“I am not my hair. I am not this skin. I am the soul that lives within.” –India Arie Porcelain. Sand. Honey. Olive. Maple. Deep Chocolate. Cinnamon. Mocha. Caramel. Bronze. These are a few of the names used to describe different shades of skin. When buying makeup, recognizing the microscopic gradients in skin color is…
The Daily Rituals of Highly Productive People
“Ordinary people think merely of spending time, great people think of using it.” – Arthur Schopenhauer One of the critical characteristics of successful people is that they are highly productive – they tend to get more quality work done in a shorter span of time when compared to the average person. While talent undoubtedly plays…
5 Signs You’re Giving Away Your Power in Relationships
“Every relationship is fundamentally a power struggle, and the individual in power is whoever likes the other person less” -Chuck Klosterman There is a power dynamic in every relationship. Whether we like to admit or not, that underlying dynamic dictates who has the power and who doesn’t. We can romanticize relationships however we want, but…
How to Live Your Life with Purpose
“Life is so short. To just ‘do things’ is insane. Live with a purpose. Live for a reason.” – John Piper. The phrase “living with purpose” evokes a variety of emotions. Some find it cliché (because it’s been so overused), while others find it intimidating and grandiose. They wonder if they must be the next…
How to Balance Cultural Identity
“We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race” – Kofi Annan How do you answer the question, “Where are you from?” Many respond by naming the place they grew up, or the country their passport is from. We tend to give a bite-sized version of…
The Importance of Play and Having Fun
“You don’t stop having fun because you get old, you get old because you stop having fun.” Let’s face it; the year 2020 has been anything but fun. The global pandemic has cast a dark shadow of fear, uncertainty, and restrictions on us, unlike anything we’ve ever seen. It seems almost impossible to stay in…
When Good is Good Enough
“Who hurt you?” “My own expectations.” Visiting the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City was one of the highlights of my trip to Italy. On a blisteringly hot day in July, with the streets bustling with tourists, it was a welcome refuge. Upon entering the Chapel, I was transported to another dimension. The high vibrational energy…
What the Law of Attraction Taught Me About Manifesting Love
“To acquire love, fill yourself up with it until you become a magnet.” Charles F. Haanel The Persian mystic and poet, Rumi, once said that our task is not to seek for love but, “merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” When I first read this…
How to Know Your True Self
“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.” – John Mason Beliefs define how we see and act in the world. We have beliefs about virtually everything—relationships, family, politics, religion, entertainment, global warming, etc. Belief is what makes us human. It’s the foundation on which we build our lives. Most importantly, our beliefs tell…
Why it’s Important to Talk About Privilege and How it Impacts Us
“What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.”― Brené Brown Privilege is a relatively new concept to me. On some level, I was aware that a pecking order exists in society based on one’s socio-economic status and physical appearance, but I had no idea how privilege determined the opportunities I had, compared to others. The everyday…