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 »

          One of the greatest qualities a person can have in this world is to be humble. I was having an interesting conversation with a friend of mine one day last week. We were talking sports and coaching youth. He then asked me if I could teach the youth today one thing about sports what it would be? I thought about it for awhile, and told him to have humility, and to be humble. Webster definition of humble is “not proud or haughty: not arrogant or assertive”. When talking to some of my youth who play basketball or that I mentor, I always try to preach being humble, and respectful. Read more »

          Good Day YP’s! YPDianaMaeF has blessed YPblogspot with another insightful blog titled, “Attitude is Contagious – Is Your’s Worth Catching?”. This is a very inspiring blog that talks about the power of a positive attitude, and how it can affect all that is around you. Instantly after I read this blog, I felt a jolt of enthusiasm, optimism, and a sense of ownership to my own life. Take the time to read this blog, and you too will have no choice but to look at the glass half full! Enjoy YP’s, and have a great day!

“Attitude is Contagious – Is Yours Worth Catching?”

          Ever notice when someone can walk in and light up an entire room simply with their aura & attitude? Everyone always wants to interact with individuals projecting positive energy. Why? Read more »

“Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion.  You must set yourself on fire”.

~Arnold H. Glasow

Good morning YP’s! I really like this quote because it talks about success not happening over night, as much as we would like it to. I remember a conversation that I had with a student that I tutor, and he mentioned to me that he thought he could accomplish his goals, by just doing enough to get by. I might have felt the same when I was his age, but as I see it now, success is from consistently good actions everyday, not just sometimes.

I believe that in order for success to be possible, we have to wake up every day, put our hardhat on, and grind. We might run into obstacles and things that we don’t want to do, but things have to get done regardless. So if success is 26 mile marathon, get your running shoes, and be ready to take each step. There are no bikes, or vehicles that are going to come and rescue you! No one every said success was going to be easy. With that note, make it a great day YP’s

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results”

- Andrew Carnegie

Good day YP’s! I like this quote because it talks about teamwork, and how you can use it to accomplish great things. Your team, can consist of your co-workers, family, or friends. In life, you can’t go about things alone, you have to be able to lean on one another when you are down, or lift others up, when they are in need of help. With teamwork, you can accomplish so much more. Granted you have to be able to make your own decisions at the end of the day, but having one another to motivate, or keep one another grounded, is definitely needed because of the hectic world that we live in today. So recognize who are a positive influence in your life, and then support one another to reach the goals you set!

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment”

Life can turn upside down in a blink of an eye, from a close person passing away, or from other unfortunate events. I’ve learned the hard way that you cannot go back and change certain events, or take the bad things you said to someone who is no longer here. You have to let it all go, for you to be the person you want to be in the present. I’ve seen people who hold grudges for a long time, or say things like, “if I would have done this”, “if I had this it would be different”. But in reality, all you are doing is hurting, and hindering yourself.

We’ve gone through situations, where we could have done things differently, that’s what makes up human. But at the same, I have learned that you can’t hold on, but you must persevere, learn, do, and be better, because of it. All we can do is concentrate on the present moment and events, don’t get to ahead of ourselves, do the best we can in the present, and have faith that everything will take care of itself in the long run. Have a good one YP’s!

         YPs, relationships are complex things that have to be worked at.  A good relationship doesn’t just happen, a lot of things need to be taken into consideration and accounted for.  Communication is a very important factor in relationships.  How well you and your partner will directly affect your happiness and longevity.  Honesty, is another trait that helps keep relationships healthy.  Honesty is important even when talking about negative things that occur.  Showing your partner the right amount of affection and attention, also play an important role.  There are a lot of factors that healthy relationships are built on, and my peoples(YPRuck) and I like to refer to these things as “Laying That Strong Foundation.”

          Fellas, set that foundation.  If you take no other advice that I have given, take this tip.  Relationships are not unlike any other thing that you want to be great at.  The work has to be put in.  You have to be solid in your fundamentals in order to prosper.  Relationships operate the same way.  When you first meet a female, you begin laying the groundwork.  This can go in a positive way or a negative way, you have complete control of what happens.  Foundations can be laid poorly or cheaply, and when this happens, the relationship will see the effects.  Likewise, you can lay each brick as well as you can and watch your relationship stand the test of time.  Bad weather will come, but a foundation can be made to withstand anything.
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“I figure the faster I pedal, the faster I can retire.”

YPRuck:  Simple concept of working hard now to retire early.  YPs I’m sure you guys always hear from your elders how they wished they had worked a lot harder in their younger years so they wouldn’t have to work as hard in their older years.  YPs it’s simple, work smart and hard now and you can plant the seeds of success to last for generations if you do it the right way.  You guys can work 40 year work plan if you want to but I intend on putting in a good solid 10-15 years(or less) of hard, smart work and then writing my own checks.  Be successful YPs!

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”

YPRuck:  YPs our reputation is built on the decisions we make, the relationships we establish, our ambition and motivation and determination to achieve our goals and be successful.  YPs we always don’t make the best decisions but attempt to avoid making really bad decisions that can tarnish a good reputation and affect your ability to be successful.  Most bad decisions are small enough to rebound from but it’s when we compound a bad decision with another bad decision that tend to have a lingering affect on our reputation.  In conclusion, YPs don’t allow one bad decision to ruin a reputation has taken years to establish so carry yourselves with integrity and make decisions accordingly.

YPRuck: I go to the gym about 5 days out of the 7 day week and I routinely get in the sauna where a lot of different topics are discussed from women to God to Government to finances and investing.  An older gentlemen said something that really hit home that a lot of young professionals can not grasp and that was that the object of building wealth is not to lose money.  He told me that small investments now will set me up for a bright financial future.  Even if I make $100 on a 12 month CD, he said, “You didn’t lose money.  Did you?”  YPDSing and I always talk about looking for the quick rich scheme instead of looking for the small gains that will eventually lead to a big payday.  YP’s we must rid ourselves of the quick rich scheme mindset and start small and build our wealth which will better prepare us for that big payday.  Check out this article I found, it sounds crazy “100 dollars into millions” but it’s possible if done the right way.  Let’s work hard and invest smart now so we don’t have to when we’re older and the sooner you start investing the sooner you’ll be better off.  YP’s stand up and let’s lay the financial foundation and blueprint for generations to benefit.

For most people, the idea of turning a hundred dollars into a million bucks, much less into millions of dollars, is an alien thing. Unless, of course, turning 100 into a million is a simple operation of adding the appropriate number of zeros, which it is not. However, there are ingenious ways to actually make a million dollars out of your hundred dollars. It just takes imagination, determination and passion to become a hundred-dollar man to a million-dollar man.

Invest Your Money in Stock Investments

Read more »

“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.”
– Desmond Tutu

Good morning YP’s. Alot of times, we take for granted the people closest to us. Our family, are there for us through thick and thin, to support us at our most vunerable moments in life. I am learning everyday, that family is like a solid rock in your life. They are not finished when they bring you down to earth, but complete, when they help build you back up. So YP’s let’s never forget to tell our families, how much we love and appreciate them, because at the end of the day, they are all we got. “No man on his death bed ever looked up into the eyes of his family and friends and said, “I wish I’d spent more time at the office.”

“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.”

Whoo!  YP’s I’ve something similar to this quote reading “The 48 Laws of Power” and it basically means keep your enemies/haters closer than your friends but it takes it a lot further by advising us to use our enemies to help us be successful.  Shout out to all the haters helping me build my foundation for my success to sit on.  Have a great weekend YP’s.

By YPRuck, Youngprofessionals Writer