represent

I Have An Idea!

So, you have an idea for a killer book or screenplay...guess what mee too!  But what do you do with all those ideas?  Do they jusy sit up there in your big ole head only resurfacing for a few seconds over long periods of time?  God forbid!  Hollywood executives an producers all think they know what's hot right now in the world of film and televison.  Well they don't and they heavily rely on fresh, talented minds to help bring the next big movie or series to the screen.  But where do we start?  How do we begin to put pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard and get those ideas into the hands of someone who can help bring our vision to life?  Well, I'm here to tell you its all very simple.

Last winter, after that horrile ice storm that left most of the south in a hard freeze, I had a bright idea!  I wangted to grow as much of my food as possible and as soon as we thawed out, I set out on a journey to do just that.  

I went to the store and bought up every seed, bag of soil and pot I could get my hands on and began planting.  I dug, planted and watered, dug watered and planted and waited eagerly and with expectancy for what woud spring forth from all that dirt.  The same way I toiled and labored over my garden is the same way we should labor over our ideas!  Just like a plant, our ideas need to be cultivated.  But what does that mean?  It means that our ideas need room to grow, they need room to breathe and the opportunity to take on a life of their very own.

But how do we do this...here's the part where I plug a dollar store notebook and cute pen for $10.99 or some silly monthly subscription where I coach you to get your ideas out of your head...just kidding!  But seriously, an idea can only be an idea for so long.  I must admit my writing style is a bit old fashioned.  I like to put my ideas in a notebok and then convert to digital, but if you are big and bad do you boo boo, do you!  Write down the main ideas of your story, it does not all have to make sense at first, just get them down.  Once you have a general idea of whefre you want to take your reader you can go back in a fill in the small details such as dates and times, sights and smells and so on.

Whew...are you still with me?  In my quest to grow my garden I found mysef on a losing end of a battle with pests.  Y'all coulda told a sista that I would be bullied and taunted by these horribe little creatures that just wanted to eat up all my good shit!  Thee Ghetto! Sounds like kids huh lol! 

In an effort to salvage all I had worked so hard for I chose to use an organic pesticide to combat my pest problem.  Now what I do that for?  Not only did it kill the pests that had been muching on my fruits and veggies it also killed the plants!

I could have cried.  In fact, I did cry and for weeks I refused to go back out to my garden.  All my hard work, all my dedication, not to mention my money was gone, *cues Whitney Houston, I Have Nothing.  Sometimes our ideas hit that imaginary brick wall or sometimes they stall out on us, that's okay.  In fact, it is all a part of the process.  So what your idea failed, put it down and move on to something else, I promise you'll come back to it.  Writing #CollegeRuleToo was a hell of a ride.  It was daunting, it was tiresome and I really felt like I had bitten off more than I could chew.  I hit a brick wall around July and did not pick up a pen to finish the book until Sepetember.  It took everything in me to get out of my own way and in the end I am very happy with the result.

Now I know many of you are saying, "But Abril, I don't want to be a writer!"  That's fine, but this same model can be used to help you cultivate ideas to start businesses, to start your own blog or maybe even a band.  The possibilities are endless.  I am no self-help coach or guru, just a woman with a mind that never stops thinking of new ideas.  I know there are other men and women out there just like me who stay awake at night thinking of their next move or dreaming of their big break...this is your confirmation to go get that shit!  Whatever it is, I believe in you and I know you can do it!  Your ideas are valuable and you are phenominal, now go do something AMAZING!  Your future self will be glad you did.

Your Journey, Your Story

I know you are probably wondering where I've been.  I promised to introduce a weekly blog and I kind of left you hanging last week.  Last week was bananas! Between personal struggles, unfriendly attitudes and one hell of a work week I am just thankful I made it.  Through the adversity I did learn something and I would love to share my tiny nugget of information with you.

Take a look around you, what do you see?  Do you see dreams that have yet to be fulfilled, missed opportunities and lack?

I remember in my teens thinking in my 20's I would have it all together.  A big house with eight or nine bedrooms.  A room in every primary color with corresponding furniture to match.  Thinking back, I'm glad that did not work out, it sounds very tacky.  Needless to say for me homeownership did not come in my 20's and I can happily announce I do not have a room in every color.  No matter where you find yourself today, the trials, the pain and most importantly your story thus far are all a part of your journey.  Think of life as a marathon, not a race or a sprint.  You were created to go the distance.  Sometimes that distance takes you through uncharted terriorty, it takes you through hell and back but the key is to keep going.

Never let any one discredit where you are at this very moment to fit their narrative of who they think you should be.  I said a mouth full so let me go back.  Sometimes it gives people great pleasue to know that you are as far off course as possible.  They delight in your misfortune, in your fuck ups and setbacks.  They are quick to point out your mistakes...but silent about their own.  Beware of people like this.  Not only do they only show up to sow seeds of discord but they cannot be trusted.

Each one of our stories is unique in itself.  Your journey is special and I want to see you through to the end.  So what you fell of course.  So what you're off track, you backslid and down on your luck,  Look ahead, there is plenty more track left to run.  During my workouts, when I am doing something I hate I have learned to motivate myself by hyping myself up.  I won't tell you what I say to motivate myself but through that process I have learned to embrace the suck.  Burpees suck..but I do them.  Pull ups suck...but I do them.  Embrace the suck...keep pushing...your destiny is waiting!

PU$$Y POWER

A lil somthin for the ladies yo!

Did I get your attention?  Ladies let's chat because I feel that so many of us are dealing with so much unnecessary drama in our love spaces.  relationships are very important, they are important for our mental health and general overall well being.  A woman who can proudly announce that she doesn't like anybody is a damn lie...I just said this very same thing on IG Live and I was lying.  Why do we lie to ourselves and why do we hurt our own feelings?

Vunlerability...

No one wants to feel vulnerable especially when you were raised or brought up to be able to fend for yourself.  Hyper independece is an emotional response to being let down over and over again throughout your life.  It's a fact and it's okay but it doesn't have to define you.  Allowing yourself to be vulnerable can be a two headed monster on one end people think they can play with or about you and that's not cool.  Boundaries will help keep this in check, what is too far, how much is too much?  These standards need to be established in your private and personal relationships with others.  The other side to vulnerability is the one I like, it's the one that brings out your femininmity.  How many of you mask your feminimity because you don't want to look weak?  There are so many women out here who don't understand what being feminine is because in order to survive they have had to exhibit a layer of tough skin.

Be vulnerable...for the right person...notice I didn't say stupid.

Fear...

Fear, a four letter word with a lot of power.  Fear can deter a brilliant idea and waste the best talent.  Many women hold off on doing things because we are afraid of the outcome.  If it can cause you or someone else seriously bodily harm then don't do it, but do not get the fear of being caught robbing a bank confused with the fear of failing confused here.  Avoiding your destiny because of fear will only set you up for a lifetime of unfulfilled dreams.  Fear avoidance is a real thing, I let fear and what other people would think stop me from doing and pursuing a lot of things, as a result I am paying for it in the form of years wasted doing things I like when I could have been doing what I love.  You cannot expect to be happy if you are operating outside of your destiny or your calling.  It may be fun for a while but at some point you will hit a brick wall, and let me tell you, that ain't no fun.  It will have you contemplating a career change in your 40's and contemplating a divorce in your 30's.

Give fear the middle finger and do what you love!

I want to end this entry talking about vaginal health, but with a twist.  I believe we know what goes into help keeping our "juice box" healthy.  Yearly screenings coupled with a balanced diet and cleaning with safe products assist in this.  There are a lot of companies that cater and pander to women's needs but are run by men who wouldn't know what to do with a vagina ifit were in their face.  STOP LETTING MEN MAKE CHOICES REGARDING YOUR BODY AND YOUR HEALTH!  More importantly, just because they sell products for you does not mean you should use them.  A few years ago I was introduced to chlorine free pads...who would have thought that would be a thing, what the hell do you need chlorine for in a pad, this ain't no swimming pool?  But when I tell you how much my body thanked me for making the switch...now, it did not fix my problems but at times it made them easier to deal with.  Ladies...that pu$$y has power and we are draining her of those natural powers when we use those harmful products (pads, liners, soaps, oils, powders) and chemicals down there...please stop.  Cervical and ovarian cancers run wild through our communities because of imporper education, resources and LACK OF CARE.

I don't want to see another woman I know suffer from any form of reproductive problem.  It is never too late to make that change!

Now...somebody play WAP x Cardi B and Megan