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.