Reality Check- Unemployed? How You Can Live on Less

In today's society we as urban women have to take time to plan. With the ever changing times we cannot allow ourselves to get trapped in the down spiral of the economy. We have a lot to be grateful for. In REALITY can help ourselves remain positive. The most important net-worth we have is to put our full faith in our spiritual relationship with our creator.

Here are some helpful tips:
Be wise shoppers
Think about it before you buy it
Be resourceful using savings and coupons
Develop a budget

To inspire my sisters to express themselves visit http://ping.fm/hCzUf

Reality Check - Natural Hair

I have been growing my hair naturally for almost 11 months. Natural hair for me is the process of weening my hair from perms and other chemicals that may be damaging for the natural hair. I have tried to go natural so many times. I finally reached the REALITY of naturalness by putting forth the effort and learn how to develop this process with ease. It is definitely a lifestyle change.
You have to take care of your body so it can produce healthy natural oils. The oil helps to keep moisture in to your skin and scalp. The natural oils help your hair and prevents your pores from being clogged or bogged down with processed oils. I now take a strong vitamin to promote health and supplements that I don't get through my daily diet. Nuts and any type of peanut oil is good for the hair. I also have to use a deep conditioning treatment twice monthly which softens the hair and provides strength. In a couple of weeks I will provide you all with a picture of me and my natural hair.

Lifes Embracing Reality

Life brings many challenges. How difficult it must be to go through life never having embraced any ounce of it. I know it has been a while since I have posted my thoughts on my blog. I have been so busy embracing life. At a very young age I was very fortunate to have learned the value of catching hold to a real foundation. Earlier this year I lost a close friend unexpectedly to a violent death. Her death taught me never to forget to embrace life once or twice leaving a deep impression. She was very young with opportunities awaiting her. Whether she had embraced life or not I will never no the REALITY. I also recently lost my brother-in-law but his death affected me differently. I have actually seen him embrace life and leave a lasting impression. So many different individuals spoke about him in a profound way. He led a life similar to beautiful green foliage sprouting triumphantly through a tattered wire fence.

Back To Reality

Okay, I cannot believe that I have not been blogging in a couple of months. I have been very, very, very busy! Last year I wouldn't have imagined that I would be so busy. I have been making serious decisions about my company. Entrepreneurship can be fun, but challenging at the same time. I have also been so busy that someone called me and brought to my attention that I have been nominated for an award, which the show takes place in February 2009. So I had to drop almost everything and rally up my votes. School is a real killer for me right now. Even though I am taking my exams, I am so burnt out. I cannot wait to get out. I am so looking forward to my holiday vacation! I am going to be out of state for seven whole days. I'm going to find me several good books to read, eat like it is my last meal and relax the whole time. Then I will shortly be back to REALITY!

The Simple Reality of Joy

Joy can be defined as the emotion of great happiness. The emotion that is evoked by well-being, success, good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. Joy really determines what sort of person we are. This simple emotion has the power to change our whole life course. We do well to ask ourself these questions:
*What motivates me?
*When do I feel my best?
*How does accomplishment and success make me feel?
*I am a better person when?
*When I smile, what is the reason behind it?
The answers are all one simple emotion, JOY. In REALITY, we are not always down and out. Something in us evokes the emotion of joy. After reading this post, take the time to think about this post. I challenge you to find joy in something through the course of your day. Post a comment and share it with the rest of the readers.

Reality Check- Pictures Are Worth A Thousand Words!

As black women where do we fit into the picture? In REALITY we must ask ourselves where do we fit into society? Have we learned strong social skills to remain in societies race? Or are we just too fast and everyone has to catch up? (cute picture!)

Reality Check- Case of the Mondays?

Well I really can't go into detail about my day but I can tell you that I inspired my own self today. I could not help but laugh when I was caught up in the moment. My day started as usual, early rise supposedly at 3:00am to trick my body into getting more sleep. I actually get started at 5:00am but my body decided to rise at 4:54am so I had to get up! My morning job had a few curve balls for me to deal with before 8:00am. Got to my 9:00am class and I forgot to study for my test. (oops!) Not seriously stressing out I redeemed myself by doing some extra work, so I was feeling better by then. I received a visitor mid-day and they talked so much. They were talking very monotone so they pretty much drew all the life out of me. I felt like I went from flesh-n-blood to a corpse. I was lifeless! So I went to the bathroom to get my day back together again, it was barely noon. I went to the bathroom, combed my hair and smiled at myself in the mirror and could not help but laugh at myself. I was actually putting some self healing techniques into practice.
I went outside, couldn't help but notice how beautiful it was. So as I took my little 5 minute walk across campus REALITY hit me. Mondays are not so bad. It is a start of a new week. We should enjoy life everyday. Life is like a busy interstate, fast pace and ever moving. We have to keep up with the flow of traffic but sometime we tire out. We may have to pull over to the rest area (weekends!) to regain some strength. So the next Monday will be just a Monday!

Reality Check- Do I Feel Like a Pencil?

I recently read a bloggers post who was undoubtedly influenced by novelist Paulo Coelho. (search his bio in Wikipedia) Although I do not agree with his philosophy he had given an illustration of a pencil and how we are like pencils. If you've been reading my previous post you factually know that I am deeply influenced by my urban culture. I am going to put an urban twist to the illustration of a pencil.
Five ways we are like a pencil:
1. There is always a hand guiding a pencil. A pencil has the power to write anything, but without a hand guiding it along it is impossible and very difficult. We are capable of many things but we must never forget that there is a hand guiding our everyday steps.
2. Pencils grow dull and have to be sharpened. Imagine being shaved down, it must hurt. In the end the pencil is sharpened and produces a better and stronger print. We sometimes have to go through many painful things but in the end it makes us a better, stronger person.
3. Pencils come equipped with erasers to rub out any mistakes. Often times we have to correct many things we may have done wrong in our lives but the end result produces humbleness in us.
4. The most important part of the pencil is the graphite inside the pencil. It is not the wood or the color of the pencil. We have something valuable as well, our heart. The inner person we are strengthens and mold us. Beauty is skin deep, truthfully.
5. A pencil will always leave a mark. Whatever it is that we do in life we leave a mark. Whether it is a positive or a negative mark, we must remember impressions are very powerful. We have the ability to help or hurt someone. Be conscience of our mark.
Truthfully, we as a race never examine other things to comparatively better ourselves. We need to think outside the box and expand our thinking ability. We have such a strong spiritual connection but why not take take that same conviction and apply it to other elements in our lives. In REALITY can we compare ourselves to a pencil or is this just another good story we read with no thought behind it?

Black Women Harboring Reality - Empower Them

"Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean."- Dr. Maya Angelou


Often times we find ourselves fortunate to go through life unaffected and unharmed. For the millions who suffer it is a REALITY to harbor. What am I talking about? Black women who suffer. Well, as mentioned in previous blogs I've posted I am affected, nurtured and empowered by black women. I am especially empowered by the ones I encounter daily. Black women have the strongest impact on my life. Black women whom I admire, look up do, and practically are at awe with, who have shared with me their struggles and pain. When they share with me personal experiences it makes me more appreciative of my own life. I appreciate other people. We literally harbor our pain, hurt, sorrow, our REALITY. I will never forget one of my co-workers who always said that she never harbors any ill feelings against anyone because she is so happy to be free. When I asked her why, she explained to me that for so many years she was a prisoner in her own home. She was in an abusive marriage and only felt like a person when she went to work because people treated her with dignity and respect. I was devastated when she told me about her life, I was in disbelief because she was such a happy person. Sadly she is not here today, but she is the reason why I have a change of attitude. When Im at work now or even out and about I make it a point to smile and acknowledge other people. Why? Because I never know what that person is experiencing in their life, what REALITY they are harboring. I hope that I can heal some hurt with a smile...