YPs it is my pleasure to introduce YPAqua,  also known as, B. Nakia Garner, Editor-in-Chief  of DMV Spectrum, a YP Associate site apart of YPBlogSpot’s blogroll.  YPAqua is also known to her son as Mom as well as @LadyAqua4 on twitter.  I met YPAqua via twitter (which is one of the greatest networking and marketing tools if used correctly) via DMV Spectrum’s founder, Mr. Marcus Moore via twitter as well (LoL).  YPAqua touched base with a couple of weeks ago (via twitter) about submitting a blog regarding balancing working and motherhood.  This is a great blog in which YPAqua shares her take on the challenges of motherhood and being a successful YP.  I’m sure there are many women that can relate to YPAqua’s experience so I encourage you to share your thoughts and comments.  In addition, learn more about YPAqua beneath her blog and support DMV Spectrum.  Enjoy YPs! 

Double Duty: Being a YP & Mom

Back in the day, women had to make the choice to either work or start a family. It used to be unheard of for women to successfully conquer both. The theory was, if a woman had a career and children, one would suffer.

Fortunately, that is not the case anymore. The key, as with most things, is finding balance between what you have to do, report to work, and what you want to do, raise your children.

When I first got pregnant, one of my fears was that I would get so involved in my job that I wouldn’t or couldn’t make time for my child. At the time, I was an editor at a newspaper and my hours were nowhere near consistent.

My mother, though she loved my brother and I, was not around as much when we were younger because she worked Read more »

Keep Going: T-Pain

          Like T-Pain or not this short, simple song speaks volumes.  I bet when T-Pain started pursuing his dream of being an artist in the fashion in which he went about it (auto-tune), he probably had a handful of supporters and triple the doubters and naysayers.  But he kept going and made his mark on the music industry and world.  With that said, YPs handle your business and “Keep Going” when you encounter a setback.  I recently lost my father and felt myself falling into a mini depression but I know I have to “Keep Going” on with my life even though a big part of me is missing.  Whether it’s someone telling you “no or you can’t do that” or losing a job or loved one YPs, you and I must ”Keep Going” in order to fulfill any and all of our dreams and goals.  “Keep Going” YPs and lookout for those unexpected BLESSINGS!!!

YPRuck, Young Professionals Writer

Airplanes (Part 2):B.o.B. Feat. Eminem & Hayley Williams

 “pretend he procrastinated had no motivation
pretend he just made excuses that were so paper thin they could blow away with the wind
Marshall you’re never gonna make it makes no sense to play the game there ain’t no way that you’ll win”

[ Snippet from Eminem's verse.]

          Good morning YPs, I wanted to share a motivational song courtesy of B.o.B., Eminem & Haley Williams titled “Airplanes Part 2″ from B.o.B.’s debut album The Adventures of Bobby Ray in stores now.  In this song both B.o.B. and Eminem discuss the “What if…” factor regarding them pursuing their dreams.  How many of us just give up on our dreams or goals because we allow any and everything throw us off course?  Everyone is always waiting for the perfect circumstances but if you take any successful person or business and you’ll probably hear about many obstacles along their journey to ‘Successville’.  Success is a product of having a goal/dream and working hard to fulfill that goal or dream and it isn’t easy but anything is possible. 

          Eminem didn’t come from ideal circumstances and had every reason/excuse not to be successful.  But he didn’t allow his Read more »

“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success”

- Napoleon Hill

          Good morning YP’s! Today is the 1st day back from a Memorial Day weekend, and I feel like I have to pick up my energy after a weekend of rest, relaxation, and good times. This quote from Napoleon Hill is a great motivation to start off the day because it talks about persistence, hard work, and not letting up. When you blend this combination together, you will always come away with success. Even though there may be factors that may hinder our progression, we have to keep doing what we have to do, to get to where we want to go…no matter what!

          For me, that means getting my iced coffee, getting my mind focused, writing everything I have to do today and crossing them off as I go! YP’s, never lose focus of your goals, and keep striving to meet them in spite of your mood, or any other factors. Let’s keep our eyes on the prize, and never let up!

YPJimH, Young Professionals Writer

“Strength, Courage & Wisdom” by India Arie

Step out on faith

It’s time to show my face

Procrastination had me down

Look what I have found, I’ve found

Strength, courage and wisdom

It’s been inside of me all along

Strength, courage and wisdom

Inside of me

(Chorus)

by India Arie

          YPs its the beginning of another week that some of us are blessed to begin regardless of what’s going on in our lives.  I wanted to provide some motivation/inspiration for you guys to get your week off to a great start.  This is a song by India Arie regarding “Strength, courage and wisdom” hence the title.  YPs throughout our lives we have and will encounter so many obstacles and hurdles but just about anything can be overcome.  Whether it’s dealing with overwhelming challenges/tasks/obstacles (seeking employment, relationship issues, illness, etc.,) or dealing with losing a loved one (death), we are strong enough to endure.  We have the courage to confront any challenge/task/obstacle that we encounter.  And we have the wisdom or can retrieve the wisdom necessary to equip us with the knowledge to overcome any challenge/task/obstacle.  Tap into your inner “Strength, Courage and Wisdom” YPs and be successful.  Take a good listen to the lyrics of this song by India Arie as well and enjoy.

YPRuck, Young Professionals Writer

Strength, Courage & Wisdom Lyrics

          Today I like to share with you guys a YP/future YP making her mark on the world.  This morning Mom Dukes sent me an email about Katie Washington being Notre Dame’s first Black valedictorian.  This young lady’s family has set a standard of education and success.  Her father is a doctor, her mother is a nurse, her brother is completing his residency at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, her sister is a nurse and she has another brother who’s a Navy veteran working for BP.  This is a prime example of parents positioning their children to be successful by setting the example and then providing an environment that’s conducive to being successful.  I have posted some highlights/achievements of Katie’s impressive yet unfinished resume as well as a link to a great article.  Enjoy YPs and share this story.

YPRuck, Young Professionals Writer

Katie Washington, a biological sciences major from Gary, Ind., has been named valedictorian of the 2010 University of Read more »

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fail Read more »

“The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do”.

- Sarah Ban Breathnach

Hello YP’s, and Happy Monday! We all have dreams, and aspirations that we strive for in life. It is great to have dreams, but what good is it when we don’t take the necessary steps to reach them. I believe having a dream is the first step, but what a person does after is what really matters. Take for example, if someone wants to be a head football coach, they aren’t going to just start out as the head coach. The person might have to pay their dues, first as an equipment manager, intern, assistant, etc, and then work their way up. So in summary, dreams are great, but putting the necessary time, effort, and hours is what is going to set a person apart. So dream big YP’s, but don’t just stop there!

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”.

- Les Brown

          Happy Monday YP’s! This is one of my favorite quotes of all time, because it is inspires me to do, and become better. I believe I first heard this quote from Beanie Siegel in a song titled “Feel It In The Air”. I love this quote because it talks about reaching for your own greatness, and dreaming big. Every one of us has the potential to do something great, because we all have different passions, and interests. But it is only potential, until we put it into action. We always have to continue to challenge ourselves, and raise the bar on what we can accomplish. If we do our best, and fail to reach all of our goals, we know that we will still be successful, because sometimes the journey can be just as worthy as the end result.

YPJimH, Young Professionals Writer

           Happy Friday’s YP’s! One of my passions in life is history, and just reading, and studying history. I believe that my passion for history really took off because of my 10th grade history teacher, Mr. Arnold. Mr. Arnold always made history come alive, which made me want to actually visit these places that he talked about. When I studied history my imagination ran wild, and I was just fascinated about how this world came to be, from the beginning of time all the way to the present day. I am sure everyone who is interested in history has a favorite era that they like to study; I particulary am interested in the 20th century which includes WW I, WW II, and the civil rights movement.

           I say that to say that because of history, I have so many places that I would like to visit and explore in the world.  I am intrigued with different cultures, and would love to see how people interact in other countries. Two of the places Read more »

“Accomplishment is easiest when we work the hardest, and it is hardest when we work the easiest.”

-Unknown Author

          This quote is a simple quote but the message in it speaks volumes.  We’ve all heard a million and one catch phrases regarding the results of hard work but they are all true.  Hard work gets rewarded 100% of the time.  Think about anything in your life that came easy to you.  Often times it was something you did not want or it was too good to be true.  Personally, I get a great feeling when I accomplish something after putting a great amount of work into it.  I’m truly satisfied because I know how hard I worked to make the goal a reality.  As young professionals we all have to realize that hard work pays off and there are no shortcuts.  Your success will depend on your work ethic so be thorough in your approach, that way you can accomplish all that you set out to accomplish. 

YPRichB, Young Professionals Writer

          YPs, it seems that since we were children, we have been asked to focus on what we want to be in life.  Many of us have known what we have wanted to do for quite some time.  It is very easy to ’say’ what you want to be and what you would like to accomplish in life.  It is also easy to throw out monetary figures as far as; how much money you would like to make or have in your account at a certain age.  Some people even take it a step further and give themselves a timeline for when they would like to have certain things accomplished.  What very few people do however, is to lay out a game plan for how they will accomplish these things.  Some may have an idea, but do they have a plan in place that will direct them on what they need to do on a day to day basis, CONSISTENTLY!!!
Read more »

“Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it’s not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.”

          Who doesn’t want to make their mark on the world?  The problem is who has the resolve to endure and overcome any and all challenges making your mark on the world requires.  It may be ironic that this quote is by President Barack Obama who as of yesterday fulfilled a campaign promise of overhauling the U.S. health care system by getting his Health Care Reform Bill passed.  This is an example of President Obama having the perseverance to stick to his game plan despite the naysayers and doubters that opposed his health care bill.  It took him almost a year to get this bill passed but persistence and perseverance can overcome just about any obstacles.  YPs whether you’re for or against President Obama’s Health Care Bill, you have to admit that he had a goal and he accomplished his goal in spite of all the negativity, scrutiny and all of the above.  Take notes from President Obama when you’re attempting to accomplish your goals and live your dreams because his patience, commitment and understanding the role of failure has paid and will pay dividends of accomplishing his goal(s).  YPs be successful!

YPRuck, Young Professionals Writer

“If it takes til I’m a 100 years old bet I’m reaching everyone of my goals.”

Praying for Help|”Urban Legend”

          While listening to my media player on my Blackberry, T.I.’s song  Praying for Help from his album “Urban Legend”came on and it’s just a testimony to his determination to achieve his goals, regardless of how long it takes. If you set certain goals for yourself, then you know that achieving them is a whole other ball game that can seem impossible at times.  I can recall setting goals with a specific time frame in mind and if a goal was not achieved within a certain time frame,  I would just forget about that goal which makes no sense.  By disregarding my goal, I realized that  all the work and time I invested in achieving that goal was in vain.  Instead, I should have just continued to work towards achieving that goal even if it takes a week, a month or a year longer than anticipated, then so be it.  As long as the goal is achieved is all that matters! 

          YPs keep in mind, I’m not encouraging setting deadlines and making it a habit not to meet them. But some deadlines need to be extended, so make the necessary adjustments and achieve your goals.  In conclusion, we set goals for a reason YPs, so regardless of how long it takes to achieve them we have to be determined to achieve them.  Ready, set goals, and go achieve your goals!

YPRuck, Young Professionals Writer