Moana: Disney's still teaching life lessons!

It is no coincidence that today marks exactly 1 full year from my last post! It is #WINTENTIONALWEDNESDAY, so let's not talk about the losses or the unforeseen events of the last year that lead to my silence. What I want to discuss today is far more necessary than that! When I was a kid, Disney movies were always teaching me something. The Lion King taught me that family may not always have your best interest in mind. The Little Mermaid taught me never to sacrifice your voice for the affections of others. Beauty and the Beast taught me to always see the good in people even when their past has made them ugly. There are so many more, but let's dive right in! These are just a few of the lessons I learned from watching Moana (approximately 1 million times since my child found it on Netflix).

1. We are given our life mission before we know what life is.
2. We have our ancestors to guide us through our journey. We call it intuition.
3. We may be tempted to give up on our mission/vision/goals when things get tough, but we can't. People are relying on us to get it right!
4. We don't need special tools to complete the assignment. (Shiny isn't always a good thing LOL)
5. We will need to find our own strength to face the challenges of our journey, but those destined to help will always come when we need them!
6. We may have been chosen to fix a problem that we didn't create.
7. The reward of a completed mission is well worth the risks it took to get there.

What are some of your favorite Disney movie lessons?

Restaurant Review: Healthy Lifestyle Cuisine

Restaurant Review: Healthy Lifestyle Cuisine

First of all WOW!!!! This place is phenomenal! I went down to Ft. Lauderdale this week to meet with CEO Patrick Bet-David, and one of my business associates has family in the area. They own and operate a health conscious restaurant called Healthy Lifestyle Cuisine. I've been making great strides to eat a healthier diet. Having the information is useless without application! So, I made the decision to eat more fruits and veggies while on the road. I started off doing GREAT! I stopped at Publix and bought fruit and salad instead of eating Burger King (I didn't drive most of the trip, so I got to eat LOL), so I was very pleased when we started talking about visiting my associate's family business!

Her mother and sister are running the show down in Miami Gardens, and if you are in the area, IT IS WORTH THE VISIT!!!! I ordered a Sundried Tomato grilled Tilapia wrap. I had not looked at a menu since my phone was dead, so I didn't know what I ordered LOL I was beyond pleasantly surprised! That wrap was EVERYTHING I ever hoped for!! It was a Sundried Tomato wrap with sauteed peppers and onions with Italian dressing and they were not shy with the fillings!! It also came with a boiled egg and a pickle for $10. Everything was seasoned to perfection, and it was big enough to feed me AND my 3 year old!!! I wish I could have taken pictures, but my phone was dead :(

Later on, I tried a chicken sandwich wrap... EPIC & DELICIOUS!!!!! It was very light and filling! My mom had the fried Tilapia with steamed broccoli and corn, and we all talked about that food from the time we left until now as I write this blog!!!! If you're in the area, you really need to visit Healthy Lifestyle Cuisine!!

~Shanta

Healthy Lifestyle Cuisine
1806 NW 183 St.
Miami Gardens, FL 33056

PRODUCTIVITY + HEALTH + PROGRESS

PRODUCTIVITY + HEALTH + PROGRESS

If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I recently purchased a "new" car, and I've put quite a few miles on it! Not only are those miles on my car, they are also on my body! What happens when an individual does tremendous amounts of driving and spends hours in their car? Fatigue, exhaustion, and poor eating habits. My body is still recovering, but these are things that I must do in order to succeed in life & business. With this realization, I have challenged myself to do more, better!

Productivity is very important. With all of the driving and movement that I have been doing, there are other things that I did not get done! I didn't manage my time effectively and it caused me to be less productive over the last 27 days than I should have been (but family comes first!). Since I use Google for so much, I decided to start using the Google Calendar to help me stay on task. IT IS FANTASTIC!! I can map out  my day/week on Saturday evening before bed, and I receive notifications on my cell phone and my tablet. I get more done now that I have active alerts. I still love the Passion Planner for long-term goal setting, but I need something to alert me when it's time to shift activities.

Health is equally important for on-the-go entrepreneurs! I know that I need to have healthy eating options available! Most grocery stores sell individual fruit & yogurt or veggie trays and personal salads. No, you can't eat salad while driving, but there are also wraps in the deli that you can pick up. If you go to Publix, you can have a few made before you hit the road. Keep a cooler in your car with your treats. If you ride alone like I usually do, keep a smaller cooler on your passenger seat within reach for easy "snackcess!"

Don't try to defeat the road!!! When you feel your muscles getting stiff, pull off into a rest area and stretch. That five minutes of rejuvenation will save you a lot of physical pain and potential money when you finally arrive! Also, make sure that your vitamin B and Iron levels are within the normal range before your trip. Low iron along with poor eating habits, and lack of adequate rest was the cause of my extreme fatigue. I missed an epic symposium because I was unable to drive the 2 hours to get there. I actually checked myself into a Best Western and didn't wake up for about 4 hours (best sleep ever)!

PROGRESS: I recognize my shortcomings and how dangerous they have been for my body. I realize that I can not accomplish anything or raise my son if I am not here. It is very important to manage time effectively and take care of your body. I am mapping out my weekly/monthly schedule in Google Calender to ensure that I am able to do what I need to do, and I can reschedule anything that is not an immediate concern. Lets all be more productive and healthy from here on out!

~Shanta

Wellness Spotlight: Exercise

Exercise and fitness are very important to living a healthy lifestyle. Along with good nutrition and hydration, exercise helps keep our bodies regulated and functioning at optimal capacity. No matter how busy you are, you NEED to make time to exercise. My favorite time of day to exercise is early morning outdoors. I get my phone, my armband carrier, and turn on Pandora. I workout for 20-30 minutes at a time or longer if I can. I also LOVE going to the gym. I can focus so much better there. It's also a great opportunity for motivation and inspiration (there's always someone in worse shape and better shape than you!).

My at home rotation is usually just aerobics: light jogging, stretching, yoga, push ups, pull ups (monkey bars on the playground are a great work out buddy), planks, squats, lots and ots of ab exercises, and anything else I can think of. When it's time to cool down, I use controlled breathing and mountain poses to bring m heart rate down slowly. It's such a great opportunity to think and soak in the inspiration. I always feel refreshed and motivated after a vigorous workout! I can take on the world!

Good reads...
The Benefits of Physical Activity by Harvard School of Public Health
Let's Move: America's Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids
The Obamas: First Couple of Fitness by Kathleen Doheny on WebMD

SPROUTS!!!

I love to sprout! I love sprouting! OOOOOOWEEEEE! Ain't nothin' like it :)

But seriously, I truly enjoy sprouting, especially mung beans and lentils. I started sprouting earlier this year. My first sprouts were lentils. The process was very simple, and they sprouted without any effort. I started sprouting because I enjoy eating beans but they usually cause me a lot of discomfort.

I started some research on sprouting after I talked to my mail carrier, Jean the mean mail carrying Machine. He told me that sprouting beans unlocks their nutritional potential and it helps break down the enzymes that cause stomach discomfort and help make the beans easier to digest. I found out that Jean knew exactly what he was talking about.

The sprouted beans didn't cause me any discomfort and I found several recipes that I could use to help ease me into the raw food life. Sprouted Lentils and Mung beans can be eaten "raw," and they taste phenomenal!

How to sprout: I use a very simple technique for sprouting. I add the beans to the jar, soak 8-12 hours or overnight, rinse daily, and allow to "air dry" between rinses. I bought the jars in the picture from Hobby Lobby at 50% off and I got my cheese cloth from the Dollar Tree. I used gallon jugs of spring water or distilled water from Wal-Mart for rinsing and soaking the beans. These jars can hold up to 24 oz. When you start to sprout, remember SPROUTS GROW! Even though these jars are large, I only add 2 oz or 1/4 cup of beans, lentils, legumes etc to the jar.

I cover the lentils with water and soak 8-10 hours, rinse, and allow them to sit in an open are of my kitchen so that they do not get over heated and turn rancid during the sprouting process. I rinse them in clean, fresh water every day and watch the sprouts begin to grow. Since I'm contending with Alabama heat and humidity, my sprouts usually sprout within 48 hours of soaking! I follow the same process with black beans, kidney beans, red beans and other large beans; however, I soak them 12-24 hours. The rest of the process is the same. These are not special seeds or beans. I get them from my local Wal-Mart and Publix. Try your hand at sprouting, and tell me how you like it.

My Naturally Curly Hair Journey

My hair now

My hair is naturally curly and wavy. I made the decision to start getting relaxers in the 5th grade, approximately the year 2001. I begged my mom to let me relax my hair so I could "fit in" and play like the other kids. It's a little hard to run and play with a press and curl in Alabama heat and humidity. My mom finally agreed and my hair shrank from a thick, curly, soft mass to a thin, soft, greasy mess! I continued to relax my hair for about 3 years. Around the summer before eighth grade, I made the decision to stop getting my hair relaxed. This was around 2004.

I didn't know how to go natural and nobody else was doing it at the time. I was a pioneer and I didn't even know it! I did a lot of braid outs before I knew they had a name, but I straightened my hair almost everyday! I didn't even know that heat damage was a thing. My original transition did not include a big chop. I just trimmed my ends and gradually grew my relaxed hair out. By the time I figured out what heat damage was, my hair was a dry thinning mess!!

Freshman Big Chop

My freshman year of college, I big chopped. I went from collar bone/shoulder length hair to about an inch and a half of hair! At first I was in shock, but it grew on me. I fell in love with my short hair. My hair grew fast and got thicker. It has never been quite as thick as it was in child hood due to several determining factors: stress, nutrition, proper care, etc.

During my junior year of college, I gave birth to my handsome baby boy, and for the first time, my hair was as thick, long, and luscious. I had probably reached bra strap length or longer! I was excited, but with a newborn, my hair care regimen was pitiful to say the least. A few months after my son was born, I found out his father was cheating on me while I was pregnant. I was beyond devastated. So, I decided that I needed to transform myself. Big chop number two came about.

Post-partum big chop

I cut about six inches off (to this day I don't know why I cut my hair and kept that relationship)!!! My hair continued to grow, but my stress levels were extremely high. Between having a small child, undergrad, and a long distance relationship, I struggled to manage everything going on in my life.

Then in August of 2013, after leaving my son's father/fiancee, I colored my hair. It was a huge decision because I used a permanent color. I knew that moisturizing was my new best friend, but I was still under tremendous stress. The color caused my hair to become thin and brittle. There is a very visible difference between my virgin hair and my color treated ends! I've had to trim and clip fairy knots and tangles from wearing my hair out too often, from not properly securing it at night before bed, and from several bouts of improper moisturization.

My hair now

Pictured to the left is my hair now. I am working very hard now to remember to properly moisturize my hair, twist or braid before bed, eat healthy, drink water, exercise, and take my multivitamin supplement. I started taking It Works! Hair, Skin, and Nails supplements mid-September, and I truly can say that those supplements are the best that I've ever used! They taste great and they have 5,000 units of Biotin! For more details on the Hair, Skin, and Nails supplements, visit http://shantawilkerson.sharewraps.com or the Beautiful Outside website. My journey has been long and filled with ups and downs, but I am very happy with my hair today! I love the me I see when I look into the mirror, and that's what it's all about!

Entrepreneurship is...

An entrepreneur, as defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary, is one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise. I take that definition and add one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise, devotes countless hours of life in research and development before any profits emerge, one who sacrifices time with family and friends, one who is laughed at and questioned for his or her unexplainable passion for a vision that no one else can see, one who is consumed with their success and the success of those that they love, one who is incapable of being happy or successful living the normal mundane life that comes with a predictable and steady paycheck, but who is determined to see a thing through to the end and reap the rewards and benefits of his or her dedication and hard work in all of its various forms.

Becoming an entrepreneur is not for everyone. Some people just have brilliant ideas, and that's ok. That's why partnerships exist. Some people have brilliant ideas and courage to take on impossible tasks and only accept victory. You have to be slightly insane to make this work because it will not be easy. There are many roads to entrepreneurship, but from what I've seen and heard, the journey's are very similar. My road to entrepreneurship started as a child. I've always done things my own way. I've always been a "boss" or bossy according to my brothers.

It wasn't difficult for me to get tired of the rat trap and tap out! I started my first job at Hungry Howies on October 2, 2007, and the last day that I worked for someone else's establishment was June 26, 2014 when I finalized my documents to become my own Independent Business Owner with Arise Virtual Solutions. I've held positions in four companies: Hungry Howies, Bojangles, Office Max, various schools and departments of UAB, H&R Block, and Marathon Solutions Group, LLC. My employment at Office Max is what truly showed me that I was not built for traditional employment! The hours were decent, but the pay was ridiculous and the demands were very high.

As an entrepreneur, you'll discover that you work the hardest when you work for yourself, but the pay and benefits are much better. I remember the day I made my first sale. I felt like I had made a million dollars even though the sale itself was less than $20 bucks. As I continue to build this company and build my brand image, I only hope to bring my passion and my vision along every step of the way and never forget my humble beginnings because that is my true entrepreneurial vision of success.