"Take your time, but don't waste your time" 🕥

Sep 09, 2020

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#WednesdayWisdom

"You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time." — Angela Davis

Morning Musings

By the time you read this newsletter, I will have written it three times. This, my friends, is how my anxiety shows up in the world.

According to my editorial calendar, this week's theme was supposed to be about productivity (or the lack thereof given, well, everything). Then I saw Lupita Nyong'o's touching tribute to Chadwick Boseman and I wanted to write about that.

Then I second-guessed myself for fear of being seen too performative or opportunistic. Or perhaps alienating those who come here for light and laughter and don't want to read about the heaviness of grief for the second week in a row.

So now we're here with a weird mesh of the two. And, in a strange coincidence, it exemplifies why the call to action in Lupita's caption, "Take your time, but don't waste your time," struck me in such a powerful way.

For much of my adult life, I've been grappling with this constant fear of running out of time to do Great Things. It's the reason why I had a come-to-Jesus moment on the eve of my 30th birthday when I realized I'd never make a 30-under-30 list. It's also the reason why I feel personally attacked by Hamilton's "Non-Stop."

But lately I've been attempting to lean/live into an abundance mindset where I have more than enough time, talent and treasure to go around. As you can see, these two philosophies are at odds with one another. It's a perpetual emotional tug-of-war.

On the one hand, time isn't promised to any of us, so I don't want to waste it. On the other hand, I believe in God and trust that I have ample time to do what I've been set on this Earth to do.

As Maya Angelou said in a 2013 interview, "I know that when I finish doing what I’m sent here to do, I will be called home. And I will go home without any fear, trepidations, wondering what’s gonna happen.”

That's the assuredness with which I aim to live my life. I'm still a work in progress, so I'm not always going to strike that balance between making the most of my time and also taking my time. But I'm for damn sure going to try. It's all any of us can do.

Love,
L'Oreal

ICYMI

In case you missed my impostor syndrome panel with Flower Girls Meet, you can catch the recap . P.s. How cool is this mind map from Karen Spears?

My latest for Elemental is also live. This time I wrote about how the Feeling Wheel has been my saving grace throughout this pandemic. Have you used the Feeling Wheel? I'd love to know how it's helped you!

Last, but not least, you can catch me in Angela Williams' latest Live Inspired interview series on IGTV.

Virtual Happenings

Sept. 10: Feed Your Soul: A Conversation on Taking Care and Preventing Burnout. My Enneagram twin Taylor Morrison, founder of Inner Workout, is teaming up with In Bold Company for this Zoom convo. (FREE)

Sept. 17: Roundtable of Sisterhood: Starting Strong - Positioning Young Women for Success @ Work. Women Employed concludes its Working Lunch Summer Series with a conversation about lifting as you climb. (FREE)

Sept. 24: How to Manage Your Mental Health While on Social Media. My friend Vanessa Flowers of Flowers Girls Meet is partnering with Ama La Vida Coaching to share tips on how to have fun with social media while still showing up as your best self. ($9)

Links I Love

1. On Witness and Respair: A Personal Tragedy Followed By a Pandemic. Warning: you're going to need a box of tissues for this essay by Jesmyn Ward. (Vanity Fair)

2. Chadwick Boseman Gave Us Something We Had Not Had Before. This opinion piece from Clint Smith gets to the heart of why Boseman's passing has been such a destabilizing loss for many of us. (The Atlantic)

3. Your 'Surge Capacity' is Depleted -- It's Why You Feel Awful. If you, like me, have been having a hard time adjusting to this "new normal," this is probably why. (Elemental)

My Latest Obsession

It's not a *latest* obsession, per se, but I've been listening to Brandy's sophomore album Never Say Never on repeat since last week's Verzuz. I was a fan of Brandy and Monica back in the day, and in my humble opinion, both artists won last week's battle.

But Brandy has always been my girl. As I shared on Twitter, she was my Beyoncé before Beyoncé was my Beyoncé. I mean, she was friggin' Cinderella for crying out loud and is the main reason box braids are my go-to protective style to this day. I forever stan.

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