Month: March 2021

8 Inspirational Quotes by Brilliant Black Women Entertainers

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If you’re anything like me, you live for motivational and inspirational quotes. I’m definitely someone who has quotes all over my vision boards, hydroflask, letterboard, planner, and wherever else I can put them. Sometimes, other people are just better at saying what we need to hear to feel inspired or motivated. Last year, I shared some of my favorite quotes from my favorite Black authors during Black History Month. I meant to do that this year but February flew by.

In honor of Women’s History Month and to make up for my slacking in February, this blog post will be dedicated to some of my favorite inspirational quotes from Black women I look up to and admire in the entertainment industry. These women all inspire me in different ways and their words are so helpful as I work towards being the successful woman I want to be.

“I don’t like to gamble, but if there’s one thing I’m willing to bet on, it’s myself.” ― Beyoncé Knowles

“I don’t have any time to stay up all night worrying about what someone who doesn’t love me has to say about me.” ― Viola Davis (during an interview with Oprah Winfrey)

“You can’t let fear paralyze you. The worse that can happen is you fail, but guess what: You get up and try again. Feel that pain, get over it, get up, dust yourself off and keep it moving.” ― Queen Latifah

“I discovered that joy is not the negation of pain, but rather acknowledging the presence of pain and feeling happiness in spite of it. ― Lupita Nyong’o

“For the first time in my life, I’m basing every decision around the idea of whether I want to do it or if I think it will be inspiring. And that’s paid off for me.” ― Solange

“Sticking with your vision and what you believe in is so, so important.” ― Zendaya

“Give your growth time ― it took me 10 years and I’m still not 100% there.” ― Lizzo

“Happiness comes from living as you need to, as you want to. As your inner voice tells you to. Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be.” ― Shonda Rhimes, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person

As I’ve already said, I admire each of these women for their own unique contributions to the entertainment industry. They have all done some amazing things in their careers and are still working and adding to their resumes now. Their words will continue to inspire me as I add to mine. Hopefully you are also inspired by these words and remember them in your day-to-day life.

What is your favorite quote to remember every day? Whether it’s from another celebrity, an activist, someone in your life, or even yourself, I want to hear it. Tell me in the comments!

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Reflecting on the First Half of My 3L Year

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This semester is my last semester ever of law school. In normal circumstances, I would say I can’t believe the time has gone by this fast. However, these past few years have not been normal at all. I truly feel like I have lived many lives since I started law school and, in a way, it’s true. However this is true for everyone. There is pre-pandemic life and whatever is going on now. It’s definitely added an additional layer of stress to an already stressful experience. I would like to have

This semester started off a rocky note for me. I did not really get the traditional winter break I have gotten in previous years just because WRBLSA had our convention and I had to work with my GLJ board to finalize volume 11.1. The point is, I was not really mentally ready for the semester to start.

Once the semester started, it just felt like things were always escalating. Between my classes, journal, clinic, home life, blog, podcast, and everything else I just felt like I was trying to catch up with myself. Mercury Retrograde started two weeks into the semester and I could definitely tell from my interactions in different spaces. There were so many misunderstandings I spent a good part of that time period praying for patience and meditating because I just did not have it in me to try to overexplain. Luckily, all things were cleared up after some communication, but it was still another thing that was stressing me out at that time.

Another thing that has happened this semester was applying to take the Bar Exam! Oh my goodness. The Bar asks soooo many questions and even though I was not completely unaware of how much it asks, it still caught me off guard and I ended up submitted it on the last possible day without getting a late fee. I was completely prepared for someone to come to my house and ask for a blood sample after I clicked submit. I feel like the Bar Exam people will now know me better than anyone else.

Now that I’ve written out many of the things that have happened so far, I know what I need to do to survive the remainder of the semester until MAY 14th aka MY GRADUATION as well as my legal career in general. Here are some things I need to do to make sure I make the next few months as easy as possible.

I need to spend more time fully planning out my months.

Don’t get me wrong, I use my planner. However, I noticed that in January and February I was writing things in on a weekly basis instead of filling out everything at the beginning of the month. This became problematic because certain things would catch me off-guard and then I would end up having multiple bigger things to do every day for multiple days instead of spreading things out. After I finish writing this blog, I’m going to fill in my March calendar completely because I already know there’s a lot going on this month and I only have a few dates filled in.

I need to write EVERY thing down, no matter how small it is.

I realized that I have been overestimated my ability to remember things that I think of in the moment and this semester it has led to me dropping the ball a few times. Luckily for me, these are all things that could have been remedied, however it’s still not a good look. I now have a little notepad and post-its right next to me on my desk and a note on my phone dedicated to random things I think of if I’m not at my desk. I know this Is so basic and obvious but sometimes those are the things we take for granted the most.

I need to spend MORE time by myself.

I realized this semester that the busier I am with other things, the MORE time I need to make for myself and my wellness. This might sound impossible because obviously if you are super busy, you don’t have that much time. However, one day I sat down and realized I hadn’t actually relaxed for more than 5 mins in a given week or two, I knew it was time for me to take a personal day. I ended up not going to class this past Monday and I don’t regret it at all. Obviously, there is a certain amount of privilege you have to have to be able to do this as a law student. However, if you can just take one day where you don’t go to class and don’t respond to e-mails, slack, band, etc. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. I also have started meditating for 10 minutes a day every day to ground myself a bit more. I’ll write more about this at the end of the month.

These are just a few things I’m implementing for the rest of the semester. I encourage all law students who may be like me and forgot to do these things as often as they should to try it out. Plan things enough in advance, write things down, and make your me-time non-negotiable. I’m almost certain this will make your semester better. If not, at least it will make it somewhat more manageable.

What are some ways you make sure you have a handle on the semester or your life? Let me know in the comments! I’m always looking for suggestions.