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From Essence

For a while at ESSENCE, I’ve been kicking around the idea of our magazine telling our readers to put themselves first. The germ of a thought grew out of my own example of running, gunning and trying miserably to keep up with the never-ending to-do list. From closing pages at ESSENCE to helping my kids with homework, to editing my husband’s blog, to helping run a nonprofit, to cooking two meals on Sunday (yes two)—the list is a constant reminder I say ‘yes’ too much to too many people way too often. Yet, Tanisha is no where to be found on the list while she walks around feeling crazy, gaining weight and watching her tender, natural curls fall on the shower floor. Whoa. Wait. STOP. What in the heck have I been thinking? Truthfully, I haven’t. Since hitting age 30, I’ve been on a tear like a wild animal trying to prove “I can do it!” When in reality, crossing off lists and saying ‘yes’ in excess have caused my short-term memory to fail and forced me to the doctor’s office listening to him say, “Lose weight or else…” That was earlier this year, and it wasn’t pretty. I was angry, upset and disappointed in myself for sliding so far down my own list that my health was suffering. Although my list is still way too long, the tide is turning. Here’s what I’m doing to put myself at the top of the list:

1. I exercise and eat better. Sugar is my enemy. Diabetes runs in my family. My mom used to say the disease would skip a generation. It hasn’t, so I’ve cut out sugary drinks and apple pies and overdoing it on potatoes and other starches that turn to sugar when they enter your blood stream. Oh yeah, and Zumba, Spinning and Club Soda are now my BFFs.

Read more at Essence

pauleannareid.com

There are good moments in life, when you wish the world would stop and you could enjoy that wonderful feeling of accomplishment and happiness forever. And then there are the moments where you wish life came with a remote so you could fast forward to the good parts. When life lacks luster and you find yourself unfulfilled, change up your outlook and take these tips offered by Forbes:

Make Your Hobby a Habit

Bring your talents out of the closet and put them on display. You may be a talented business executive with a wonderful singing voice. Make time to incorporate your passion for singing in your daily life. Join a choir or perform in a local concert. Maybe you always had a passion for building things. Take time to put together a shelf. Whatever it is you’re passionate about, cooking, music or possibly dancing, find an outlet that allows you to use your talents regularly.

Take Time Off

Everyone needs a bit of rest and relaxation time. No matter what your job is or how your boss demands you give all of your time to the company; you are entitled to a break. If you can, spread out your vacation time instead of piling it all on one holiday. This will give you the much needed refreshers you need throughout the year.

Exercise!

Everyone needs to take a walk, do a few pushups or take a Zumba class. Unfortunately, most of us don’t want to take the time out to do it. Exercising in the morning cuts out on sleep, exercising at night is impossible because we need to recover from the stress of the day. But what’s 15-30 minutes a few times in the week out of your busy schedule? When you exercise you look and feel better, and only then will you know it was worth it.

Update Your Resume

There are times when the job you loved becomes the job you dread. The euphoria and excitement from getting a steady paycheck wears off, and you’re stuck with mundane, boring tasks looking at people you don’t like every day. Consistently updating your resume with new skills and experiences as well as keeping in constant contact with your network will eventually pay off and lead you to a more fulfilling and worthwhile professional opportunity.

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