behavior that is expected of us. Yes we needed some of these teachings and they have enabled us function as better people in life, but to a great extent some of these teachings have clipped our wings and caused a lot of us to loose ourselves.

'Be more girly, why do you climb trees?' 'Boys don't cry'  'Why are you not friends with so and so?' 'That is so not cool' 'This is what is in fashion  now' ' 'This is the way to dress and speak'... We listened/listen to these voices and we start to change who we are to fit in, be more acceptable, and make other people more comfortable.

Like the quote above which i found somewhere on the internet culled from one of my most favorite authors book: 'Manuscript Found In Accra' we forget our uniqueness just like the sun and become the pool of water reflecting it.

The only way to LIVE is to discover and be yourself. Life is just way to short to be a pool of water! Shine bright like the sun. Dig deep within and embrace who you are! Always rediscover yourself, the world is constantly trying to define who you are. Take time out to be one with nature.

So far as being who you are does not damage your fellow man. Be free, spread your wings and fly in 2015!

Don't let your soul fade..

A.