by Altimese Nichole | Feb 23, 2016 | Learn + Grow
Corporate America is full of great opportunity and deep land mines. As you climb the corporate ladder, it’s critical that you learn the career pitfalls through shared wisdom instead of personal experience. Although experience is the best teacher, learning from others can help you miss the mistakes and mishaps that could be avoidable.
Here are five words of wisdom that were passed on to me from career mentors and professionals:
- Stop asking if you can have it all. Men have been doing it for years, so the question is unnecessary. Just go after what you want and just do it.
- Balance is not only important but it’s necessary. Don’t spend so much time investing in work that you forget the ones and things that truly matter.
- Attire does matter so dress for the job you want, not for the job you have.
- If you’re in the midst of a difficult conversation via email, it’s best to type your response and hold off on sending it.Walk away or come back to it later in the day to review the draft.This will allow you the opportunity to ensure the appropriate tone and response. When in doubt, save draft.
- Do not participate in gossip. Simply don’t do it. People that you think are not paying attention, see and hear it all and your association with the drama can become detrimental to your career growth.
What are some words of wisdom that have helped you navigate your career?
XOXO,
by Torrie Oglesby | Jan 23, 2016 | Learn + Grow
CP Patrick is a dare-devil, a dreamer, a doer, a daughter, a wife, a mother, and a woman that you need to know. She exudes confidence, power, love and womanhood! I met her through her Instagram and immediately knew that this was a woman I wanted to know and be by, in order that her amazingness might rub off on me. After liking all her posts for about a year, I finally decided to reach out to her! Read on to learn more about the spectacular creation that is Author CP Patrick.
- Tell us about your life before becoming a full-time writer?
Before I became a full-time writer, my life was crazy! I worked as a Policy Advisor for the US Department of Energy. Our office was tasked with some of the White House’s top priorities, so it was intense. I would work my full-time job, come home in the evening, and do what I call the family time-dinner-nighttime shuffle. Once everyone was in bed, I would go into my office and write until 2am. Crazy! And not very healthy.
- Quitting your job had to be frightening! What were some liberating parts of it, and what were some hard parts?
Quitting my full-time job was indeed scary because I had worked in the energy sector for the past ten years. Energy policy was very familiar, whereas writing was this new venture. I had so much to learn, especially as an indie author. But I just felt like it was exactly what I supposed to be doing—writing fiction and fantasy about the African diaspora. I had never been happier, so I decided to take the leap. The most liberating part was Waking up and realizing that I had done it. I was following my heart and doing something that I was passionate about, something that gave me so much joy. I kind of felt like a rock star. 🙂 The hardest part was the first two weeks after I left my job—there was no automatic paycheck. It was real. Lol
- What was the breaking point? What made you finally choose your passion over everything else?
Well, the breaking point sort of had this momentum. I published The Truth About Awiti in March 2015. Then it made Amazon’s Best Sellers List in April. By May I had an agent. And throughout there were book clubs and speaking engagements, and with every event I just felt more and more certain this was my destiny. And I was tired. I was really tired working full time and writing. I knew I couldn’t keep going at the same hectic pace. If had to choose one, I knew it would definitely be writing. When I spoke with my husband about it, he actually said, “I knew this was coming.” And then he encouraged me to go for it (because he’s so wonderful. I’m very blessed to have such a supportive spouse).
- What made you so passionate about African-American history, and how in the world did you decide you wanted to mix that with fantasy in your debut novel?
It’s funny because while I have a JD, I also have a BA and MA in African and African-American Studies. Not many people know that because of my career in law and policy. But I have always been passionate about the history and people of the African diaspora. I actually discovered the premise for The Truth About Awiti in graduate school. It was the first time I heard the theory of the spirits of slaves being embodied in the winds of hurricanes. Because I love fiction, fantasy, and folklore, that theory always stuck with me. I decided to write The Truth About Awiti as part of National Novel Writing Month 2014. And here we are!
- Take us through a day in your life. How does it start? What’s in between, and how do you finish your song of the day?
I live the life of a creative—there is no schedule! Just kidding. The mornings and evenings are pretty much the same. I try and wake up before my husband and daughter to have a little “me” time. So that’s 5:30am–6:00am. I recently started the devotional Thirty-One Days of Prayer for the Dreamer and the Doer by Jenn Sprinkle and Kelly Rucker. It’s wonderful. Then it’s time for breakfast and getting my family out the door by 7am. Between 7am–4pm, anything goes—social media, photo shoots, responding to emails, marketing, taking a much-needed nap, meetings/discussions with other authors, and of course, writing and editing. It’s amazing how quickly the time flies by. 4pm–9pm is devoted to dinner, family time, and occasionally, a deadline or two. Then at 9pm I catch up on anything I needed to respond to between 4pm and 9pm. I try really hard to get in bed by 10, but some days it just doesn’t happen. But I can always take a nap the next day if I need to. I’m big on naps. 😉
- Who has been your biggest inspiration in life?
I know it sounds cliché, but my mother. She’s so cute, funny, and amazing. I could just eat her up with a spoon! And elderly women in general. I don’t know how they did it back in the day! With less resources and what not. I remember complaining to my mother one night about how tired I was, and she said, “Umph! Your generation has it so much easier. You don’t even have to cut your own lettuce!” Of course, I went and looked in our refrigerator, and we had bagged salad. I couldn’t stop laughing.
- What has been your biggest struggle in life, and how has it made you who you are today?
I think my biggest struggle has been discovering God’s purpose for my life. I think we hear His voice early on but then something happens where we are discouraged or afraid to pursue the thing He’s placed in us to do. Then, when we finally step into it, it’s this crazy and exciting rollercoaster of blessings and opportunities. Even the disappointments are exciting because you know they are part of His plan. It’s not a coincidence that I have a strong educational background in African and African-American Studies. This was His purpose all along, but perhaps I had to go through the painful and difficult times to understand and appreciate my calling. I’ve finally found it! Writing fiction and fantasy interwoven with the African diaspora experience was placed on my heart a long time ago. And it’s just like in The Alchemist— when you truly want something with all your heart, all the world conspires to help you achieve it.
- What is your advice to all our #GIRLBOSS readers?
My advice for girl bosses is stop thinking so much about what can go wrong. Instead, focus on what can go right. Phenomenal women have blazed a path to greatness so follow their lead. And don’t be afraid to ask for help along the way.
by Torrie Oglesby | Nov 17, 2015 | Learn + Grow
For about a year now there’s been this saying going around: “You’re The Real MVP.” It’s extremely popular and people use it for even the silliest situations. For example, if someone goes and gets the group pizza, the group will say something like: “Thanks, you’re the real MVP.” However the saying originated from an amazing speech given by basketball player Kevin Durant, when he won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award for the 2013-2014 basketball season. In the speech, he talks about his mother and the sacrifices she made to make sure her sons were fed, clothed, off the streets and being set up for success. He ends it by telling her that she’s the real MVP and the crowd applauds him while his mother is moved to tears.
This speech led me to think about who’s my MVP? Who, without their help and guidance, would I be completely lost without? Who goes above and beyond for me that I often overlook or forget to express my gratitude towards? We all survive because of other people who help us. This could be helping us with our children, helping us with our spiritual lives, helping us during hard times, and helping us by being a helping hand whenever we need one. It’s so important to appreciate the people who are actively involved in your life and to let them know that they are your MVP. I believe your MVP can change from year to year. At times, it can be your parents and as you grow older it may change to a helpful spouse or a dedicated friend, either way let’s show these people that we value them.
This week I want you to identify your MVP. Who is your Most Valuable Player? After you identify them, come up with something you can do for them that shows your appreciation. Be creative, have fun, and GO BIG! Be generous with how you show your MVP your appreciation and love! Let them know you’re thankful for all their help this year and maybe even previous years and that you wouldn’t have made it without them!
With love and big smiles,
torrie
by Torrie Oglesby | Oct 25, 2015 | Learn + Grow
It’s 2015 and women are anything but one dimensional. We have stay-at-home moms that homeschool and stay-at-home moms who don’t. We have moms running multi-million dollar companies and moms going back to school to get the degree they’ve always wanted. We have women who are getting their masters and running a startup and women who breaking norms in film and television and the arts as a whole. We have women who make money off of YouTube. Women are so amazing to me. What we do, how much we do, how we do what we do and our ability to just do it, truly astonishes me. We live in the age of #GIRLBOSSES and its inspiring and overwhelming all at once. I’m personally, a mother of two, a writer and editor for STRONG and I run my own blog. I’m constantly taking off a hat and swapping it in for the next one. In a world that seems like we can have it all, can we actually really have it all?
My answer is yes, however, it’s not an easy yes.
You see, I wouldn’t want to be a woman in any other time period in history other than right now. At the same time, sometimes I wonder how easy it must of have been when women didn’t have the options to work, go to school or build companies. They didn’t have to balance it all, but they are the reason I take balancing it all so seriously. I think of all the women who had dreams like mine, visions like mine, and goals like mine yet weren’t able to perform those goals or see their visions come to pass because the times didn’t allow them to. That’s why we must fight hard and stubbornly, to have it all. We must give every aspect of our lives attention and nurture our business, children, husbands, and whatever else we have going on exactly with care. We must give everything in our lives time and when it is time to turn off business mode and enter into mommy mode we must do it, unapologetically.
Yes, YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL, but it’s not an easy yes. It’s a yes that we have to fight for. A yes that requires attention and nurture. Balance. I believe in you! Don’t stop working on your dream, don’t stop being the best mother you can be, don’t stop making date nights with your husband, and don’t stop kicking butt in school or at work! Do it all with spunk, humility, happiness and boldness. Continue to fight for it all and have it all for the women who came before us and the girls who are looking to us. We can do it.
With love and smiles,
Torrie.
by Altimese Nichole | Oct 25, 2015 | Learn + Grow
Every day, we have great power through the use of our words. We can speak life to our circumstances or we can speak what we see and feel into the atmosphere. Our words can brighten our day or remind us of the gloom or difficulty in our lives.
Although much easier said than done, here are some tips that can help you fuel your words to the direction you desire.
- Read your Bible
The Word of God is full of amazing words or wisdom when it comes to the power of words, our thoughts, and our feelings. If you’re struggling in this area, I encourage you to read with the clear intention and direction. Make it a point to find all of the scriptures involving our words and study those scriptures. If initial studying is slightly difficult with you, check out our articles called Using SOAP with God.
- Review Yearly Goals
Writing goals help us to stay focused on the things that matter when our feelings of motivation as left us. Reading and reviewing our goals help us to keep in mind the bigger picture when the journey becomes tougher than we expected. When we remind ourselves of our WHY, we encourage ourselves through the HOW.
- Listen to motivational videos and podcasts
Though technology, we can chose to be reactive to the information we receive or be intentionally proactive with the type of content we let into our lives. Through Facebook, our timelines are full of things and people we CHOOSE to follow and connect ourselves with. Want more positivity? Simply add more positive things and people to your friends list and pages, while hiding the negativity. Simply click the hide button over status updates or go to the person’s page and click unfollow updates. This leaves the friendship or connection intact without the interference of your desired timeline environment. YouTube “Motivational videos†and the “Power of Your Word,†and prepare to fill up with great content.
We all get off course with our words, and that’s okay! It’s up to recognize when we get off course and be intentional about getting back on track. Use your words to fuel your success, love life, and future. Your words contain power so be very intentional about the power you’ve been given.
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