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What Happened When I Challenged Myself To Journal More For Two Weeks
I have so many journals. A pink one with lined paper. A leather-bound journal with pretty textured paper. Then there are four journals I bought in 2018 that I added to my ever-growing collection: The Five Minute Journal, Start Where You Are Journal, 52 Lists For Happiness, and the My Prayer Journal.
I told you I had a lot of journals. What I was finding was that, I was only writing in my journals when I felt disjointed or upset by something that was happening in my life. Once those moments passed, my library of journals went back to collecting dust. I was listening to Oprah's, What I Know For Sure book on Audible, and she mentioned keeping a gratitude journal she wrote in every day for a decade —writing down five things she was grateful for each day. That got me to thinking, I should be writing in my journals from a place for gratitude, which is something I have been struggling with lately.
I have been getting a lot of rejection, dealing with trauma in my personal life, and to be honest, finding things to be grateful for in these moments has been tough. So, I challenged myself to write in each of my journals for two weeks.
There are disputes about how many days it takes to make a habit, but adding daily mindfulness to my routine is something I have tried and failed at over and over. Here was my chance to make 2019 different.
Week one was interesting. I placed all six journals by my bed, so they were one of the first things I rolled over and looked at when I put my feet on the carpet in my room each morning. Sunday was easy since I enjoy taking time for myself on that day. I sat on the floor with each journal writing about what I was grateful for, my daily bible verse and prayer, free wrote in the blank journals, and answered whatever the prompts in the guided journals I had brought up for me.
One of the prompts read, "List The 8 Things You Like To Do That Don't Involve Technology." That prompt stumped me as I sat with my pen in hand with the sun beaming on my face. I wrote, "Read a great magazine. Have a yummy meal. Do a facial. Dance." I continued to add to that list throughout the week. I even took time to do all of the things I mentioned above, including a dance class.
Dance is now a part of my weekly routine because it brings me so much joy (even though I'm not a dancer at all).
I enjoyed fleshing out my thoughts, learning verses from the Bible, and writing down my prayers. It amazed me how hard it was to write down my prayers and what I was thankful for, I felt a certain level of guilt for asking for anything. Another feeling that surprised me happened as the week went on and I skipped a couple of days. I felt different when I did.
The following Sunday, I set a goal — to write in my journals each morning for 20 minutes. Like the week before, Sunday started great, then I missed Tuesday, picked up Wednesday, and missed Friday. I could still feel the shift in me when I wasn't taking that time for myself. On days that I journaled, I walked out of my house into the world with a sense of sureness and gratitude. My mood was better. I felt lighter, and when something happened that shook me, like not getting a callback for an audition or being stressed by typical work things, I'd shrug them off. I knew that I had a lot to be grateful for and that what is meant to happen in my life will happen when it's right.
On a day when I didn't journal, everything affected me and I found myself hyper-focused on things that I didn't have or that lightness I felt disappeared. When I started this challenge, I hadn't imagined that I'd really be able to see a difference in how I perceived the world, but it did.
I know that we're all adulting and working hard to boss up and become the best versions of ourselves, but without mindfulness and gratitude, how can we make room for ourselves not just to dream our wildest dreams, but to find joy in the small things we're doing to get there?
Writing in six journals a day, honestly, is probably way too much. But, take the time you would choose to scroll mindlessly through Instagram or argue with a Facebook friend to write down a goal, what you're grateful for, or even a one-sentence affirmation each day. I am almost one hundred percent sure you won't regret it. I know I haven't and will be making that twenty minutes of mindfulness each day a priority.
Featured image by Getty Images
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Bianca Lambert is a proud Atlanta native soaking up the Los Angeles sun. She is the founder of Mae B: a stationery company for women of color and a digital content creator on a mission to elevate the voices of women of color everywhere.
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
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Mariee Revere On Her History-Making Million-Dollar Sales And The Future Of MoonXCosmetics
If the name Mariee Revere sounds familiar, it's probably because you heard of her beauty and skincare brand, MoonXCosmetics, or you may have heard about her history-making achievement of making $1.8 million in less than eight minutes. But before starting her million-dollar brand, Mariee was just a teenager trying to cure her acne.
While she grew up in the skincare capital of the world, South Korea, Mariee didn't really experience breakouts until her senior year of high school. Like many people who get their first breakout, she didn't know what to do, and there weren't many products out there at that time. So she decided to experiment. What she didn't know was that what she came up with would ultimately be her ticket to success.
"When I graduated high school, I moved back to America, Georgia, and I ended up making, like, the oil, the Rose Galore oil, which is like the staple product of my brand. I don't know what made me make it, but I did, and it literally cleared my face up," she tells xoNecole in an exclusive interview.
"I end up selling it as a body oil first because, obviously, I'm 17, [and] don't have any background as an esthetician or anything like that. I just made a product that worked for me, but people bought it and was using it, and I reformulated it, and then it just stuck like with me."
While MoonXCosmetics is known for its facial products, it wants to expand to body care and home. It just released its new product, Moon-Gel body wash, and it's only up from there. As Mariee continues to grow the brand, it's more than likely that she will see more history-making moments. And so far she has.
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When asked if she feels pressure to obtain more of those milestones, she says yes and no. "I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more," she says.
"I want to say more reach than more like fast-paced sales. I do want that. Obviously, every girl wants that, but I do want to have a better overall reach for my brand because I did take two years off so I was able to learn, [and] study a lot of different things. See how things have changed from 2020 to now."
"I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more."
Another part of expanding for any company is hiring people. Finding the right person to help you can be a hassle, especially for business owners who are used to doing all the work themselves. Mariee can relate to this, and she touched on this topic in her documentaryThe Million Dollar Story. She recommends having someone be your "right-hand man" who you trust to handle the ins and outs of the company.
"I could say, definitely get, like a right-hand man to help you within the process because that really was what helped me. I never had a job. I literally was 18 now, being like, you know, the boss of over 30+ employees at one point in time, and I didn't know anything. I didn't know anything about no W-2s, no taxes, no clock in, clock out because all I [have] ever known was my brand," she explains.
"So I definitely partner with people who are very skewed and versed in those areas, and they helped me get through it. Even to this day, I still have my same person helping me with hiring, firing, [and] doing everything that I can right now because I'm still learning. But obviously people get jobs young, so they have way more experience than me, but still learning."
And though she is still learning, one thing she makes sure to stay on top of is being consistent. Consistency is what trips many people up when it comes to achieving goals, but Mariee says it's all about scheduling. Whether it's when to post on social media or email marketing, scheduling it out can make a world of difference. That same practice also works when planning out her future goals for the company.
"Right now, future goals would be to drop at least five more products before the end of the year. We always do outreach, where we do drives and all that, but definitely do way more this year, she says. "Then really dive into body [care], and then hopefully open up MoonXBody underneath MoonXCosmetics to let that branch out and be open and definitely get back consistent."
For more information, visit moonxco.com.
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