Are you celebrating yourself as a Black Woman?

Black women have a lot to be joyful about. Though that sentence in itself may seem like a foreign concept. We are used to hearing a lot of criticism from the outside world but the truth is we have an unmatched beauty externally, we have a resilience that many search textbooks to try to learn about and develop and we tend to focus in and achieve anything we put our minds to. The issue is, we don't focus on that enough. The PR campaign on us is vicious and its up to us to realize that it can be toxic to the soul. In our own small corners, we must have a space to celebrate ourselves and others who are trying to succeed and have. I'm not talking about the normal celebrity worship on social media. I'm talking about the real stride of career, family, self care and leisure. When was the last time you got in touch with what you want and where you want to go and then made your plans to do it. It doesn't take a million dollars or more annually to enjoy and celebrate ourselves, though social media advocates may want you to believe it.

How can you celebrate yourself and other black women: Let's patronize each other's businesses, let's start a small hobby that allows for relaxation off the clock. Let's build community by finding out what those in our neighborhood or network may see a need for and start a fundraiser that benefits those who need to be lifted up. Let's hit the gym with a buddy or solo at least once a week to start and commit to regularly working out and let's take back vacations and self care by opening a saving account just for those two activities!

When we celebrate ourselves and others, we don't have to alert the media. We want to instead feed our soul. That's not just a one time deal. Its a regular way of life where we can build up a supply of good thoughts, good feels and action. If this requires first finding a sensitive therapist to work out why its taking us so long to say 'me first,' start there but don't let the Summer of 2023 end with you not doing at least one thing to celebrate who you are and honor a personal desire.