Motivational Monday #4

Hey guys and gals, welcome back to another Motivation Monday, where I prove to you that mondays are awesome (as is every other day of the week, no "day of the week" discrimination here).

"Be happy not because everything is good, but because you can see the good side of everything. #optimism"

What a silly thing it is to think you’re no one’s ideal just because you aren’t someone’s. 

Someone is going to love you with a deep and meaningful kind of love.

You are not too much. 

You are not too emotional. 

You are not too unstable.

You are just right.

Short and sweet inspirational video:

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"Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow - Doug Firebaugh"

TheDailyPositive.com (via thedailypozitive)

"Nothing will ruin your 20’s more than thinking you should have your life together already.

"When you screw up, skip a workout, eat bad foods, or sleep in, it doesn’t make you a bad person.

It makes you human.

Welcome to the club.

There’s like seven billion of us."

"Maybe the soul is tired because all it needs is more time with the Lord. Maybe the heart is tired because it has been fed with all the wrong things. Maybe the mind is tired because it hasn’t been nourished with beneficial knowledge."

Believers 

"If we grew our own food, we wouldn’t waste a third of it as we do today. If we made our own tables and chairs, we wouldn’t throw them out the moment we changed the interior decor. If we had to clean our own drinking water, we probably wouldn’t contaminate it."

Mark Boyle

"Never give up on a dream because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway."

Earl Nightingale

"You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it courageously."

― Steve Maraboli

Am I Wrong - Nico Vinz : CLICK HERE TO VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF VIDEO

"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts."

(via thedailypozitive)

“You’ve got to embrace discomfort. It’s the only way you can put yourself in situations where you can learn, and the only way you can keep your senses fresh once you’re there.”

—	Louis C.K.

“Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”

—	Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance

Black Girls.

       

Lets start this one off with a spoken word poem by the amazingly talented, Kai Davis (Ooo, Natvice plot twist)

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    Black women are beautiful, brown women are beautiful and I can’t say that enough times to compensate for all the times we are told otherwise. So what if even our own men don’t stick up for us, promote our own repression? We must to stick up for us, we must to stand together and even stand alone if we have to until people of all shades stand with us. We must lead on not lean on people, we need no crutch, we need no assurance, we must already know our worth therefore no one can challenge it.

     Lately, I have seen black women accomplishing so much and I am so proud of us! But with all the positives, comes 10 times more negativity attempting to counteract our great deal of progress which can be frustrating. Light skin vs. dark skin, the whole, newfangled, "I don't date black girls" movement and the ill-mannered portrayal of black women via television (primarily reality T.V.) is simply sickening. I'm going to touch on 2 of the 3 topics in a little more depth and briefly (very briefly) close with my views on our portrayal on the television as the stereotypical, angry Black woman.

    I am tired of being separated from my fellow sisters due to how much more or less melanin is produced in my skin cells. Light, Dark, Brown, it all boils down to one thing: Black. I am tired of my worth being measured in how far along my color fits on a grey scale. We are so much more than that and you should not allow the world do boil you down and separate you as if you are some sort of science experiment. Your skin pigment has absolutely nothing to do with how lovable you are or how beautiful you are allowed to be perceived, you are much more than these standards set for you. I ultimately turn my nose up at those who use these terms as a source of identification; Is light/brown/dark skinned all you are? Does that label define you so much to the poing that you believe it deserves a place in your internet biography, for it will serve a substantial purpose in defining who you are to those who read it? Is that what you put your identity in, a color? Please, think more of yourself than that, you are so much more than that, do not allow them to deceive you, do not allow them to define you, but define yourself. Your identity is not in your color, for that can change merely based on the direction of the rays of the sun. Instead, let your identity be found in what you stand for, what you dream of, what and who you love and the love that you have for the people in the world who, despite the fact are so wholeheartedly attempting to persuade you not to love yourself, you love anyway. Now, on to the next topic of discussion.

     This has been going on for a while now but I see it being more shamelessly expressed now more than ever, the statement, "I hate/dislike/wound never/do not date black girls". Ironically, I've only ever heard black men protest the fact that they "hate black women" and  to me, that is both puzzling and sickening. This is due to to the fact that, he himself is black and his mother very well may be a black woman and so is his grandmother, his sisters, his aunts etc. All signs point to self loathing, insecurity and immaturity at that point, in my book. Black women, do not let this bring you down, stand firm and do not be moved, know your worth and do not let others ignorance distort the image you should have of yourself as nothing less than absolutely lovely. 

   Now on the the thing in which we all know and apparently the majority of Americans seem to love: the dreaded reality T.V. I am tired of watching distinguished black women; doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs etc. ; project themselves across dining room tables like sling shots in ball gowns and be paid for it. This is ultimately what black women are portrayed as in general on television; a loud, attitude-stricken, belligerent, angry bunch and you are paying your cable station $67.95 a month for what you could easily go see in person for free at a bar on the right night. The fact that these women have such a large following is mind blowing to me. This is ultimately the endorsement of our own stereotypical downfall. Which I could go on for days about but I'm sure you'd just stop reading and if you've made it thus far, well, thank God for you. 

    Black women, you are beautiful, do not allow the world to define you, tell you your worth, how far you may stretch your arms out for success, what you must wear, listen to or how much you are allowed to love yourself, if at all. You are worth so much more than the world makes you out to be, you are an under-appreciated treasure, therefore, if they cannot treasure you, please, do yourself the honor of treasuring yourself, you deserve it.

    

Yes, it's another one of those inspirational body image posts.

               

(Photo of Tatiana Mercedes, edited by yours truly)

     Lately, I've been kind of hard on myself. Christmas break rolled around a couple months ago and my family is from South America, (Guyana to be exact) therefore, Christmas cooking at our home trumps the original thanksgiving feast by a landslide; pilgrims and everything; and lasts for about a month (that is no exaggeration). I went a little "coo-coo for coco puffs" over all the homemade bread, Pepperpot (a traditional Guyanese Christmas dish) and black cake (a traditional Guyanese dessert). I gained about 5 pounds over Christmas break and 3 more stress-induced pounds, and for all you mathematicians out there, I gained a grand total of about 7 pounds. That's when I protested the fact that I was going to eat salads and flax seeds for the rest of my life (didn't happen by the way). 

     

     The other day, I found myself re-reading my "heavy doesn't mean hopeless" post I made around January (you can check that out here )and it Reminded me how far I've come and the fact that I always used to tell myself "I'll love the fat until I can love the fit", which is a funky little homemade phrase I've managed to unconsciously live by. I also reminded myself of the fact that, everyone has their days, I can't look like Beyonce all the time, Beyonce needs to be Beyonce sometimes (it was a joke). Don't be fooled, I love myself, and managed become a master at not giving a hoot or holler about what how others percieve me appearance wise,because I love who I am. But, even I have my days when when I don't feel my best, and that's fine because of that fact that, that's normal and I don't let it linger on through out the day and or define the way In which I perceive myself. 

     

     I cannot stress enough, the fact that, thin, fit, curvy and everything else in between, our weight/outward appearance has NOTHING to do with our worth, character, lovability, future success or beauty. You are worth the world and deserve to treat yourself as such royalty. If someone else cannot see that, that is perfectly fine as long as you are aware of your own worth and do not allow anyone to lower your value by treating you as anything less than gold. Say it with me: I AM BEAUTIFUL. There is someone out there dying to have someone like you but you've got to love yourself first and the first step to  doing so is believing that you are worthy of being loved. 

And just a reminder, if you guys ever need anything, advice or just a listening ear, I'm here. My contact links and email are located on the homepage and I'll leave them below. I'm here for you, You deserve to have someone by your side rooting you in through the projectiles life throws at you through its marathon (not a race) and I am eager to root you on while you make your way over to greater things, whatever they may be. 

~ Nathia

Email: asknathia@gmail.com
Ask: http://www.ask.fm/natvice
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NathiaWray

Motivational Monday #3!

     Motivational Monday is back once again to save the day, hopefully making your Monday's a little brighter. For those of you who are new to all this, "Motivational Monday" is just a post full of random quotes, videos, music, photos etc. who's sole purpose is to make your day a little easier, keep you going. For some reason, everybody hates Mondays; maybe because that's when you need to return to your duties of work and school but, it doesn't have to that way! Have no fear, Motivational Monday is here!
             Rend Collective - More than conquerors 
                 CLICK HERE TO VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF VIDEO

"Seriously friends. Wait until you find someone who you can love wholeheartedly and who loves you wholeheartedly, too. Who you can chill with, laugh with, work with, live with. Who loves Jesus in a way that makes you pursue God more than you ever thought possible. And then marry that person. It’s awesome." - Tori K. Webb

If You Are In A Shell

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“You’ve got to embrace discomfort. It’s the only way you can put yourself in situations where you can learn, and the only way you can keep your senses fresh once you’re there.”

—	Louis C.K. “Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.” —  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance

“Until you get comfortable with being alone, you’ll never know if you’re choosing someone out of love or loneliness.”

—	Mandy Hale

“Your life is your message to the world. Make sure it’s inspiring.”

—	TheDailyPositive.com

“

1. If you like someone, wait.
2. Give lots of compliments, even if you’re shy. Everyone else is too.
3. Change. Get a haircut, try new perfume, get new sheets. Become better than you were before.
4. Eat healthier. Learn to cook something fancy.
5. Get up earlier and watch the sun come up.
6. Wear soft clothes, take a bath, drink something warm.
7. Meet someone new, even just a friend.
8. Become closer with your friends and your family. Call your mother. Cry with your best friend. Tell everyone how much you appreciate them.
9. Keep your room clean. Buy some candles. Let the natural light in.
10. Make a list of reasons why you’ll be better off without them. Believe they are true, because they are. 
11. Listen to new music. 
12. Write everything you’re thinking and feeling. Write letters. Write happy letters, sad letters, and angry letters, even if you’re never going to send them.
13. It’s okay to be sad, but not forever. Sadness is not as beautiful as music makes it seem. Lack of sleep makes your eyes droopy, not deep. Wake up every morning and tell yourself you’re going to have a good day.
14. Go to the library. Don’t forget to look in the music section. 
15. Remove them from your life. Get rid of the things they gave you if they make you sad. They’re not worth it. You will never be happy if you continue to hold on to the things that make you sad.
16. Make new memories.
17. Try to find something to appreciate in everything you do or experience.
18. Being alone is okay, you don’t have to surround yourself with people. 
19. Become your own best friend. Buy yourself coffee and drink it alone in a cafe. Take your time. 
20. Learn to love every bit of yourself.

”

—

How to feel better and become better (via skinnyknees, tumblr) “Bottom line is, even if you see ‘em coming, you’re not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So what are we, helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come. You can’t help that. It’s what you do afterwards that counts. That’s when you find out who you are.” —  Joss Whedon “A biblical understanding of the Christian life is not ‘let go and let God,’ it’s ‘trust God and get going.’” —  Tullian Tchividjian