#BeSureSundays- Don't Be Jealous

Earlier this week I briefly mentioned jealousy is a disease. It sounds weird but let me break it down for you. According to Merriam-Webster a disease is:

• a condition that prevents the body or mind from working normally and is typically manifested by distinguishing signs and symptoms
• a harmful development
• a problem that a person, group, organization, or society has and cannot stop

Jealousy prevents us from being our authentic selves because we are concentrated on the possessions of those around us. It is detrimental to our growth and cannot be stopped. Diseases can be stopped since there are cures and medications for them, but jealousy is a special type that I believe cannot be fully eradicated. Even on an individual level, regardless of how "sure" you are with yourself, there is always an ounce of jealousy hiding somewhere. You can stay in denial if you want but if you can't be genuinely happy for someone's success then that is a sign of the green-eyed monster. The craziest part is you might not even want what they have!

This Fearless Family will do our best to put that heart of envy to the side. If we stay on our grind and focused on our paths to success, we won't have time to be jealous. Always remember, the grass is greener on the side you water.

Do you think it is possible to live a jealous free life? Why do we become victims of jealousy? How can we stop being jealous?

#BeSureSundays - Fall in Love

Christmas has passed and it is time to ring in the new year! As stated in my last post, this season is for rebirth. Many people take this literally and promote strongly a, "New Year, New Me" attitude. However, my motto for the year is "Fall in Love With Yourself." Instead of trying to create a whole new "(Insert Your Name Here)", how about just loving yourself? Yes, none of us are where we want to be in life but SO WHAT? That is the point of living, we constantly evolve!

For the new year join me in loving and celebrating ourselves! Let me define what loving yourself consists of-- expressing more gratitude, having faith in your abilities, rewarding yourself after a victory even if it is small, finding at least one positive in every "negative" situation, laughing more, eating healthy,  exercising, and most importantly being FREE!

The last call to action, "being FREE" was inspired by a YouTuber, Charmaine (@MissCharmsie). I agree with her 100% that all my life I've dealt with freedom to be myself unapologetically. Fear is ultimately the reason preventing most of us from being free, that is why I started this blog and my journey to not dying afraid. So when I heard about her campaign #FreeYourMind2015 , I knew I wanted to be a part of it.

I hope you, my fearless family decides to join me in this journey!

Do you have a theme for this year? How are you celebrating the new year? What are some other ways to love yourself?

#BeSureSundays- What Love Leaves

There are only 11 days left until Christmas, the most joyous season of the year. Family, love, gifts, celebrations, travel, cookies, laughter, and tradition are the first things that come to mind when I think of Christmas. However, this time usually signifies the hardest time for individuals grieving the loss of a loved one. Whether you lost the person recently or years ago, it is nearly impossible to not miss them during the holidays. Yesterday, I found out my Granny Phil passed away. Death has never been a concept I can easily grasp. I literally just saw her three weeks ago for Thanksgiving and now I have to accept that I'll never see her again? That's bizarre to me and I don't know how long it will take me to accept. I couldn't help but think about the families of all the young black men who have been killed in the past couple of years that we are marching/protesting for. At this time, not only do I pray that our (Black) lives will matter to ALL people but I also ask God to send their families peace of mind during this Christmas season. Even though their futures were stolen for no reason, I pray that their loved ones realize that NO ONE can steal the love and memories they shared.

My old suite-mate Chloe just lost her mother, so I send this prayer to her and to all of you remembering a loved one that is no longer with you this season. We are a fearless family and will get through this tough time. *HUGS*

#BeSureSundays- Gratitude

As you have read in my previous post, gratitude is HUGE to me! Since Thanksgiving is coming up, I thought it would be perfect to touch on the subject again for our #BeSureSundays. Sunday nights are the perfect time to reflect on what you are thankful for to get you on a positive path for the week ahead. I am grateful tonight for my two friends Dani and Alaysia who were my first posts for my social media campaign #BeSureSundays. Blogging is rough when you feel like nobody is reading. But when you make a hashtag and actually see posts in it besides your own, it is the best feeling ever!

Secondly, I am thankful for Mr. Fearless who has helped me come up with quotes for #BeSureSundays, choose photos, and the design! He truly is my biggest supporter <3

Introducing #BeSureSundays

Sundays nights can be rough! It is the most hated day of the weekend. You can't sleep in late because of errands/church and you can't stay up all night because of work/school. So yeah Sundays are mood killers and a reality slap telling you that soon you'll be waking up to Monday Morning Blues (unless it is a long weekend which we love). But what if we changed our attitudes towards Sunday nights and Monday mornings? On Sundays relax & unwind- catch up on your favorite shows, read a book, drink some wine, take a bath surrounded by candles, read Don't Die Afraid, watch football, cook a hearty meal, go horse back riding, exercise....really do anything that brings you happiness. If your Sunday is spent focusing on joy then you will be ready to conquer all the shenanigans you might face that week.

A lot of this anxiety about the weekend being over comes from us not being sure of ourselves. We aren't sure we can deal with the bullcrap we might endure for the week. BUT WE CAN! WE CAN DO IT ALL because we aren't dying afraid, we are a fearless family!

So with that mindset, I came up with the idea of #BeSureSundays. On Sundays, let's focus on seizing the last ounce of the weekend by doing things that makes us smile. Use the hashtag #BeSureSundays to post pictures or tweets about what you are doing that Sunday to be fulfilled, sure of yourself, and ready to conquer the week ahead! I'll also post an inspirational quote, that will be used to get us through the week.

As for Monday mornings, let's remember to be grateful for another day of life.

What do you do on Sundays to prepare for the week?

What is your favorite day of the week?

With Gratitude

So I realized I get bothered by certain people. However, it isn't just any type of person...so don't go writing me off as being hostile towards the world. It takes a particular individual to make me mad. Want to guess what type of person it is? If you said "an ungrateful person" then DING, DING, DING you are correct! I was raised by my Nana who was 72 when I was born. So yes I know you females out there are saying, "I need to have my first child by 30!" Well imagine being 72 and having one. Exactly! It wasn't the easiest task especially with a husband who previously had a stroke and was paralyzed on one side. Yes, I know my Nana is amazing! 

I was secretly jealous of my classmates who were being raised by their parents. I always longed for family road trips, having my dad intimidate any guy who came to the house, cooking in the kitchen with my mom, and yelling at annoying siblings. You know, that whole idealistic "nuclear family" that we all have seen in popular TV shows. My Nana has always instilled in me gratitude because despite all the obstacles we had, God made a way for us. Over time I became more thankful to have her as a caregiver because who knows where I would have ended up.

Years later I continue to have a spirit of gratitude. I try my best to express to others how much I appreciate them. I always keep some stacks of thank you cards so whenever the moment arises I can send it to someone who has been a blessing to me. These Green Inspired cards below are exclusively sold at Target. I love the detailing on the envelope, the front design, and that it is green inspired (chlorine free and use soy ink). It doesn't get any better than that!

I read an article years ago about how people who exhibit appreciation for the little things in life are happier. I am a living testament that it's true! Don't get me wrong, I have my days of sulking and saying...."Ughhh not another problem...why me?...*insert other complaints here*.." But my new attitude has become, "Why focus on the negative and crap you can't change? All it does is create negative energy and nobody has time for that!Every night I exercise gratitude by writing on a post-it what I am thankful for that day. I just throw them in this tin can and in a year I plan on opening them and reliving all those happy moments. I suggest this activity for you if you feel stressed or find it hard to see the silver lining in life. It forces you to think about the highlight of your day, which can be really encouraging after a rough day. These notes can be some of the simplest like, "I'm grateful for the stranger I saw on the train who smiled back at me." Try it out for a month and let me know how it impacts your life!

What activities do you practice to stay positive?

Who taught you gratitude?