"Child the devil is always busy". This is a quote I've heard my mother say all throughout my life. I even remember hearing my grandmother say it many times over the years. And if she had been living while I was was growing up, I'm almost certain that I would've heard my great-grandmother say it too! That quote rings true to the opposition that comes into our lives from time to time. It always seems like when things appear to be going well  in life (example: employment, school, health, marriage, etc.) from out of nowhere negativity always seems to find its way into the situation and cause havoc. As I shared with you back in December, my goal was to write a post that would reflect on our ability to keep our sanity in a world that has become more and more insane by the day. So this week's post is dedicated to self-care and mental health.
      History has shown that stress can cause a person to become discouraged, depressed, and leave them feeling hopeless. Sadly for this younger generation living in the age of social media, there has been a rise in cyber-bullying which has led to some of the most tragic news stories that we've heard in recent times. For many who work in schools, you may have attended a Professional Development Training focused around this topic as well as school bullying. Interestingly what I have found over the years is that like children, there are adults who also engage in this type of bullying behavior. Whether it's towards students or other staff members; workplace bullying is a very real thing. As such so is discrimination based on race, gender, disability, etc. In fact any of these types of discrimination can have an impact on a person's mental health. And as history has shown time and time again, there are those individuals who engage in behaviors which they know attribute to creating a hostile environment. Of course they are typically the ones who like to play "dumb" or "aloof" to what they are doing so they covertly do things to undermine you (i.e. gossip to others about you but smile in your face as though nothing is wrong, look for the smallest deficiency that they think you have and illuminate it in an effort to shame you before others, etc.). These individuals do this with the attempt of keeping you in "your place" so you don't outshine them. On the flip  side, there are those individuals who are blatant in their hatred towards you and make it known that you are "beneath" them. For me when I encounter these types of behaviors that's when I'm reminded of my mother and grandmother's words "child the devil is always busy". But I cannot stress enough the importance of taking care of yourself and your mental well-being during those times that you feel you are under attack. Of course there are many proactive steps that you can take so that your environment is more tolerable and I encourage you to read this article that discusses ways to tackle the negativity known as workplace bullying. 
     On issues concerning your health and physical well being I encourage you to revisit my August video blog that highlights 5 important tips for self-care by clicking here. And under this week's Intentional Toolkit, I have included a great video by motivational speaker Les Brown titled "True Warriors Never Give Up!" I've also shared two music videos that I watch and listen to often when I need to be reminded that I have every reason to keep moving forward while being the best version of myself. I hope you find these resources useful. Remember, you owe it to your family, friends, and most importantly yourself to live each day of your life to the fullest! Stay warm during these bone chilling days of winter and until next time...go out there and be GREAT!
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     Hey everybody and Happy New Year! I hope your 2019 has been going well so far! For some of you who made those annual New Year's resolutions, how are you doing with keeping to your commitments? If you're on target, great job...keep up the good work! But if you are having a hard time sticking to your resolution, be encouraged and think about small steps you can take to bring you closer to accomplishing your goal. As we know sticking to a commitment in order to make changes can be difficult. In fact it can be down right frustrating, but if you want to see things improve just know that it takes effort and courage on your part.
     Even looking beyond our personal goal(s) to change something about ourselves, think about those individuals who saw the importance seeking changes so that future generations wouldn't have to endure the hardships like those who came before them. During the month of January schools and many places of employment close in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In fact celebrations and a day of community service will be taking place across the country for the next two months as we pay homage to the life and legacy of this extraordinary American Hero. Now I'm sure that prior to the start of the Civil Rights Movement of 1954, Dr. King's New Year's resolution wasn't to be at the forefront of a revolution that had a hand in changing laws in this country. But like many Black Americans he was tired of living in an oppressive society that refused to treat Black people with the dignity afforded to all human beings (sadly in 2019 the more things have changed, the more they have remained the same).  While we may not necessarily see ourselves as taking a stand that visible, for those of us who work around young people on a daily basis, we should take it upon ourselves to identify and support this type of leadership quality that we see in students. It is important that we make a conscientious effort to encourage our children to make resolutions that allow them to strive for excellence, to learn all they can about their history so they can make necessary changes for a better tomorrow. We must be reminded that all of our young people aren't "bad"; somewhere along the way we have failed them as a society leaving them to fend for themselves. And as the saying goes "you can't teach what you don't know and you can't lead where you won't go" ~Jessie Jackson
Under this week's Intentional Toolkit I have shared a link to an article that discusses the importance of honoring the life of Dr. King as well as those unknown individuals who marched alongside him in hopes of making life better for future generations. I have also shared a video of a child reciting the poem "Hey Black Child" written by Countee Cullen (I'm sure many of you have seen this video many times before, but if you haven't, I hope you enjoy the message as well as the messenger). Until next time...go out there and be GREAT!