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From HelloBeautiful

No one told you being a grown-up sucks because you would not listen even if they did tell you! Point blank ….period.

I remember hearing from my mother and aunts, “Enjoy your youth. Enjoy being young. Enjoy being a child with no responsibilities,” and I would quickly scoff at this wisdom. I would speak softly under my breath about elders, bosses, married women and my parents not understanding my plight, trials and tribulations as a teenager, young adult, college student, law student, single woman…..you name it!

However, my very own life experiences and tests have actually taught me throughout my matriculation as an adult that being a grown up actually does not have to suck.

Let’s run down a laundry list of grown up experiences that MAY suck:

1) Having to work full time just to have no money after paying bills.

2) Working at a job, or for a boss that you actually do not like.

3) Paying taxes.

4) Not being in a meaningful relationship.

5) Not being able to eat whatever you want without gaining weight.

6) Not having children yet.

7) Being passed up for a well-deserved promotion and/or raise.

8) Dealing with sickness.

9) Not getting into the graduate school of your choice.

10) Unemployment.

I have dealt with each and every instance listed above. Believe me when I tell you that those life experiences hurt, some more than others, however, they were all a part of my growing on so many levels. Throughout those sucky experiences, I have grown in my faith, patience, expectations, love and relationships.

Read more on HelloBeautiful.com.

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With the ups and downs of the current economy, Americans are becoming more acquainted with the thought of living a child-free lifestyle. According to a recent article in The Daily Beast, having children is becoming more of a preference than an absolute for many single and married men and women who are now giving the option of a childless life and marriage more thought.

For many, the choice of not having kids seems selfish and combats the ideal of a woman’s “obligation” to be fruitful and multiply, but given the cost of raising a child and the rise in women who are becoming more educated and more motivated to become a bigger part of the C-level workforce, a childless lifestyle seems to have more advantages then it does disadvantages for some.

Going against the grain, have you ever thought about the benefits of not having children? Here are a few reasons how this choice might benefit you and your lifestyle. (And on the flip side, check out some benefits of having bambinos right here.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Teddy Campbell’s Instagram

Are there any, as they say in the church world, prayer warriors out there? If so, Tina and Teddy Campbell are reaching out to you.

As many of you know, the June 2013 issue of Ebony featured Gospel group Mary Mary on the cover and in the article, Tina Campbell revealed that she found out earlier this year that her husband, Teddy, cheated on her. The affair, according to Teddy, happened two and a half years ago and was with a now ex family friend.

Ebony pointed out in the article that when Tina showed up for the interview, she was not wearing her wedding ring.

Apparently, things have taken a turn for the worse.

On Friday afternoon, Tina posted a message on ILoveMaryMary.com from both she and Teddy. In the note, Tina says that they are struggling right now but are fighting back:

…Well since the article, the challenges have worsened. My hope turned into hopelessness & despair and I became unwilling to forgive and fight, until God showed me myself.

My husband’s struggle, was with sexual immorality BUT I have struggled with anger, rage, unforgiveness, pride, just to name a few, for over 2 decades. The devil wanted to use strongholds that took hold of our lives in our childhood, to remain and destroy us as adults. So now instead of being mad at each other we’re mad at the devil and we’re ready to fight…”

The good news is that they are prepared to fight to save their 13 year marriage. In fact, Tina and Teddy aren’t stopping at just communicating with each other, a therapist and/or a pastor; they are reaching out to the fans.

Tina and Teddy began a 30 day fast on Friday “for complete deliverance & restoration.”  For those that aren’t aware, many Christians fast for the purpose of gaining clarity and healing for things going on in their lives.  They asked that the fans join them in this process:

“If u are able to, please fast and/or pray daily that God would answer our prayers and give us a deeper love & commitment to him and to each other. We believe he still works miracles and he can give us the greatest marriage we could have ever imagined. We can pray alone BUT your prayers will certainly help.”

Well, this is…a lot.  Many of us know, whether we’re single or married, that marriage is very hard. But once you add being in the public eye to the equation, things can be even harder. Many question why Tina even revealed that Teddy cheated on her in the first place because had she not, no one would have ever known. However, her revelation may be helping her (and Teddy) figure out her next steps.

Do you think Tina made things worse by going public with this news? Have you ever fasted to gain some type of clarity?

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By Jess Gray

When you’re your own boss and your paycheck depends on you getting the work done, you literally cannot afford to put things off. Unfortunately, many of us like to (or constantly exhibit behavior that would suggest we like to) work under pressure. We play and diddle-daddle with deadlines and “later” is something that doesn’t seem to come until right before “too late.” Well, for my chronic procrastinators, here are some tips for getting down to business and wrapping up that task sooner than later.

 “It’s all just too much!”
Sometimes when I look at a task all at once, I feel overwhelmed. The big picture can be a lot to take in. Break your task down into smaller steps and attack them one at a time. Set small goals and tackle them one at a time.

When you go to work, you go there to do well..work. However, sometimes getting all of your work done in a set amount of time can be difficult. From distractions to randomly called meetings, there are all sorts of things that throw off our work and productivity balance in the workplace. However, if you want to become one of those ultra-productive employees, there are some tips you’ll want to keep at hand, like these.

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Know when your day ends

Instead of coming in at 7:00 am each morning and leaving at whenever pm, you’ll want to give yourself a specific working schedule each day. If you arrive at 7:00, make it clear to yourself that you must be out of the office by 4:00 at the latest. Having a time when you know you need to be leaving work puts a bit more pressure on you to get your work done in a certain amount of time. Otherwise you can slack off all day and not head home until 7:00 pm.

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Maternity leave for a new parent averages usually up to 12 weeks after giving birth, leaving time for bonding with your child, getting adapted to a new role as a mother and time to heal physically (and maybe emotionally) after the process of childbirth. As those weeks wind down, you may find yourself unprepared to pick up where you left off at work.

Use these ten tips to help you get back on the bandwagon at work post-baby without all the strain, stress, and shock of leaving your newborn.

Robin Roberts on the “Good Morning America” set on January 24. AP Photo/ABC, Ida Mae Astute

Since Robin Roberts returned to the set of “Good Morning America” in February, fans of the ABC morning news show have been overjoyed to see their favorite host progressing positively after her bone marrow transplant late last year. Unfortunately, Robin revealed on her Facebook page today that she has suffered a minor setback and had to be briefly hospitalized last week. She wrote:

My heart continues to go out to the remarkably strong people of Boston. We stand by you now and always.

It saddens me that I haven’t been able to join my colleagues in covering this important story.

Last week, in the middle of my Key West vacation, I began not to feel well. Nothing serious, just under the weather. I contacted my doctors and flew back to NYC. They felt it best to admit me into the hospital for a few days. Seems my young immune system needed a little boost to fight off “opportunistic infections”.

My doctors assured me that this was NOT because I was working or doing too much, too soon. It’s extremely common, post bone marrow transplant, to have complications. I’m blessed that mine have not been severe.

I’m feeling MUCH better, and will relax at home for the rest of the week. I’ll be back on GMA next week…as my sweet momma would say: “Good Lord willing, and the creek don’t rise!”
Miss you and bless you..XO

It’s certainly good to know working hasn’t compromised Robin’s health. Here’s wishing a speedy and relaxing recovery to our favorite journalist while she rests at home. We’re looking forward to seeing her back on GMA next week and keeping her in our prayers!

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Entrepreneurship has become one of the most popular career paths in the past five years, becoming a  tempting option to consider in our unstable global economy. Mike Seiman, of CPX Interactive conducted a 60-minute webinar discussing some of the best reasons to strike out on your own. If you are thinking about becoming your own boss and creating your own “rat race,” here are nine factors that may help with your decision.