accept or change.
thoughts on changing your reality, new reads + things to watch this weekend.
When I tell you that this has been a week? Friend, believe me. It has been a WEEK!
We made it! *praise break*
thoughts at large.
I don’t know about you, but I tend to get reflective around this time every year. Birthdays just provide a good marker for personal assessment and looking toward the future. I’m sure you’ve probably asked yourself some of these questions: Are you still in the same place you were this time last year? What worked well this year? What did not? I ask myself these questions annually, which helps shape the goals I set for my year.
With that said, I recently added a new question to the list:
“Is your current reality the one you truly desire? If not, what do you have to do to get what you want, and are you willing to do that?”
I shook my own table with that one. I can’t take full credit for it, though. I saw a Tik Tok that helped spark this for me, and I’d like to share it with you. PSA: she cusses a little so if you’re at work or around sensitive ears, grab your headphones.
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(a summary for those that may not have been able to listen: don’t rely on how you feel right now as a determinant for the things that you should be doing, think about your ideal self, and do what that person would do if you are interested in shifting toward the reality that you desire.)
This resonated so deeply because there are some things that I’ve said that I wanted, that I haven’t achieved due to lack of motivation. Can you relate? I’ve learned that motivation is a fleeting feeling, and feelings aren’t facts.
My latest mantra has been “accept or change.” I say it to myself every day to remind myself that if you don’t like something you have two choices: you can accept that, deal with it, and stop whining about it, or do whatever it’s going to take to change it.
Oh, and friend, because this is a safe place and I know us, I have to say this too. Let’s stop hiding behind the idea of “waiting on God to move”, too. Pray, and go get it. That’s Bible.
Cheers to grabbing the reality you want, my friend. 🥂
reads & vibes
One of the subplots of the story around the latest shift in the British monarchy has been about art. Yes, art. Stolen artifacts from African countries have been put on display across Europe for centuries. Now, however, being woke is on trend, and to look the part, some of those artifacts are being returned. This week The Atlantic encouraged us to scratch the feel-good surface and examine who benefits from this. A long read, but a good one.
Speaking of taking things that don’t belong to you and not feeling bad about it: Brett Favre took, with the help of ex-governor Phil Bryant, $1 million earmarked for Mississippi welfare funding and used it to support the construction of a new volleyball facility at the University of Mississippi… where his daughter plays volleyball. The median income in Mississippi is $40K. Brett made over $100 million while playing in the NFL… and that’s just contracts, not including endorsements. Jackson, MS just had a 40-day long boil notice lifted off of their water. There was no clean water in the city for SEVEN WEEKS. I’m at a loss for words on this one.
“I’m not arguing with people broker than me about money.”
Now that is a BAR, courtesy of the artist formerly known as Kanye West. He’s looking to end his relationship with corporate America - including his deal with GAP and potentially his billion-dollar partnership with Adidas. Forbes explains what that decision may cost him.
Misty Copeland is launching a free, 12-week ballet program in New York City, in hopes that Black and Latino kids will fall in love with dance in the same way she did. Learn more about the program from The New York Times.
The trailer for Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey, dropped this week and I’ve been enjoying watching the little Black girls reacting to it. The racists, however, are BIG MAD. So mad that the dislikes on the YouTube trailer have surpassed 1.5 million. Newsweek breaks the story down here, but if you need the cliff notes: some white people can’t deal with not being centered. shorter: people are being racist again.
The Woman King, starring Viola Davis and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, is in theaters today. The story is about a regiment of fierce women warriors, inspired by the West African kingdom of Dahomey. There is some controversy around the film’s glorification of the story due to Dahomey's participation in the West African slave trade so National Geographic's exploring the true history, and how the warriors came to be.
FYI, in case you missed it, the final season of Donald Glover’s Atlanta began airing on FX last night. The last season was more weird than usual, but I’m hoping that Ern & Paper Boy get back to life in The A to close out the series. Check out this story from Esquire that has a spoiler-free preview of what we can expect.
“I never want to sound ungrateful for the gift, or like I don’t honor or value it, but it does require you to live with a level of resiliency that I’m not always sure I have.”
On the latest episode of Woman Evolve Podcast, Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts sits down with LeToya Luckett to discuss the importance and challenge of honoring your gift. It’s worth a listen.
That’s all for this week, if you enjoyed what you read hit the like, and share with your friends.
