April's Letter from the Editor | Spring Cleaning for the Soul

I absolutely love the song Walking by Mary Mary, especially the line "Tell me what you see when I pass by// A shadow of clouds or a light in the sky.." While listening to this song I had a thought, why not take spring cleaning to another level? Instead of just cleaning my home from top to bottom, why not clean my soul. Spring is the season of renewal, rejuvenation and light; packing away all your heavy winter sweaters, boots, cold air and snow until fall. But how can you exude light when your mind is filled with worry, doubt and  negative clutter?

So let's start by packing away all the uninspiring thoughts, negativity, physical laziness, people, emotions... just stuff that weigh us down and has us feeling like we are always in the midst of a storm.  We will no longer burden ourselves with other people's issues to the point where we forget our own blessings. Once we're finished packing up the things that hold us back from living in light, we will bypass the attic take them to the curb and let the garbage man dispose of them indefinitely because we will not be unpacking that baggage come fall. It'll be then when our minds are clear enough to realize the true abundance, joy and light in store for all us this spring and beyond.

Remember those goals you wrote in January? You may have a little more energy to tackle those. There's still a lot of time left in 2011, you can still achieve whatever you set out to by years end. Rejuvenation, revitalization, peace and light... a spiritual renewal is what we should try and find under that pile of dust this spring.

Who's joining me?

What does my life say about me//
Can anyone see//
Does it show I rock with the Greatest?//
I can’t get back the time I spent//
Use the rest of it to show all the world how I made it//
I put one foot in front of the other...

March's Letter from the Editor | Balancing Acts

It's not until the weekend (sometimes) that I actually get to press the "pause" button on life.  I take these two prized days and fill them up with activities such as: socializing with friends, catching up on sleep or possibly another form of entertainment. I sometimes forget about myself while I'm busy scheduling my time away to other people. This month I will focus on the art of balancing... my health depends on it.

Life is all about balance. Without balance we burnout. Signs of burnout are sickness, stress, depression, weariness, etc.  Our body is telling us to slow down and just breathe... listen to it.  You might be amazed to learn that most people don't know that breathing — an act that we do some 20,000 times each day — can deeply influence your health and happiness on many levels. Wow, something so simple, yet so profound!

Many of us are working double duty as a parent, spouse, partner, friend, employee, employer all while fitting time in for activities we enjoy doing...that is a lot!

If you work from 9-5, but have aspirations that you can only fulfill after hours, then it's difficult to not burn the candle at both ends. I urge you to take an hour or so each day to relax and focus on you.  Try writing down a list of fun activities you'd like to try or places you'd like to go and make sure every other week you check one off, whether it's riding your bike through the park, visiting a new exhibit at a museum, catching a new film or having a monthly dinner club with your friends.  This is your life, LIVE it!   

The Journey to Find My Purpose : February Letter From the Editor

Since my twenty-sixth year of life began, I’ve been trying to figure out my purpose in life. I want to believe that right now at this very moment what I am typing will mean something to each of you; that it will ignite some sort of dormant desire in you that has been hidden, and maybe now is the time for you to set it free. I want to know that before I am laid to rest, my living, my learning, my faith and my actions have not been in vain. I want to rest in peace knowing that, “I have conquered, and accomplished finding my purpose in life”. I’ve began thinking about what I truly want out of (and in) life. I know for a fact that I wish hold down a fulfilling job, get married, bring life into this world, travel the world and help others (no matter how little or how big).

What I have found to be the most tedious task is bringing this list of things mentioned above into fruition. I have accomplished both small and big goals set for myself and I have set goals to accomplish in the future. Once I have set a list of goals for myself, I begin to take action. Sometimes baby steps, other times big leaps. Sometimes, I need a little boost. Other times, all I actually require is the thought.

I believe in taking chances, I’ve done it and some have proven to be some of my best decisions to date. I like to think of life as a learning tool. It is given to us so that we can make mistakes, document those mistakes and then learn from them. I have been thinking about my purpose. Why am I here? How big does my voice need to get to show the world I exist? This is what I’m working on, I want to be known not for the things I have done, but for the person I am. I want to live on even after I'm gone.

So all of this has me thinking, who gives us purpose? When do we find it? How do we obtain it? Is purposeful living greater than non-purposeful living? Are we really living if we are without purpose? Who sets these standards? I do not have the answers to any of these questions. Is it as simple as passion? I just know that I have an intimate connection with thinking I am here for a reason. God has a reason for me. I live every day knowing that tomorrow could not arrive so I push myself with the constant reminder that there has to be a greater ending (or beginning) ahead. The journey that it will take to complete some of the things that are deep in my soul will probably be a long and dreadful one but the outcome will live on forever. I have a purpose; I’m just still searching for it. I have faith that it'll come.

All Of Me: January Letter From the Editor

Every year I make tons of New Year's resolutions and I rarely keep them. I'm going to do a better job keeping in touch with friends, I'm going to do 100 sit-ups every night before bed, I'm going to come out of my shell and become more outgoing... blah, blah, blah.

I spend a lot of time writing my resolutions out on pretty stationary, planning the perfect ending to the year... you know so there can be a perfect beginning to a perfect year. I've cleaned my house from top to bottom, I ate black-eyed peas and collard greens to make sure my luck was good and money on point. I've brought in the new year at church in prayer, at an overcrowded party spending way too much money on drinks. I've been in front of the television watching movies, sleeping, laughing and toasting to life with my closet girlfriends, rubbing elbows with movers and shakers, magical moments with boyfriends hoping that love would linger around a little longer... you get the point. All to ensure I started the new year fabulously. Over the years I've become an expert at creating perfect scenarios to guarantee the pendulum will stay on my side for the upcoming year.

None of these things helped me usher in drastic changes on January 1. When I reflect on times in my life where I made a change I realized that I had to change my attitude and I had to be patient. Nothing or no one changes at an instant or when the clock strikes twelve. There was nothing that was going to magically occur that would make me change into the better person I wanted to be.

So this year I decided to take a different approach. I will not give up if my goals are not met by January 15. I will enjoy the journey. I will work on becoming a better Tamara from the inside out. I do not need to wait on a magical date to change my life. I will work to improve daily. I will accept my faults and be honest about them. I will live, smile more, laugh more. I will appreciate my blessings. I will take chances. I will give all of me. 

Are you good at keeping your New Year's Resolutions? Are you taking a different approach this year?

Tamara