#BeSureSundays- Tribute to M.L.K. 2015

Since Martin Luther King Jr. Day is upon us, I thought it would be perfect to use one of his quotes for our #BeSureSundays.

Sometimes we feel inadequate and as if we can't make an impact in this world. I know that is a normal feeling, but we shouldn't let it prevent us from trying. If every "great person" had that mentality, imagine where our society would be. Would we have complex highway systems (they amaze me), the internet, Wii gaming systems, x-rays, or airplanes? Probably NOT!

I wouldn't even have this blog if I believed I couldn't make an impact. When those doubts start to cloud your thought process, remember our lesson for today, "If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” Even if you think what you are doing is insignificant, do it to the best of your ability. You will never know your impact until you put yourself out there and just do the damn thing. As a wise woman once said, "Don't Die Afraid!"

What are some small things you are doing in a great way? What keeps you motivated to do those things?

#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- Don't Ever Give Up

Welcome to 2015! First of all if you are reading this, I am grateful for you! I started Don't Die Afraid this year and it continues to evolve thanks to loyal readers like yourself. Thank you for your unwavering support and we hope you remain an integral part of the Fearless Family for years to come!

Now back to the regularly scheduled post which is about perseverance . Today, we lost Stuart Scott, a legendary ESPN sports anchor. I don't usually follow sports, nor do I watch ESPN (unless Mr. Fearless has it on). However, when he shared the news with me I was sad for him because he really admired Scott and obviously felt sympathy for the Scott family. I just experienced the loss of my grandmother, so those feelings are way too fresh for me. However, as I quickly learned about Scott's legacy through the touching tributes and heartfelt memories shared by his colleagues, I received an understanding for how genuine he was.

Then I learned some history about the Jimmy V Perseverance Award which Scott received just a few months ago.  Jimmy Valvano was a legendary college basketball coach who also battled with cancer. In 1993, he made a powerful acceptance speech for the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award introducing, "The V Foundation" which was co-founded with ESPN in the hope to cure cancer. The motto of the organization is "Don't give up, don't ever give up."

I thought this message would be perfect to share for our #BeSureSundays because both men embodied the mantra of "Don't Die Afraid" by living each moment fearlessly, even during the toughest times of their lives. My condolences to Stuart Scott's loved ones. Let his life and Jimmy Valvano's encourage us to fight through every obstacle.

You can donate to The V Foundation in honor of Stuart Scott.

Are you an admirer of Stuart Scott? If so leave a comment about your favorite memory of him. If you are a sports fan, who are some of your favorite sportscasters?

#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- Rebirth

Christmas is this week! Yay!!!! I absolutely LOVE Christmas! The music, decorations, gift giving, joyful spirits, food, activities, gatherings, sweaters, scented candles...literally anything that has to do with the season, I am all for it! Christmas signifies the birth of Jesus and usually we associate New Year's Day with the "rebirth" of ourselves. People make New Year's Resolutions and claim that the new year will be better than the last. Some individuals like to broadcast their goals so others can hold them accountable. I'm already seeing posts on social media outlets about people wanting to improve for the new year. My only question to those individuals is, do you really keep the same momentum for these goals throughout the full course of the 12 months? Or is this excitement over by the 1st of February?

I am not one who shares my goals publicly because I am not looking for the approval of others. I AM my biggest critic so I don't need anyone to hold me accountable. I don't want to depend on outside forces to check me when I am not living up to the standards I have set for myself. I have a small collection of mentors who I approach for advice, but they are the only group I trust with the responsibility of having a large hand in my growth. I don't expect everyone to agree with my mentality and that is fine because we have different paths.

So my suggestion to all you fearless people out there is instead of just looking at New Year's Day as this time of rebirth, use the whole Christmas season!

1. Relax-  the days you have off work/school just have "me time"--do those mindless things you are always too busy to do...that can include watching your favorite sports game, playing games, leisure reading, or a Netflix binge 2. Recharge- pamper yourself 3. Renew- make a list of improvements you want to work on in the new year and set dates to have them done by 4. Restored- throughout the year rebuild your plan as you find necessary, always keep your goals fresh

Do you make New Year's resolutions? Do you set goals throughout the year for personal development? If so, how do you evaluate yourself? What is your favorite step in this 4 step process?

#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- Snooze Button

So today Mr. Fearless and I went to church and the sermon was about Advent being the start of the Christmas season. This period was compared to a wake up call because it is the time to prepare for the coming of Christ-- salvation, hope, and the gift that comes from improving ourselves. The difference between an alarm clock and a spiritual wake up call, is that we can easily hit the snooze button on an alarm clock but a wake up call is inevitable. Most of the time we can envision our dreams, but we fear taking the next step to actually making them real. Fear of failure, not making enough money, not having enough followers, and not wanting to venture into the land of unknown possibilities...

So this week's #BeSureSundays message is to stop pressing that snooze button of fear. 2015 is coming and we need to be ready and sure of ourselves. Get up and do the damn thang! Achieve that greatness, Don't Die Afraid!

#BeSureSundays-Others' Success

It's Sunday! Hopefully this has become one of your new favorite days because of #BeSureSundays ! I was home for Thanksgiving so I decided to rummage through my collection of recorded shows I saved before moving. I cuddled under the covers and watched Oprah Prime- Kevin Hart. I love learning about individual's journeys. I NEVER know the latest news in pop culture or any facts about celebrities. So I will invest time into learning about certain stars I admire. After hearing about a person's humble beginnings, I always gain a new found respect for them.

Of course I've seen Kevin Hart in action from his humor on social media, stand-up shows, and movies. Talk about a man on his grind! One time I went to see a movie starring Kevin Hart and he was also in three of the movies that I saw in the previews! How is that even possible? Then in his interview with Oprah he told her that he frequently schedules about three days to return to his family. Balance is key! He's making all these moves and still keeps his children a main priority. I commend him!

During the interview I learned about his mother's cancer, father's drug addiction, shoes salesmanship, introduction to comedy, how important reading The Bible is, and how he keeps his children grounded. There are so many quotes I could have pulled between his and Oprah's advice but one automatically resonated with me: "My drive is other people's success."

Kevin said this when Oprah asked him what sets him apart from other comedians who have talent but failed at becoming as large as he is. Frequently we hear people say: don't focus on other people, worry about yourself, stop comparing yourselves to others, don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle.....and the list goes onnnnn and onnnnn and onnnnnn.

I believe these sayings and feel they each have their own value to prevent us from being jealous of others' talents. However, Kevin Hart's mindset places a twist on it. He thinks we should study people who are greater than us in order to learn from their mistakes and accomplishments. Place all your self doubt to the side and start building your empire! There is an abundance of knowledge to be learned from dissecting others' success and if we want to be great we better get on it!

#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

#BeSureSundays- Be Bold

With winter weather basically here, we tend to only see the naked branches and overcast. I chose this photo that I took over the summer of this bed of flowers, to remind us of all the beauty we can find in nature.

For this installment of #BeSureSundays, our message for the week is to BE BOLD! This time of the year is stressful for students like myself finishing up final projects and in general for individuals trying to finish the year strong.

Don't let this cold weather suck the life out of us, wear some bold colors, speak up when you feel the urge, and do something daring! Use the hashtag #BeSureSundays to post pictures or tweets about what you are doing today to be sure of yourself, and prepare to conquer the week ahead!