Life Haul Master Class: Courtney (ThinknGrowChick) & Myleik (CEO, Curlbox)

Last Night, Blogger Courtney of ThinkNGrowChick and CEO Myleik held a Life Haul Master Class on Google Hangouts and to say that it was great is such an understatement. Can we say EMPOWERING, MOTIVATIONAL, INFORMATIVE...

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I was sitting at the computer taking notes and texting my friends many of her statements. By the end of the night I just had to tell them Goodnight because I know they were tired of hearing me. When you are motivated and inspired at times others won't understand the way that you feel and it is okay. I have to remind myself that it is not anyone else's vision other than mines. 

I just want to state some pointers that she spoke on last night that really stuck with me.

1. Have your MINDSET together.

2. She states she is not lazy and she is competitive. Sleeping in has a big impact on your life.

3. Don't have too much pride where you feel as if you can't do something that your coworkers do. i.e, take out the trash.

4. Learn that if people do not like you, it has nothing to do with YOU. 

5. You will often be OVERWHELMED. But you rather be overwhelmed with your business than being broke and not able to pay bills.

6. When you start GIVING, the MONEY CHASES YOU.

7. Jobs will put you in a salary mindset.

8. College sometimes have you thinking in a limited way. If you take this and this then you can make $60,000/year when some people bring that income in monthly.

9. DO NOT get off of your SCHEDULE.

10. Start trying to figure out ways to INCREASE your INCOME.

11. DON'T put things off.

12. Get your FOOT IN THE DOOR and GO OFF!! Those chances lead to more opportunities.

13. When people come to you with their issues, POLITELY HAND THEM BACK!

14. Black women spend the most on hair products, and services. 

15. Maintain relationships with people, whether it's old coworkers or friends. You never know who may be of help.

16. You should ALWAYS be SAVING MONEY. Save money so that you don't have to put up with other's bullsh** and so that you can have freedom.

If you want to see the video or read the notes from last night's Master Class, head over to thinkngrowchick.com/myleikmasterclassnotes.

Let me know your thoughts and which number was your favorite on thee list!

Lipstick & Love,

Erica 

Seccurrittyyy: Speaking Positivity in your life.

Every morning when I walk into work there is the security guard opening the doors for everyone. He greets you with a smile on his face and as always his favorite words "Come On In". What I love about the security guard is that he is always so positive and upbeat. He is an older man but he doesn't seem to let his age stop him at all. Every morning I may ask him "How are You" and his words are always phenomenal. I give out a slight chuckle and say Great and head to the elevator to tackle a day  + night work shift.

I say all of this to say that each day you awake, each day you rise you set the tone for how your day will go. You speak the words of your day into the atmosphere. It is said that we are transformed by the renewing of our mind. The words that we speak turn into the emotions that we act upon.  I know that I am guilty of this myself. At times I may say something that will only defeat me and cause my emotions to go in a whirlwind whether it's as simple as it's going to be a long day, or I can't do this.

Start learning to chop off negativity as soon as it hits your mind. Don't ponder on it because once you do that will stick to you and then you may add more doubt and negativity on top of it all day long. Began to speak what you want in life everyday, speak great things about yourself and others even when you do not feel like it. Eventually you will see that it pays off and you start to believe in it a little more each day.

I challenge you this week to wake up and speak blessings, abundance, happiness and prosperity over your life. Instead of groaning that it's Monday, state that it is a new week for new purpose and new opportunities. Watch how you feel after you continue to do it. I am also challenging myself as well. I want to hear how it goes, so let me know in the comments box.

Lipstick & Love,

Erica

BIG BUSINESS 1587: Business Woman Files

I've decided to do weekly files on the Business Woman. I'd like to call it BIG BUSINESS 1587. Why you may ask? It is because a business woman isn't some small subject to speak on. It's a woman who is passionate about what she does, a woman who puts her all into her business whether it's her own brand or a career that she is pursuing. A woman who balances life and business on a daily basis. The Big Business Woman is a person that we all can look up to and follow in their footsteps. She is someone who does not mind helping others by lending out her own tips, having seminars and just paving the way. Today I SALUTE BIG BUSINESS WOMAN @Glambar ....



Image Credit : @Glambar Instagram

I have been following @glambar for a while now and she has been one of the most intriguing and inspiring individuals and she is a POWER MOM in my eyes. As a mother of a young boy I love to see how much she spends time with her family and her son and captures the beauty in all of their moments together.

Glambar, Sabrina also shows how she took her downfalls and found the blessing in everything. She is the founder of Glam University and she aims to empower and uplift young and older women. If you are not already following her, I suggest you do so. Also, if you are in the Atlanta area be sure to attend one of her seminars or the GirlPower Sleepover. She is a motivator!!

Discouraged, Motivation, Authenticity

Today I was thinking of a new topic to post and I became discouraged. The first thing that came to my mind was, You want this so bad Erica but you aren't putting your all into it. I fumbled over social media and began to compare myself. WHAT A MISTAKE! Want to know why? Comparison is a false sense of actually being an authentic you. We look at others lives and become discouraged by their photographic posts of a lifestyle that they portray. 

Discouragement is reality. Everyone gets frustrated with life. We think of what we don't have or what we could do better. What we should focus on is how far we have came and what we already have. Planning our life is important, but as humans we have to remember that everything does not go as planned. 

I believe that social media has turned many people into monsters. We idolize others by materialistic matters nowadays. We look at others and wonder why do they get to have a certain lifestyle and then we become discouraged at our life. 

The simple fact is that motivation is a meaningful attribute, but make it worthwhile to become an authentic you. Become motivated with the person that God created you to be. If you become discouraged because you aren't like someone else, then you won't ever truly be happy. 

Motivate yourself in all of your dreams and you will reach your true destiny! 

Lipstick & Love Happiness Challenge: Day 2

So Day 2 has arrived and all I want is Happiness not only for myself but for everyone else as well. With that being said, I THINK ITS TIME TO BE HAPPY AGAIN!! 

Today I am most happy for my struggles. They've made me stronger. I'm happy for my change, it has made me wiser. I think back to the old me and and say WOW! I love the new me. I'm far more settled and    Structured than before. My relationship has made a tremendous impact on my lifestyle. I have someone who pushes me sometimes more than I would like to be pushed. Having a child at a young age 

has also changed me for the better. I no longer care only for myself but my family as well. I'm still overcoming obstacles day by day, just as I write this I have challenges standing in my way but I'm only navigating towards happiness. How is Day 2 for you?

Lipstick & Love, 

Xoxo Erica 

Health and Wellness

Sunday is the day that I wind down from the festivities and errands of the weekend  and try to take it easy. I've been wanting to create this post for awhile but I still needed more time for results. So, here we are today. 

Let's talk about health, detox, diets, fads or whatever you would like to name it. 

I've been working on making a change to my lifestyle through better eating habits and exercise since January. I have made progression but nowhere near where I really could be if I stayed consistent. I start and stop and it's usually a continuous never ending cycle. I'm ashamed to say how many pounds I've lost because I'm not past two hands yet. 

 

Let's just talk about this last attempt. So my mom told me about the JJ smoothie cleanse book and I lucked up and found a PDF file on Pinterest that I downloaded.   It's a 10 day detox where you can do a full cleanse or a modified cleanse. Basically you replace two meals a day with smoothies and then the full meal you eat a big healthy salad or something very healthy of your choice. See this is where I went all wrong, I replaced my breakfast and lunch with smoothies but I was not eating a healthy meal of choice but more so what I had a taste for. Talk about discipline, huh. I finished this cleanse Thursday before last and I must say I could see a huge difference in my skin but I managed to only lose 1 pound where if you really work at it you could loose 10-15. I felt so discouraged but I knew it was all my fault. I have to applaud the initial try but I have to criticize myself for not being disciplined. 

Changing your eating habits and incorporating physical activity can be one of the most beneficial things we can ever do for ourself but keeping the motivation and consistency is the hardest. What do you do to maintain your weight or stay healthy? 

One of my favorite smoothie recipes I want to share with you all is called Pineapple Spinach, try it out. I promise you will want to make it over and over :) 

Lipstick & Love, 

Erica. 

Lippie Thoughts: Dear Diary...

Dear Diary, 

I was just laying here with a mind full of thoughts..... 

THINKING..... 

I've been to the top and I've been at the bottom. I've had a lot, and I've had nothing. I'm not impressed by much because I know that we can have everything, just as well as we can lose everything. We experience losses just as we can experience gain. 

Life is a Maze, a roller coaster ride. We become comfortable and we become frustrated when we are out of the comfort zone and feel change. Sometimes we don't think but we act fully off of emotions. 

But all in all, Life is merely up to us. It's what we make of it! 

Sealed with a Kiss, 

Lipstick & Love. 

Inspiration: Big Person, Small Heart.

Hello rainy Sunday! As we are wrapping up our weekend and preparing for a new week ahead I wanted to give us all some inspiration. 

Can you remember the last time you did something for someone out of the kindness of your heart? Sometimes we become so wrapped up in ourselves and think that if it doesn't benefit us that we will not take part in it. When we have those thoughts it is pure selfishness. Sometimes we don't help others, don't smile or invite them in, or we judge them on what or who we think that they are. 

Status plays a huge role in today's society and although it always has their are social networks that give everyone the opportunity to gain some sort of status. Have you noticed how people with 10K followers usually like and converse with people that are similar to their own group. A person with 100 followers may be an individual with a lot going for themselves but are overlooked by companies, people of status, and more just because it LOOKS like they don't have what it takes. 

All in a nutshell, you can not be a BIG person with a small heart. Give everyone a chance, smile at everyone you meet or pass by, and do not down or overlook them because they may not act, speak or dress like you. You never know who God will use to bless you or help you. 

Lipstick & Love xoxo 

Monday Motivation, Our Credit: Becoming Secure and Stable

Happy Monday Lipstick Lovers! It is the start of our December and the ending of our year of 2013. Yesterday I woke up and said it is December 1st, and I need new goals and new challenges to make myself better for this month. I keep a journal of my thoughts, my bills, goals and much more. I try to reflect on what I need to improve or what was accomplished within myself even if it is small or a task rather big.

One thing I will be honest about is that I have not always been great with saving, investing or my finances. And still I am no where near where I could or should be but I have improved myself. I find that writing everything down is very helpful such as when a bill is due and the amount, then going back to mark it off as paid or whatever the case may be. When you organize yourself you can understand what is going on with your finances.

I have been holding on to my credit report for some time, and today I decided to print off a brand spanking new one. Credit is so detrimental to our lifestyle and it affects us tremendously when applying for homes, cars and even minor retail credit cards. The first step to fixing our credit is becoming educated with what everything means and admitting that we can work on it unless you already have that 800 credit score. *Closes eyes and wishes* lol! I have been educating myself on the terms of credit and taking notes for improvement.  Free Credit Report is a helpful site in printing and viewing your score and report. Another helpful tool is going to your bank and speaking with a Financial Adviser which can be beneficial in understanding where to begin and what you are looking at when reading your report.

Isn't it amazing what numbers can do to your life? I want to be able to buy my dream home and dream car, I want to be able to relax after retirement, and send my kids to college, I just would like to be debt free. So my motivation to you & I is that WE HAVE TO BEGIN SOMEWHERE AND LET'S BEGIN by BECOMING STABLE AND SECURE so THAT WE CAN DO WHAT WE ALWAYS WANTED TOO!

Lipstick & Love xoxo

Photo Credit: Google, entertainmentpic.blogspot.com