For Us, By Us: 6 Black Owned Small Businesses To Support This Month

Happy Blackity Black, Black History Month y’all!
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Since we live in a country that thrives on capitalism, what better way to spend our coin then by supporting those who look like us. Often times, due to pricing or lack of exposure, Black Owned businesses (especially Small BO businesses) often get overlooked. Well, I’m here to tell you that this stops now! As we prepare to wrap up BHM, I wanted to share some small businesses worth looking into.

Continue reading “For Us, By Us: 6 Black Owned Small Businesses To Support This Month”

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Spotlight Tuesdays Presents: The Messenger

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mes·sen·ger
/ˈmes(ə)njər/
noun
  1. a person who carries a message or is employed to carry messages. 

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 ; 20. So we are messengers for Christ. God is using us to call people. So we are standing here for Christ and begging people, ‘Come back to God!” 

My Godsis, TuNai is about kingdom business! She’s not only a source of inspiration for me, but she is a prayer closet advocate and Christian Blogger. She is a powerhouse in her own right and is all about Faith, Inspiration, and Transformation. Here’s her story: Continue reading “Spotlight Tuesdays Presents: The Messenger”

5 Benefits of Journaling

5 Benefits of Journaling

Who remembers when they kept a diary?

It was most likely pink or blue donned with a cute design, stickers, and gel pens were used for added effect.

Dear Diary, was the classic opener.

A book filled with love letters to the cute boy in class, days when you’re mad because your Mom said you couldn’t go outside to play with your friends, or even better, you wrote a full fledge three pages venting about the argument you had with your bestie on the playground.

Little did you know, your diary would quickly become your refuge, a place to escape.

Living in this digital age, most would say that journaling is outdated, gender specific (for girls/women only, most specifically tweens), and just all around a waste of time.

I’m here to dispel the myth and tell you that:

Journaling is for any and everyone who enjoys writing.
Journaling is for self-expression.
Journaling or “expressive writing” is therapeutic and is one of the most beneficial kinds of writing.
Continue reading “5 Benefits of Journaling”

8 Creative Women You Need To Follow

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In Honor of Black HERstory month, I’m highlighting the women in my life who inspire me daily, who keep me on my toes, who pray for me, and ultimately are on the quest to make an impact in this world.

  1. Jacquelyn of Genuinely Jacq

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She’s a PR Maven on the rise that keeps it real at all times! She creates amazing and organic content while looking classy and stylish too. What I love most about her content is that she is genuine through and through. She caters to the “Good Girl” in us all, as she debunks the stigma of Good Girl/Good Woman portrayed in media and every day life. She reminds you that it’s okay to strut to the beat of your own drum!

  1. Rosie of @Roseavore

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She’s the ultimate Boss Babe. She wears many hats, from writing poetry, to painting beautiful portraits, to community activism, to modeling, to her healing hands in massage therapy – Rosie effortlessly executes whatever she puts her mind to. What I love most about her content is that it’s edgy, screams the message of body positivity, and is informative. As she spearheads her nonprofit, the Compton Artist Alliance, she urges you to tap into your creative and intellectual genius. Continue reading “8 Creative Women You Need To Follow”

Panic or Plan: Time Management Edition

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When it comes to Time Management, the first thing you must figure out is your method in terms of dealing with time. This cannot be anyone else’s method, but yours. Therefore, you have to be brutally honest with yourself.

  1. Are you a planner?
  2. Are you a procrastinator?
  3. Do you work best under pressure?
  4. How about A & B.
  5. All of the Above, Girl.

Personally, I am a planner. I’m that girl that uses a planner, phone calendar, wall calendar, and a written to-do list. It’s my NORMAL. Without proper planning, I can’t function.

Now that you have selected your answer, I can provide you with some tips.

For The Planner In You

 

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As a planner, it’s simple – Utilize your planner to the fullest. By now you should already know how to log daily tasks, appointments, meetings, dates, etc.

Step 1: Be sure to set aside time to log in tasks at the beginning of the month/week, on all platforms (i.e. Handheld Planner, Wall Calendar, and Phone)

Step 2: Color Coat or Highlight Categories (i.e. Blue for Work Life, Orange for Home Life, Red for Appointments, Green for Wellness, and Pink for Outings/Family/Miscellaneous)

Step 3: After a Completed Task – Mark Through w/ Black Pen

Step 4: Have Fun! Get creative. You can doodle in your planner, draw, add stickers – make it your own! Continue reading “Panic or Plan: Time Management Edition”

Trusting The Journey

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Have you ever had a burning desire in your heart? No matter how hard you tried to ignore it, the gut wrenching feeling wouldn’t leave.

I believe we all have.

I’ve been writing ever since I could remember. From writing daily in my journal at the tender age of 8, to writing short stories, haikus, and poems in middle school, to creating even more elaborate stories that would circulate through classrooms in high school and eventually landed on fan fiction websites, to journaling in high school and beyond, to keeping numerous blogs in my early 20s – writing is my solace. It’s the easiest way for me to communicate my feelings, when I can’t utter the words aloud. It’s my creative outlet.

This blogging journey hasn’t been easy to say the least. I was doing extremely well with being consistent during my recovery from my fifth and final open-heart surgery. It was the spring of 2015 when I launched my blog Thee Heart of The Matter. Back then I didn’t feel the exact pressures that I feel now. Though I was aware of having an audience, gaining followers, and maintaining engagement with my audience … it wasn’t my main concern. Continue reading “Trusting The Journey”