Author: MarlesaW

The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy; I mean that if you are happy you will be good. ~Bertrand Russell

What’s up my B[+] Family??? I have a question for you: What have you done for YOU lately? Everyday we go through the same routines. Wake up, go to work/school, pick up the kids (if you have any), come home, cook/clean/work on a project, go to bed and repeat. Everyday (minus weekends for some of us) we treat each day like the last one: minus special circumstances and appointments, we assume that today will be just like yesterday…nothing special…nothing different. Sometimes we get so complacent with doing the “same old thing” that we forget that each day is a present and we must cherish it as such. I already know what you’re thinking, “It’s hard to cherish anything with these bills/grades/kids/stress always in my face!”, but you’re wrong. To cherish something or someone you must simply appreciate it and acknowledge it’s value.

I’ve always tried to cherish the people that I love and respect the most by doing small but meaningful things for them. Whether it’s a smiley face text the day of a big test or bringing their favorite food to work with me. It made me feel good to know that I could make someone else feel special. Yep, I felt so happy to make others happy but after all that, I would always feel like I had forgotten something or someone. It took me a minute to realize that what/whom I forgotten was MYSELF.

It’s so easy to go about your daily routine and constantly give to everything and everyone around you, and forget about yourself, but honestly, that’s not working for me anymore. Recently, I discovered that the only way I can really be a great service to others is to be a great service to myself. So everyday, I do something just for me. I might get dressed up for no reason or listen to my favorite station on Pandora or just lay in the bed an extra ten minutes. I can and will do whatever little thing I deem necessary to make myself happy. This is a not selfish or egotistical thing, it’s just something I feel that I must do for me.

B [+] fam, it is perfectly okay to love, respect, and cherish yourself. YOU deserve a little slice of happiness so stop neglecting yourself and take it! I LOVE BEING HAPPY and you should too. So often we assume that in order to be happy we must acquire something that we don’t currently have, but what we fail to realize is that everything we need has already been placed within us. Happiness is a frame of mind; YOU control your own happiness, others can merely try to contribute. So while I still want you to help others, serve the community, and give of yourself unconditional, I also want you to make sure you’re helping, serving, and giving TO yourself as well. If you make a mistake today, it’s okay don’t let mistakes, regrets, and bad days make you feel inadequate or make you want to punish yourself. Please remember that each and every day is just another chance to get things right. So smile! Enjoy that piece of cake, take the long way home so you can play your favorite song on repeat, curl up with a good book, or take that personal time you’ve accumulated: You deserve it!

My Personal Happy Day Soundtrack (Enjoy):

1. Golden
2. Fancy
3. I Know
4. Brighter Day
5. Paper Planes (Remix)

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Tags: Happiness, motivation, Positive, Self-Help

Shh…isn’t Tiffany a _____? What about Mike, I heard he wanted to be in ______? My professor’s a ________, he/she crossed in the 90′s.

It may be your pastor, your co-worker, your parents or even yourself, but nine times out of ten you have been influence/affected by a member of a Greek-letter organization.  Stomp The Yard I & II, GΓΣΣΚ, Drumline, and the infamous Spike Lee film, School Daze are all films and TV shows that have placed Greek life directly in our living rooms. Although the step shows, prestige,  and mind games emphasized in the movies are all a part of being Greek; Greek-letter organizations are also provide a service to the community. With the majority of their intake processes shrouded in secrecy, what’s not a secret is that most Greeks like to give back to their surrounding communities. Every Greek-letter organization emphasizes some form of philanthropy that must be shown by its active members and often require a certain amount of community service hours from potential members. Philanthropy can range from something as simple as a national fund raising effort to a  local volunteering activity. Regardless of how the service is performed, members of these organizations must have some sort of direct involvement in the community.

It’s that direct community involvement that B.Positive wants to highlight. We want to know which local Greek organizations are the best at providing for our community. If you or someone you know is an active member of a Greek-letter organization we want to acknowledge you and your organization! As the community editor of B.Positive, I want to know what positive things Greeks are doing in our community and I want to highlight those positive things! E-mail me at MarlesaW@bpositivemag.com and let me know what your organization is doing to improve our community. E-mail me by Friday, November 12, I will pick four outstanding organizations, two fraternities and two sororities, to feature on bpositivemag.com. I want your pictures, videos, and a small description of why your organization is better than the rest when it comes to serving the community. Let’s get involved people!!! Put a positive shine on your organization and e-mail me today!!!

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Tags: College, Greeks, Volunteering

“I believe that children are our future, Teach them well and let them lead the way” -Whitney Houston, Greatest Love Of All

Recently, many media outlets have started to focus their attention on the growing gaps and problems in the American School System. From charter schools and private academies, to online courses and homeschooling, our children have a so many ways to gain an education; yet to some, it seems they are still being robbed of the knowledge they really need. Over the past decade, films like Waiting for Superman and government rulings, like the infamous, No Child Left Behind Act passed by President G. W. Bush in 2001, have put the spotlight on the lack of equality in our nation’s schools. Concerned parents feel that this is unacceptable. How can one of the most powerful countries in the WORLD lack in education? How can we as a nation pass along our war strategies with other nations but forgo passing on our rich histories and new technologies to our future generations? It seems that we have almost placed our children on auto-pilot when it comes to education. The days of the parent-teacher conference are almost extinct, along with the PTA, and community assemblies. Our children are already raising themselves at home, due to the burden of the economy on their parents, but should the burden be placed on them to teach themselves too?

My nephew is nine years old and when he brought home a less than perfect report card last year, I asked him why he felt he didn’t make the honor roll. He told me he tried and the teacher failed him anyway. I then asked him was he having any problems understanding in class. He informed me that he has problems reading and comprehending and he told his teacher about these problems and he received no extra attention. So who’s to blame? Can I really be upset with the teacher whose classroom is overflowing with students. Or maybe my sister’s to blame, the single mother of four, who’s working and just recently finished school herself. Is it the infamous “system”? Or maybe it’s my nephew’s fault for not learning quick enough. I cannot point the finger at any one person and feel completely satisfied with my answer. Truth is, I feel to blame in some strange way. I feel that we are all to blame. Our education system is failing our children and many of us do not care or do not show enough concern. I personally have not shown an interest in volunteering in our schools since 2008 and thinking back, I really miss tutoring kids and making a difference. It’s hard to balance work, home, and everything else that life throws at us but should we use that as an excuse to “leave our children behind”? Over the past few months or so, I’ve attended several lectures, visited different websites, and participated in several small group discussions and I’ve drawn only one conclusion: Something has to be done or the future will be very, very bleak and that’s not going to work for me.

I want to know YOUR opinion about the American Education System and the pros and cons of alternative education methods (charter schools, homeschooling, etc.) Below I’ve listed a few websites that are focused on the improvement of our education system.

• http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml (The U.S. Department of Education)
• http://dr-steveperry.com/ (Dr. Steve Perry’s Website)
• http://www.donewaiting.org (“Done Waiting’s” initiative site)

My hope is that you will visit these sites, along with others, and form your own opinion on the future of our children. Do you agree that the education system is failing our kids? Do you believe that there is nothing wrong with the education system? Do you have ideas or suggestions on how we can “fix” or improve our educational system. Well I want to know! As the Community editor for B. Positive, I want to know how you really feel about your child’s, and in a way, your own future.  I will gather all of the best comments and use them in a future article.

“For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”~African Proverb

PLEASE COMMENT! Even if you don’t feel comfortable commenting directly under this article, I still want your opinions! E-mail me at MarlesaW@Bpositivemag.com. Please keep in mind that this site is family-friendly and we want to try to keep all content at least PG-13.

Be INVOLVED, Be HEARD, Be POSITIVE!!!

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Tags: Children, Education, Future, learning, Opinion, Schools

Are you thinking about starting a business? Want to move to a better part of town? Tired of listening to supervisors who don’t care? Are you frustrated with your life and want to make a drastic change? Regardless of your reasons, you have the power to change your current situation. Always be aware that the only thing holding you back from success is you! Want to make a step in the right direction? Expand your knowledge. If you want to make a difference in this world, not matter how small or large, you will first need to know what you’re getting yourself into. You may not want to save the world, but you might want to start a clothing drive for the victims of the earthquakes in Haiti or start a memorial fund for the families of those killed during the war. No matter what you chose to do to help the global community, you will have to take advice, criticism, and information from others with more experience/expertise for you. So while you’re online reading the hottest online magazine (B.Postive, of course) or tweeting about how boring work is, take some time to educate yourself on whatever it is you need to do in order to uplift, change, or motivate yourself. The city of Birmingham is filled with plenty of FREE opportunities to increase your knowledge of politics, business, personal growth, etc. You can find some of them on the Active Culture website:  http://www.activeculture.info. On this site you’ll find everything from lectures to local fund raising events in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. If you are looking for some internships/job opportunities/ fundraiser ideas, the following sites should help get you started and they also all have local offices for your added convenience:

• http://www.timewarner.com/corp/careers/index.html
• http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/
• http://bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx
• http://rmhc.org/

Remember that you hold the key to your future and you can create the change you desire.

Be Positive, Think Positive, Live Positive!

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Tags: change, global, helpful information, helping others, internships, local events, motivation, websites