Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Motivation.
On and Off the Phone
If you’re anything like me, Covid has sucked me into the depths of my phone. Between doom scrolling and fantasizing when I’ll be able to see friends again, I’ve been trying to distract myself. At first, I thought I was trying to distract myself from the volatile political landscape or the restrictions Covid has placed on our lives. However, I found myself hooked to social media to get the latest news which only served to feed into my worries and fears. Even after recognizing that my phone wasn’t necessarily my friend, I still found myself peeking at my screen to get the latest updates from Facebook or the newest headline from the New York Times. This article is how I transformed my phone to a tool and how I’ve used it to keep sane throughout this pandemic.
By Sarah Holbrook6 years ago in Motivation
The Woman Who Moves Mountains
The little girl with the pigtail plaits had no idea who she would grow up to be, but she always knew she was somebody. Her parents taught her, and both of her sisters, that good things were expected of all of them. This was during the time that little children were expected to drop out of school by the eighth grade because their future was in service to White people and they had no need of an education beyond the basics. The parents never had an opportunity to receive an education and they were determined this was not going to happen to their girls.
By Pamela W. Carman6 years ago in Motivation
Brighter Path
As children, we loved to admire and be inspired by superheroes. Fictional characters like Iron man and Captain America captured our imagination. Seeing them fly through the air attempting to save the world from an evil villain plot. Many chose to idol more realistic heroes, like your local fireman or policeman. Watching their vehicles pass swiftly responding to an emergency was exhilarating. Once we grew into adults, our visions, goals and wants changed. As well as, who and what inspired us. The black innovator that inspires me is Steve Harvey. Overcoming poverty as a child and young man. Then establishing a career, using his platforms to help guide our youth in the right direction and give tools to others that may need it. It's inspiring to see a philanthropist that doesn't mind giving respect to the man upstairs. This is why I'm inspired.
By Highway Jimmy6 years ago in Motivation
Dayna Stephens
At first glance, Dayna Stephens and I don’t have much in common. At 42, he is already a legendary saxophonist, and I can’t follow along to the Cupid Shuffle. He is a Black man, and I’m a White woman. He received a full ride to Berklee College of Music in Boston, and I went to my safety school. Stephens later attended the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles, while I scored so dismally on my LSAT that I was lucky to make it into a second-tier law school. However, Stephens and I share one unfortunate trait: we are part of the 1% of Americans that suffer from focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
By AJ Schackart 6 years ago in Motivation
Margaret Busby: The Pioneering Black Publisher who Upset the FBI
In 1967, Ghana-born, Margaret Busby had the idea to start her own publishing company in Britain with her friend Clive Allison. Not only did they have virtually no money to begin a business, but Margaret was young, female, and black. Who would take her seriously in the competitive world of book publishing?
By Sophie Jackson6 years ago in Motivation
One Year of Rarely Leaving my House
Like many people, over the past year, I’ve rarely left my house. There is the occasional grocery store run and obviously spending time outside for my daily dose of vitamin D, but other than that, almost all of my time has been spent in my house.
By Clarissa Wilson6 years ago in Motivation
Why Is Everyone Talking About Tiffanie Drayton?
In March 2020, all of our lives changed forever as the COVID-19 pandemic started to terrorize the world. I was in beautiful, sunny Tobago to visit my son, his mother, and my family. It would be during this chaotic yet inspiring year that I would realize the real power of words. While in Tobago, I witnessed one of the most innovative and thoughtful authors daily. Tiffanie Drayton is a prolific, accomplished writer who is a 2013 New School graduate. She went on become a freelance journalist writing literary pieces, including "Black Lives Matter protests reveal that white supremacy is a problem everywhere" for Vox, "Officer calls on police to stop justifying George's Floyd's death" for dailydot.com. She also wrote "Why Minority Male Oppression is a Feminist Issue" for Huffington Post, among many other literary pieces. Ms. Drayton has performed interviews with MSN, CNN, NPR, Huffington Post, Complex, and several other mainstream news outlets.
By Coach Cooke6 years ago in Motivation
Making changes
I have had to make some changes to my life to make things easier for me. I I do not feel old nor do I look old, but sadly the fact is I am, and I have had to retire. There is a lot of things I cannot do now. I have chosen to make these changes by being creative.I had four falls in the last two years which have caused me complications. It is extremely hard for me to bend, and I had to resort to a walking stick. Arthritis and Fibromyalgia are making my life very uncomfortable. Just as well I am a shower person, baths are a thing of the past for me as it is difficult to get up. I have found ways to dress, as it is not as straight forward as it used to be.Housework takes a lot longer to do now because I cannot stand for long periods.The big changes are outside in the front garden. I got all the grass taken away and had it slabbed. Leaving Azelia bushes my favourite, and of Course low maintenance. At the back of the house I had all the shrubs and the grass taken out. The main backyard instead of grass, pebbles. And wooden decking. Along the side of the garden I had someone build me a boxed in side where all the rockery used to be. I had three squares kept open to put in large tubs.and I planted miniature fruit trees. I love flowers and love colour in the garden, I am using pots plants which are easier to maintain. It has not been without it's challenges. I put fairy lights around the tree tubs.and in other parts of the garden, it looked really lovely.But some animal kept coming in and ate my lights.and for some reason took the earth out of the pots even taking the earth away. I had to surround the young trees with wire mesh.Everything in my mind these last few months has all been about making things easier, with low maintenance. Inside the house I have been looking at ways I can still do things, but without a lot of effort, for example I find it very hard to hoover now, I looked into the Robot Hoover's and have decided that is the way ahead for me. Also I love to cook and bake, but as the standing is a problem for me, I came across a product called the Ninja Foodie. The reviews have been excellent. All your cooking is done in this one pot. You do not need to use your cooker anymore.This pot has nine functions and cooks in less time.saving you money. It has an air fryer, cooks a full chicken in forty minutes.it is a pressure cooker.a yoghurt maker. And you can even bake cakes in it. I am always looking for new ideas even little ones can bring satisfaction when you find a solution.For example and this is a tip for the ladies. How many times are you fed up with make up brushes all over the place. Buy yourself a toothbrush holder put them in that.Or if you are taking vitamins and you have the long tubes with the dissolving tablets.when finished put your makeup pencils or brushes in those. Like most woman bras and pants everywhere. I buy the zip food storage bags and put my underwear in them, keeps everything neat and tidy, And very handy. For extra storage the hoover bags you can put a lot in them, use your hoover to suck the air out, and you can store four or five times more.the other thing I have been looking at is making more room in my wardrobe, and I have found clothes hangers, that you can hang six or seven garments on the hangers then release them to hang down giving extra space. I am making all if these improvements to free up time for myself. I have decided I want this year to be a year of creativity. I cancelled my Netflix and I joined Vocal media a few weeks ago, And I started to write stories, which I am enjoying. I got my sewing machine out and started to try making my own clothes, I am a beginner.I have entered competitions for song writing and I want to record the songs that I have written. I have also made lots of craft jewellery.I am nearly finished three books which I hope to publish.I don't know if anything will come of what I am doing. But I am enjoying trying. We have all been experiencing lockdown.With this virus,and like many people I have put some weight on, I am working at getting it off. I have lost a stone so far that is fourteen pounds. I am looking forward to lockdown coming to an end, as I started a new relationship weeks before lockdown. We have kept the relationship going through face time, as we both live in different parts of the United Kingdom, but when Lockdown is over, he will come and live here I am looking forward to the company and the new beginning. I have always had a positive mentality, and love doing new things, I even have two inventions in mind.Of course all these things need capital.If I can raise the funds I would like to make them a reality.
By Kathleen Merry6 years ago in Motivation
