Stories of Black Women
How you practice is more important than how often you practice. “If you want to achieve mastery, you must learn to practice deliberately.” — Ken Sterling There was once a woman who went to another city for an urgent work leaving her two teenage boys with an assignment: To take care of her garden. She had been taking …
Think the street hustler who can’t even spell his own name. But somehow talks you into giving him the shirt off your back. “Lisa drove 15 hours straight, in a diaper, from Houston to Orlando, to confront her boyfriend’s new squeeze in an airport parking lot. Lisa packed zip ties, pepper spray, and large garbage …
If you ever wonder how to be successful. How it is that people bridge who they are now to who they want to be, the answer is discipline. I repeat the basics of many things in my life. Healthy living. Effective communication. Writing. Teaching what I know to my colleagues. Learning from others,. Preparing great …
Don’t marry yourself to your idea or original plan. Look, I know it’s tempting to think that change is a scary thing. Like why would you pull out of your comfort zone? When it is so warm. When you can snuggle yourself inside your blankets of saturation and accomplishment. When it feels romantically satiating to be …
“It’s your road and yours alone, others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.” — Rumi “Wooooohooo!” screamed the 8-year-old. “I’m king!” He was laughing so hard, an ear-to-ear grin plastered on his face. The lego he built is standing proudly on the floor. For all eyes to see. In the …
Instead of improving everything (urgh, much effort), try to improve the tiny things that have a disproportionate impact. How many shoes do you have? 20% of your pairs will be worn 80% of the time. Want to work more efficiently? 20% of your time at work generates 80% of the value. Want more claps? 20% …
Why challenges are the best things that happen to you. Socrates was called “an immoral corrupter of youth.” Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly. His teacher called him hopeless as a composer. Charles Darwin wrote in his biography “I was considered below the standard level by my family.” Walt Disney went bankrupt several times before he built …
Watch out for boredom in your career if your heart is not involved. Imagine you have an uncle you don’t like. But you need him. Imagine you are new in town and he is the only one who can get you a job and his place is the only place you can stay for a …
A positive outlook is an engine that accelerates your success in life. We all face negative things in life. You may have a boss who constantly belittles you. Maybe you have a family that doesn’t support your life choices. Or maybe your friends are not on board with what you want to achieve in life. Some …
Change doesn’t happen in grand gestures. You change by making ordinary that which you once thought was impossible. And that is a slow ride. It is progress. The journey is not a 100 meters sprint. It is a marathon. It takes time for change to materialize in your life. There is a saying I like: …