TLDR I’m officially pausing the blog updates here and moving things around. The archive of existing posts will still be here, but everything new will exist on Substack, which allows me to share and send posts with less admin effort.

Summer's here and I'm letting myself dream.

But sometimes the gears need a little greasing. Whenever I'm in a stuck place and not sure where to start, I ask myself the following:

A few reminders I've written to inspire more grace for myself along the journey:

6 real things that worked for me, in honor of Mental Health Awareness month.

Winters of the soul can pop up year-round. Here are my thoughts on how to make it through.

I used to really take pride in being a first responder to Slacks and text messages in the morning.

Needless to say, there was a cost.

Personality-wise, I'm more a creature of "been there, done that" than one of habit. Conquer once, and never look back. No reruns or replays.

But I'm breaking that cycle now that I know the value of repetition.

More than ever I'm working to align my purchase habits with my values.

If I want to support independent artists and black-owned, women-owned, LGBTQ-owned businesses, I need to wean myself off of Prime delivery and make time for the more conscious choice.

Basically, I'm here for making Patreon memberships, Substack subs, Venmo donations, and Cashapp tips my love language in 2021. *Giving and receiving, to be clear*

Amid a barrage of so-tragic-its-almost-comical news, I’ve found it more important than ever to have tools for preservation and restoration.

Here’s what I’m doing to save my mind and body from imploding:

Like never before, last year revealed to me the importance of relationships.

Strong, healthy, genuine relationships.

Formerly a self-proclaimed "loner," I've finally admitted to myself that most things are better with people you deeply care for, and people who care deeply for you.

• Deeply enough to jump through the health & safety hoops of a pandemic to reach you.

• Deeply enough to have an uncomfortable conversation about racial injustice and white supremacy.

• Deeply enough to walk through an intention-setting session and ask the tough questions that will help you grow together.

If it were easy, everyone would do it. But mindfully tending to your bonds with your friends, family, and romantic partners is work.

Here are some questions that might help:

I used to have this ritual of asking myself three questions when I woke up every day:

1. What am I grateful for?

2. What is my intention? and

3. What am I avoiding?

#3 was always the toughest to answer.

It was also the most powerful. Here’s why:

We all deserve a platinum plaque for getting through December.

Still whenever this time rolls around I can’t help but look ahead to see what new ambitions I can inject into the future.

Here are 5 questions I’m asking myself while prepping for the new year:

As we close out 2020 and move into a new season, it feels like the only thing we can be totally sure of is more strange, unprecedented times.

Emotional triggers from the holidays loom, lockdown fatigue has become cliché, and I can’t tell the difference between screen-time and me-time anymore.

And yet, we’re still here. That means there’s still hope.

Here are a few centering thoughts that have helped me honor this moment without dwelling too long in the dark:

It can take countless mistakes to recognize a pattern and a lifetime to break one.

Nevertheless, it’s good to regularly acknowledge that our pain is not in vain. Knowledge is actually power.

Here are a few hard-learned lessons I’ve meditated on recently:

Not much is guaranteed in life, but there are a few things that ring true to me.

1. The more you stand to love, the more you stand to lose. It’s still a risk worth taking.

2. You can’t have ups without downs. It’s like math. Like physics. Like life. The sooner you accept this, the smoother the ride will be.

I’m learning that there are many ways for me to show up for myself and others that aren’t necessarily grand gestures.

It’s something vital to remember in times of overwhelm, when I become a deer in the headlights to my own to-dos.

“Just showing up” doesn’t win immediate awards. And it doesn’t promise instant clout. But it does make a more sustainable path to fulfilling my dreams.

Last week I committed to showing up in small, specific ways that were easy to mark off. Things like,

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve always wanted to do all the things, all at once.

When it comes to new business plans or creative ideas, I tend to see every task as urgent and overwhelm myself with the possibilities.

As soon as one tab closes, another one opens. And I can’t stop consuming, comparing, and pseudo-completing.

Thankfully, recent times have caused me to recenter on the benefits of taking it one thing at a time:

In the middle of global shutdowns, economic volatility, and imagining a world where policing in the U.S. no longer exists…

It’s a great time to reconsider your mission, your mindset, and your priorities.

I’m finally coming to terms with the fact that my new normal is now.

And with that, living in a new world means living with new priorities.

Here’s how recent shifts in our world have shifted my perspective:

Where do you start when it’s time to talk about race?

As a black person in America, there are simply too many things for me to say. I’ve experienced the impact of racism first-hand and am all too familiar with the work it takes to fight it everyday.

At the same time, I know many of my non-black friends have struggled to find the words. The overwhelm is real. So much un-learning to do. So much music to face.

This message is for them.