Life

15 Sep 2009

Habits

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit” -Aristotle

Some time in June I was at church and heard a sermon on HABITS…Whether positive or negative everyone has habits.

Good Habits are formed and Bad Habits you fall into! You choose your habits so develop winning habits. Here is a list of winning habits that should be practiced daily.

Daily Habits

1. Prayer (if this goes along with your beliefs)

2. Learning-become life long students.

3. Kindness

4. Exercise

5. Healthy Eating

6. Express your love

7. Expressing grattitude

8. Being prompt

9. Healthy relationships NOW (Needs Over Wants)

10. Saving and Investing More Wisely

I say on a daily basis I probably practice 7/10…I’m working on that healthy eating thing lol So Ladies (and gents) lets practice these GOOD daily habits!

Categories: HGB Go Getter Tags: Lessons, Life

15 Sep 2009

Whitney Houston on The Oprah Winfrey Show

By Jai Leave a Comment

Yesterday was the season premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show and it was the first of a two-part interview with singer Whitney Houston. Whitney got real with Oprah and spoke in depth about her addiction and the turning point in her life. She says that after she filmed the movie “The Bodyguard” she began using drugs regularly or “heavy” as she puts it. She revealed things about her marriage to Bobby Bron “He was my drug,” Houston told Winfrey. “I didn’t do anything without him. I wasn’t getting high by myself. It was me and him together. We were partners.” She also spoke about the control Bobby had over her and her family as “The husband” and “The father” She felt it was refreshing.

I am very proud of Whitney. Her story is the story of many women and hopefully now they can see how she has transformed her life. According to MSNBC Whitney stated, “I had so much money and so much access to what I wanted. I didn’t think about the singing part anymore. I was looking for my young womanhood.” Its sad that a lot of young women lack the guidance and support necessary to develop into productive young women. Yes, the music industry is full of sex, money, drugs, and lies, but you do not have to succumb to any of those vices. Ultimately, it is our decision on how our life turns out, but with proper guidance and positive influences we have a better chance of succeeding. Whitney was in search of her young womanhood, but turned to drugs which only provides temporary pleasure and satisfaction. Eventually, your high will fade and you, in search of that perfect moment, that perfect feeling, begin your addiction and your downward spiral. At a point in time we need to take responsibility for our actions, which I believe Whitney is doing. She has finally made the decision to break the habit and remove the people associated with that bad habit out of her life. Yes she was the peak of her career when everything came crashing down, but she is trying to redeem herself. Although I was never personally affected by addictions ,I know how they can breakup families, relationships, friendships and even a person’s life based on my interactions with others. It takes a strong person to admit when he/she is wrong and in need of help. I’m glad Whitney saw that she wasn’t only hurting her fans and her family, but she was hurting herself and did something to change that.

Part 2. airs today at 4pm.

Categories: HGB Exclusive Tags: Lessons, Life

08 Sep 2009

Pack Light

By Jai

Bag Lady

I saw this photo of Eryka Badu and immediately thought of one of my all time favor songs “Bag Lady.” When the video first came out I was unaware of why she chose to have all of the women dressed in different colors until my freshman year in college. The concept of the video is from a play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” written by Ntozake Shange. The play is a series of poems of African-Women who all face many problems from employment, parenting, education, respect, self-image, financial status, relationships and so forth that cause insecurities and other problems in their lives. I actually had to play the Lady in Blue and recite one of the poems. As women ( not pertaining to any color) we tend to carry these heavy burdens (bags) with us through out life and often times miss out on many of the opportunities presented to us. We let our insecurities overtake our lives and end up living a life of despair. These insecurities can deal with our physical appearance, relationships, education, financial status, etc. We try so hard to find a quick way to “fix the problem” and heal the wound but in all reality we are just covering up that wound with a band-aid. Band-aids don’t heal, the temporarily protect and so we are going to have to face those same problems we “thought” we fixed again.

Instead of dwelling on what’s wrong, we need to focus on what is right. In this day and age we are so impatient we want quick results without doing the work. No you cannot lose 20lbs in 1 week and keep the weight off, no you cannot use cream that will make your breast grow (Rudy from the Cosby Show) and no you cannot make him leave his wife for you! Because we do not get the desired results quick enough, we have this extra baggage: doubt, insecurity, hopelessness. We need to “pack light” literally and once we learn how to be patient and work hard for the things we want, we will see change. All of that extra baggage causes bags, now you have to wear more make up, break outs now you have to pay to see a dermatologist, weight gain, now its going to be harder to lose the weight, hair loss now we have to rock a wig, loss of appetite, now our clothes don’t fit so we have to spend money that we don’t have to for a new wardrobe. You worrying about what’s wrong is making the situation worse, so my advice to you is to

1.Pray (or any other spiritual exercise depending on your beliefs)

2. Be patient (Good things comes to those who wait)

3. Don’t worry about things that you don’t have control over (sometimes you have to realize that you can’t change the situation)

4. Work hard at changing the things that you can (weight loss)

5. Stay motivated

6. Have a positive attitude

7. Be thankful for what you do have.

I hope this posts helps someone and if you get a chance please read “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” by Notzake Shange

Bag Lady- Eryka Badu

Categories: HGB Go Getter Tags: Life

01 Sep 2009

Successful? I Suppose

By Jai Leave a Comment

This song has been out for a VERY LONG time now, but I have yet to get tired of it. The message that Drake and Trey are conveying is something that many people have difficulty understanding.

I want the money, money and the cars, cars and the clothes, h**s, I SUPPOSE I just want to be, I just want to be successful.

Success isn’t equated with material things. Those are luxuries that you have to show after you have attained a CERTAIN type of success. You can be successful at baking a cake, learning to ride a bike, or even uploading a picture on facebook (upload successful). Success is defined as having attained wealth, honors, positions or the like. One thing that I learned in church is that TRUE WEALTH IS PORTABLE-If you lost all everything you’ve ever owned or valued would you be able to get it back? I know I would because I have the only true wealth which is KNOWLEDGE I can relocate to any city or country in the world and become successful because of what I have learned through my experiences at home, in school, in church, and even in the streets. I can go to France and live on the farm and use my knowledge to work towards becoming successful. If I moved to France with a Benz, that doesn’t shoe anything. Many people perpetrate and live beyond their means. Their OUTCOME is more than their INCOME. Your material items show that you get fly, but that’s it. So the keyword in this song is SUPPOSE I suppose those things are nice, but that’s not what equals success. Lets not be controlled by money and our possessions, but lets control our possessions and money by becoming successful and making wise choices. With that being said….ENJOY THE VIDEO.