SummerTime Fine: LIVING OUT LOUD!→

Summer has officially been here for over a month! Have you taken advantage of the outdoors yet? Have you enjoyed summertime living? It's the time for backyard BBQ's, beach weekends and poolside fun with friends and family.  If you live in Florida like me, summertime is year round. It seems like the water and the freezer section at Publix (a grocery store) is the only place to get relieve from this HEAT.  With summertime living comes less clothing, lighter fabrics and brighter colors which can be intimidating! How are you feeling about your Summer Body? Have you NOT worn a bathing suit in 3 summers because you haven't hit your goal weight? Are you worried people will point out your jiggle or your  stretch marks? 

My Summer Advice:

Forget About Your Summer Dream Body!

Yes, forget it. By the time you're secure enough to put the swimsuit on, Winter is approaching! Stop putting added stress and pressure on yourself about your appearance! The truth is our standards of pretty and what we think looks nice is probably not what others think of us. We are always more critical of ourselves. You have been managing your household, your business. You always last on your list. Decide today that being healthy is the only way to stay happy! Your happiness cannot be dependent of your thighs or your dress size. Plus, look around. Curves are in! 2016 is the perfect year to embrace yourself inside and out. Let me be clear that having the goal to exercise for a healthier body is awesome and recommended. But, when your not living because that goal isn't completed, your sabotaging yourself . 

Use the Summer To

LIVE OUT LOUD!

One of my favorite Summertime Jams. This song reminds me of a family cookout: good food, soul music, ladies gossiping at one table, uncles playing spades at the other and my cousins throwing the football around. 

What is L.O.L?

Living Out Loud is gaining new experiences! 

Living Out Loud is accepting YOU and sharing yourself with the world!

Living Out Loud is stepping out of your comfort zone!

Living Out Loud is finding your balance, your groove!

LIVING OUT LOUD IS YOU DOING YOU!

(within reason guys, lol)

Here are some beautiful women LIVING OUT LOUD!

IG Accounts of Ladies Above: @itsmichellemybelle2 @domyenn @thisfashionfiend @afrodiva

How are you LIVING OUT LOUD

in SUMMER SIXTEEN?

Vacation to Greece?

Finally Wearing that 2 Piece?

Family Reunion? 

Thanks for reading & Your Comments!

How YOU Can Be The Change! #BLACKLIVESMATTER→

My heart is so heavy. I'm sick and tired of these fathers, daughters, community leaders, sons ending their lives as hashtags #. I'm sick and tired of the excuses and irrational conclusions our fellow Americans are forming around the #blacklivesmatter movement. I'm sick and tired of the fear I feel for my 2 black sons to grow up in a nation who thinks they are less than. 

In 2016, we have seen hundreds of black men get executed at the hands of white police officers. Yet not one conviction.  And now we have videotaped acts of hate and still NO justice. Today, I must be apart of change, action and reform. We ALL must be apart of change. 

How can we change things? How can we show #blacklivesmatter?  How do we get legislation changed? How do we get Wall Street, Washington D.C., Hollywood to pay attention?

MONEY IS OUR POWER!

Did you know the Black buying power is expected to reach $1.2 trillion this year, and $1.4 trillion by 2020? (University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth)

WOW!!

According to The Atlantic, Black America is the 15th largest economy in the world in terms of Gross Domestic Product. That is the size of Mexico based on the World Bank data. What does this mean? It means companies, entertainers, and other forces outside of the black community want our business and dollars $$, but don't investment into our communities,don't promote causes effecting our community and definitely don't provide jobs for Black people. We must take our power back and support black businesses and other businesses that are invested in finding solutions to this AMERICAN PROBLEM!

(Companies Using their voice: Pandora Internet Radio, Google, Facebook, Chevrolet etc)

Put Your MONEY Where Your MOUTH Is!

List of Black-Owned Businesses & Banks:

Black Owned Business Directory

Black-Owned Banks & Credit Unions

Maya Brown's List of Black Owned Makeup Lines

The Savvy One- Buying Black Owned: 50+ Black Farms, Food or Meat Markets

In this article posted by David Love on Atlanta BlackStar, Dr. Boyce Watkins noted, " we need to harness that wealth. " He stated, " . . . with over $1 trillion {amount blacks are spending}, one can buy: 1,000 NFL teams; 3,000 predominantly white universities; the annual budget of 1.4 million charter schools across the nation; pay the tuition at Howard University for 50 million students for an entire year; buy 854,000 community centers; purchase NBC, ESPN and CBS and still have $1 trillion left over."

We can end unemployment in our own communities by providing a quality product/service, excellent customer service and a sound financial foundation. Let's work together and strengthen our communities. 

Here are some other ways to provoke change in our

local communities across America.

• PRAY. "Jesus 'said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6, New American Standard) We CAN NOT fully depend on that job, our government officials, our 2 degrees, our family. He shall supply ALL OUR NEEDS! Prayer Works!

• PROTEST. Let's gather in peace and with a plan. Come with your empowering signs, friendly faces and love in your heart.

• SERVE. When we are in places of power, you have more influence on policies and community action.  Example: Jesse Williams made a profound speech at the BET AWARDS that pissed off some people. A petition was started to have him fired from his show Grey's Anatomy where we plays Dr. Jackson Avery. The petition stated that his remarks were racist and was a hate speech against law enforcement and white people. Well, I guess they didn't know who his boss was! The creator and writer of Grey's Anatomy is Shonda Rhimes a BLACK WOMAN and the President of ABC Entertainment, Channing Dungey is also a BLACK WOMAN. Let's not forget Nne Ebong is the Senior Vice President of Drama Development for ABC Studios. #blackgirlsrock

• WRITE. Your words have power. Write letters to your legislators and congress members.

  Sign the Petition to create a federal law enforcement agency that supervises the behavior of all law enforcement agencies (LINK)

• CREATE or PARTICIPATE in community organizations. (LINKS, Inc.,  National Urban League, NAACP, Big Brother, Big Sister, etc.) Get plugged in!

• HAVE THE CONVERSATION. Talk with your friends and family about solutions, feelings, and fears. 

Disclaimer: #BlackLivesMatter is NOT a terrorist group or a group promoting violence. The movement is truly screaming, #blacklivesmattertoo. It was not created to exclude and divide. The media is perpetuating hate by twisting the message to #onlyblacklivesmatter. Don't be fooled! 

I hope this post encourages you to TAKE ACTION! Use these tips to change what has become the norm in our society. It's in our hands to create unity, fairness, and justice for the next generation

How else can we make a change?

Leave your comments/opinions/suggestions below!

#BuyBlack

Love Only!

This post is dedicated to Sandra Bland! Her life tragically ended a year ago today. Rest in Love!

Recording a Professional Voicemail.→

In business, sometimes our voicemail greeting is the first point-of-contact for our clients and coworkers. This is the perfect opportunity to make an impactful first impression. Your personal voicemail greeting is also another way to establish and strengthen your brand. Remember, recording this greeting should only take about 5-10 minutes of your time. 

Here are some tips to recording an unique professional message.

No Noise (Feedback). Be sure to find a relaxed and quiet environment to record your professional voicemail.

    Places not to be:

•     Car (Squeaky Brakes, Car Noise)
•     Bathroom (echos)
•     Around children (Crying and Whining)
•     Any public place around people

Know your Audience. What’s your industry? Who will be contacting you? Are they financial straight legs or creative bloggers? You must gauge your audience to know the tone of the message. That answer determines how serious or cleaver your message can be. 

Length. Make it short and sweet! If you don’t want to receive a long message, don't leave a lengthy one. Please keep your personal voicemail greeting to about 10-30 seconds long.      

Smile. When you’re first meeting a person or closing a deal with an investor, you’re probably smiling from ear-to-ear. Smiling through the phone is the perfect way to set the tone of your voicemail greeting. Remember, to smile and maintain an upbeat attitude when recording your message. Your customers need to feel that you care and will get back to them at your soonest convenience. Did you know your smile is your BEST ASSET?  Find out why!

“A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.”

 -William Arthur Ward

Write & Practice. When you record your message off the top of your head, you can forget to include key information. Write it out! Write down your greeting before recording it. Then, just record while reading it aloud from the paper. This will help you stay focused on the wording and pronunciation. The more you practice the message the easier it is to recite. When you know exactly what to say, it sounds more confident, clear and professional. 

Examples:

"Good Morning. You've reached the voicemail of Christina. Today is July 6, 2016. Please leave me a message with your name, phone number and a brief message. Here's my motivational quote of the day: If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door! Have a great day"

"Hello! You've reached the voicemail of Christina, Content Writer and Creator of InspireUtoday! I'm currently either away from my desk or assisting a customer on the other line. Please leave your name and contact information after the beep, and I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as I'm available. Thanks!" 

Let me know if this was helpful!

Comment Below, Family!