Think it into existence!

Hello Darling,

“Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.”

-Michael Jordan

I am truly excited to share with you a concept that has had a big impact on my life. My mom always tells me “if you want to achieve something you have to think it into existence.  Don’t allow yourself to have negative thoughts because they will be apparent in your actions. Always think positive!”

I used to find myself thinking negatively about things such as my appearance and as a result I had low confidence/self-esteem. I had negative thoughts about my capabilities in school assuming that I would fail a test before I even had a chance to look at it and therefore I would not perform as good as I could have. During spring track my mind was set on the idea that I was the slowest runner in the whole group and that is exactly what I became.

Think about it, if you wake up in the morning and your initial thoughts are “oh my goodness, today is about to be a terrible Monday!” then you are going to go through your day looking for bad things to happen in order to prove your theory right. If this is your mindset then you will definitely succeed in having a horrible day.

When I finally took my mother’s advice I instantly noticed a change in the way I felt because I was genuinely happier. If I catch myself starting to think negative I use these tactics to stop those thoughts right in their tracks!

1.     I like to save inspirational quotes on my phone that I can look at.

2.     I listen to my favorite music to put me in a good mood.

3.     I sit there and force myself to laugh….and then I really start laughing at how silly I feel for forcing myself to laugh.

4.     I call my mom or my sister and have a nice conversation to take my mind off of negative thoughts.

5.     I look for the positives in the current situation and tell myself to be thankful.

I guarantee if you change your thought process to a more optimistic mindset you will feel like a new person. You will be happier, more confident and you’ll feel like you can accomplish anything!

“There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.”

-Booker T. Washington

And remember, ladies, Stay C.L.A.S.S.Y ;)

--Colissa Rachael Huggins 

Is jealousy holding you back?

Hello Darling,

My name is Admiria and I am truly excited to be a new member of the Stay C.L.A.S.S.Y Team.

Today I want to bring you a message that has really been hitting me in the head this month. Last week I began watching Oprah's Next Chapter: Black Women in Hollywood, which featured Gabrielle Union, Viola Davis, Phylicia Rashad, Alfre Woodard and of course Oprah Winfrey.

Gabrielle's response really touched me. Oprah asked Gabrielle what inspired her to write the speech that she gave at the Essence Pre-Oscar luncheon in February of 2013 Gabrielle then stated that she basically "hit rock bottom" after her divorce and some career setbacks. She then went on to state that with the help of her personal and mental trainer she realized that she needed to be honest with herself and start making much needed changes.  (Click here for Gabrielle's Scene) 


After watching that scene, I immediately went to find Gabrielle's entire Essence speech online. In her speech, she talked about how she used to love hearing that her sister actresses were failing. She wanted them to fail because she wanted to be better than them. She said she was never happy to see others succeed. However, after help from her trainer and having the chance to really look over her life she now loves seeing her sisters succeed. Now she feels that she is no longer a "mean girl".


 Her speech really touched me because I feel the exact same way!  I feel that I am at the point in my life where, like Gabrielle, I can honestly say that I’m truly happy to see others succeed. However, I wasn’t always this way. When my friend got a full ride scholarship to an amazing university, I remember feeling so jealous. I deserved a full ride right? See, in that situation I was only thinking about myself. Maybe my friend couldn't afford college and most of her money was from financial aid. Maybe she just did a lot better in school that me. I didn’t know and instead of feeling happy for my friend I chose to look at the negative and feel bad for myself. 


Many women are like the old Gabrielle and the old me. We bad talk people that we barely know. We secretly despise anyone that is doing better than us, whether it's having a better man, better clothes, or a higher grade. Also, we rarely ever find joy in seeing one of our sisters succeed. Yeah we might say “congratulations” but in our heads we’re like “man I would be so much better at that than her”.

I also recently heard Rev. Dr. Debyii Sababu Thomas, a preacher and motivational speaker, speak on the SAME subject (I told you it was hitting me over the head). In her speech, she stated that we as women need to be "sister stars". Meaning we need to come to together like stars in the night sky and reflect the beauty and light of our sisters. So in other words, we need to start lifting one another up and stop tearing each other down! We need to realize that when you lift someone up that you are in turn lifting yourself up and making yourself feel better! 


 No I’m not saying that you personally hate hearing success stories but I am just encouraging you to start noticing when you are tearing others down. Whether it’s you loathing that a friend of yours got an awesome scholarship or gossiping about someone you barely know. No, it won’t be easy but I promise it will be worth it!

So I challenge you today to go out and give one genuine compliment. If one of your sisters receives and internship at an amazing law firm tell her congratulations and that you are proud of her. If one of your sisters, who barely speaks in class, finally raises her hand and gives a great response tell her after class that you loved her point. Even if you see one of your sisters looking AMAZING tell her that she looks so pretty today.

So this is my challenge ONE COMPLIMENT! Is that so hard? No! So go do it and I promise you will feel better afterwards.

“Big Changes start with small Steps” - anonymous

And remember, ladies, Stay C.LA.S.S.Y ;)

--Admiria

Never chase money, Always chase happiness!

Hello Darling,

"Never chase money, Always chase happiness." 

-- Kenya Latrice Johnson

In the last year, my main focus has been to raise enough money to attend my dream school, Howard University. I was so set on going to Howard because I had finally discovered an institution that was created specifically for me. An institution that embodied all of my morals and my struggles, my strengths and my weaknesses. When I'm on Howard's campus, I'm not nervous or fearful... I feel right at home.

 In the beginning, I barely knew anything about scholarships and grants; and as time passed, it seemed like every school was offering me money except the one I wanted to attend! Finances were very low for me. 

The fact that I'm not a good test taker, of course didn't help either! I did not receive any of the freshmen scholarships, and,I couldn't help but begin to feel stressed and overwhelmed, my mom never created a college savings account for me, and I really did not know what to do!

All I knew is that I would not be satisfied knowing that I attended another school that I did not want to go to just because of finances! So, I took a risk.

Since patience is virtuous and I chose happiness over money, now with grants and outside scholarships, I'm able to attend college without loans. I even received a scholarship from my university that covered the remainder of my billable cost of attendance!

Because of this experience I am extremely passionate about helping people to know that they have to just be patient, continue to work hard, and stay faithful!! If you are meant to be somewhere in life something such as money will not stop you! 

Never Chase Money, Always Chase Happiness! What if I would have given up with getting money to my dream school? I surely wouldn't be as content as I am right now.
I chose happiness and the money followed! If you are interested in hearing more about how I received money to attend my dream school, please feel free to attend my webinar entitled Full Ride: How I Did It on August 6!

 

And remember, ladies, Stay C.L.A.S.S.Y ;)

--Kenya Latrice Johnson 

One of the newest members of Stay C.L.A.S.S.Y