Knowledge is Power!: Books that Offer a Wealth of Knowledge to Men and Women

Books are the key to the knowledge of self. We are often cheated of an array of information due to the overuse of internet and television. Most do not realize that there is a higher realm of awareness that can be achieved from reading books that have yet to be seen. We can often look to books for realization of our surroundings and how to improve qualities within ourselves. The whole truth will never be put on a website or on the History Channel, we must look deeper. Therefore I have taken notes from two essential books that every man and woman must read in their lifetime. These books will help to achieve a deeper understanding of the world around you.

Males

Think and Grow Rich is a book that men and women should read! This book teaches one how to use the "law of attraction" to achieve everything that the human mind is capable of. The author Napoleon Hill is well known for teaching the"law of attraction" in modern day terms. Within the book Hill goes into an extensive chapter on Why Men Seldom Succeed Before age 40. Below are five quotes from that chapter.....

• "Men have a tendency to dissipate their energies through over indulgence in physical expression of emotion of sex.
• "Sexual expression is by far the strongest and most impelling of all human emotions, and for this very reason this desire, when harnessed and transmuted into action, other than that of physical expression, may raise one to great accomplishment."
• "The majority of men never learn that the urge of sex has other possibilities, which far transcend in importance, that of mere physical expression."
• "Between the ages of 30 to 40 man begins to learn (if he ever learns), the art of sex transmutation."
• "The average man reaches the period of his greatest capacity to create between 40 to 60." Therefore "Man should approach this age not with fear,  but with hope and eager anticipation."

Females

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office is a compelling book that helps women learn how to thrive in a male dominated business world. The book lays out 101 mistakes women make in the office or professional environment that prevent them from achieving desired success. Below I have 5 of my favorite "mistakes" the author Lois Frankel suggest: 

• Mistake #8: Waiting to Be Given What you Want: Frankel suggest that women should be direct, straightforward, and accompany each request with two or three reasons why they should be given it. She also suggest reading the book Shadow Negotiations: How Woman Can Master the Hidden Agendas That Determine Bargaining Success
• Mistake #12: Holding Your Tongue: "Take more risks with giving your opinions at meetings. Practice giving your opinion at least once during every meeting. It gets easier every time. To counterbalance the feeling of being too aggressive, after you've expressed your opinion you could add an inquiry." For example, "That's how I see it. I'm curious to know what others think."
• Mistake#19: Acting Like a Man: Women bring a unique set of behaviors to the workplace that are needed, especially in today's climate. Being different from men isn't something to change or hide.
• Mistake#22 Being Overly Concerned with Offending Others: Women are often afraid of offending people with their comments in a professional environment. However, Frankel suggest that one can simply acknowledge his or her feelings before responding such as, "This is a bit difficult for me to say, but I do want to let you know how I see the situation." This statement will help the person understand and be more patient with you.
• Mistake# 34 Viewing Men in Authority as Father Figures: "Use self-talk to differentiate male authority figures from your father. When you are in a meeting with the boss, tell yourself he's not your father and you are his equal. Do it as often as needed to believe it and act accordingly." 

I hope these two books help you to realize the knowledge available and the importance of reading books. Below are a couple other books that offer a wealth of great knowledge: 48 Laws of Power, Outwitting the Devil, Eat That Frog, and last The Law of Success, also written by Napoleon Hill.

How to Prevent Jealousy and Move Forward!

Jealousy! the big ugly "green monster" that comes out when you least expect it. At some point in our lives we have all caught the jealousy bug. Whether it is in a relationship, friendship, or acquaintance jealousy can affect anyone. Lets first establish what jealousy means. Jealousy means that you do not value what you have accomplished in your life and put someone else's accomplishments before your own. This is a mistake in any situation because it means that you are exerting your energy in every other place but in the development of making yourself a better person. As young professionals we all have that moment where we wish we were smarter, looked better, or had qualities we see in other people. Sometimes this need can even be hidden which is why we strive to be better than what we have already accomplished and become perfectionists. But how do we deal with this feeling and move forward with our lives? These are five things that you can do whenever you have been bitten by the jealousy bug!
The goal here is to transform your negative energy into positive energy by focusing on yourself. 

Materials: Paper and Pencil, Comfortable Place to Sit

Step 1. Write down the quality you see in someone else that you wish you had. This step will help you to visibly see what you are comparing yourself to. 

Step 2. Write down three qualities and accomplishments that are similar to the source of jealousy.

Ex: I want to be as popular as "X."
Quality: I have plenty of close friends on which I can depend!

Step 3. Now take a step back and applaud yourself for your accomplishments and unique qualities.

Step 4. Meditate on what you have done for yourself and accept the amazing person that you already are. 

Step 5. Write down three things you will do to strengthen the qualities you focused on in Step 2.  You can either make this a friendly challenge or focus inward and work to be a better you!

Remember practice makes perfect. Work on these five steps and I guarantee you will be too focused on yourself to feel jealous of other's accomplishments. 

Daily Rituals on how to Remain Positive!

Remaining positive in your everyday life can be a challenge. It is a choice we make to banish all negative energy in our lives. Some people turn to their friends and family, books, or even faith to relieve negative emotion. Even for me I must remain confident despite the challenges that may come into my life. Although bad things may happen to you there is always a way to provide a positive response. I have put together steps to help you stay positive throughout your day.

1. Write down your goals in life, print them out, and tape them to your mirror. Then when you wake up every morning and look at yourself read your goals aloud. This is the first step to creating positive energy in the start of your day.

2. Take time to yourself every morning to do something that you love to do. This is the best way to stay positive throughout your day because you will enjoy the first moments of your day the way you would like to.

3. Always remember this saying “ You will be about as happy as you decide to be”. If something does happen throughout the day that throws off your energy then you must decide if you will continue to be happy or let it consume you.

4. Remember that you always have support from your family and friends. Look to your support system whenever you feel down. Don’t forget that you always have someone in your corner.

5. Make your room a “positive zone” by putting quotes all over your walls and a theme of warm colors such as blue, green, or yellow. This will subconsciously create a positive feeling throughout your day.

6. Take breaks often. Never continue to do something that requires a lot of your focus for more than two hours a time. Take breaks as often as you can and you will see a big difference in your positive thinking.

7. Remember that all challenges come into your life for a reason. Welcome them by reacting quickly. Whether that means choosing not to deal with the situation all together or coming up with a positive way to handle it but, never start thinking negatively as it doesn’t help in any situation.

8. Last but not least smile often. Even when there is seemingly nothing to smile about. Always smile and you will begin to subconsciously feel better.


Quotes:
“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results” - Willie Nelson

“In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision” - Dalai Lama

“Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation”- Michael Jordan

“If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges”- Pat Riley 

The Benefits of Yoga

The benefits of yoga go way beyond what one can see on a surface level. Yoga is healthy for the mind, soul and body.

What is Yoga?
Yoga is “A Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline which includes breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and relaxation” Most Westernized yoga classes focus on learning physical poses, which are called asanas.

What are the benefits of practicing Yoga?
Practicing Yoga builds flexibility, core strength, and improves mood. One can experience huge life changes if they practice yoga.

Why should you practice yoga?
Because you will gain an inner sense of yourself and learn more about what makes you happy. You become closer with nature and learn to love and share happiness with everyone you encounter.

Try taking a yoga class at a local college or recreation center to learn the full benefits of Yoga. Yoga has changed my life and I am sure it will change yours as well.

Basic Yoga Video:

Should You Join a Black Greek Organization??

Should you join a Black Greek Letter Organization? Well it depends on your goals, your personality and what you envision for yourself in the future. This is a big decision that could have a great affect on your personal and professional life. It is essential that you make the best choice for your situation. Below I have put together a list of pros and cons that should help you make your decision.


Pros: 

Builds Confidence: Joining a Black Greek Letter Organization (BGLO) has many benefits. The “pledging” or pre-membership process alone builds confidence, discipline, patience, and team work. Many people also gain lifelong friends after the joining a fraternity or sorority. While showing interest in a Greek organization you will learn how to push yourself and get out of your comfort zone which will help you advance in many areas of your life. Although the pre-membership process may be time consuming, once it is over then most members will not go through a similar “pledging” process again.

Networking: Once you join a BGLO you will be exposed to many networking opportunities which will help you in many of the goals you strive for in life.

Popularity: Some people may also enjoy the thought of gaining popularity within their College, as many members of BGLO are well known on around campus.

Historical Significance: Last but not least there is great historical significance of BGLOs. People from these organizations have gone to do great things which have broken gender and racial barriers.

Cons:

Pre-Membership Activities:  BGLOs have come under a lot of fire in the past years due to hazing*. This can be very uncomfortable and time consuming for many people who decide to participate in pre-membership activities. Although all of the BGLOs have banned the use of hazing, there are still many cases of mental hazing and other actions to show loyalty to the organization.

Time Commitment: Students must also consider the time commitment when deciding to join a BGLO. The current members expect a lot of personal time which can affect grades and social interaction. Many members also spend countless hours planning on and off campus events for their sorority or fraternity. Therefore time management and priorities must be in line before joining a BGLO.

Making the right choice: Choosing the right BGLO can also be a challenge due to a number of reasons such as family affiliation or accessibility to a particular sorority or fraternity that may be suspended (due to hazing). Making the wrong choice could potentially turn into a negative situation as many members of BGLO look down upon lack of loyalty. Therefore odds are you will not get a chance to make a second choice.

Losing Personal Identity: It is possible that you could lose your personal identity, or the person you were before joining a BGLO. One should never pledge to be a part of something that they believe will bring value to their life as the individual should be ultimately adding value to the organization. Therefore it is very important to know who you are before deciding to join a BGLO.

Financial Commitment: A lot of people do not take into consideration the amount of money involved in joining a BGLO. Cost of membership can easily run over $5000 plus yearly dues. The financial requirements can also be stressful for some people seeking membership as it can be looked down upon if you are not financially active within the organization. However, many students save up personal money and receive sponsors in order to meet the financial membership requirement.

I hope this helps you decide as to whether you would join a BGLO. There are many Pros and Cons to everything that you do in life so make the decision that is best for you.

Tips:
Below are some books that should be very helpful.    

The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities
Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs, and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities

The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities

 

*The practice of rituals and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group.