"Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?"

 source  How many of you remember being teased or bullied?  Everyone was teased about something.  Maybe you were in honors classes, excelled at a sport or had unique physical characteristics.  It could be anything really.   When people are insecure, they think that the way to build themselves up is to break someone else down.  When people are pessimistic, they think that the best way to protect themselves from disappointment is to always expect it.  There will always be those people you come in contact with whose criticism will bring you down and even make you question yourself: Who am I...

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You Give Me Butterflies...Notes about Love and Relationships

 credit Lately when I look into your eyes I realizeYou're the only one I need in my lifeBaby I just don't know how to describeHow lovely you make me feel insideYou give me butterfliesGot me flying so high in the skyI can't control the butterflies~Alicia Keys "Butterflies" Difficult Relationships Our relationships give us opportunities to explore the breadth of our own unique being and to become accepting of ourselves, which is the starting place for acceptance of others. Too often in our relationships, we focus on the disruptive behavior of others rather than our own...Read More About Love "To love is to risk being disappointed, let down...

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Defining Natural (Maybe I'm a Dreamer, but I'm Not the Only One)

source Lately, there's a lot of discussion among black women about what is considered to be truly natural. There's umpteen ways to flex one's "naturalness" from how you wear your hair to what you eat to what kinds of products you use.  While these discussions are useful to the extent that we are sharing our diverse opinions with each other, at the end of the day how can anyone else define what is natural to me or to you? We must define that for ourselves. I urge you all to veer away from any divisive thinking and define natural for yourself, beyond the context of how you wear your hair, eat, dress, etc. What if we all thought of natural...

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7 Reasons You Can't Leave Your Life to Chance

1. Chances are, when you feel like everyone else is out to get you, it's just you who's beating yourself up over something you haven't dealt with properly. (This is called projecting.) 2. Chances are, that person who was rude to you on the phone or in the checkout line was really just worried about something in their own life and it had nothing to do with you. Don't take it personally. Brush it off and move on. 3. Chances are, the person you spend so much time being jealous of and comparing yourself to isn’t who you think they are. He or she is likely to have a host of their own issues now; or they have grown past more hurdles than you can...

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Love Notes - Friday 1/21/11

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Start Living!

In this PLPT guest post, Professor/Pastor Lawrence Ware reminds us to stop complaining and make changes in our lives.  Credit Do you know anyone that seems to be stuck on stupid? Someone that is seemingly content in a situation that is beneath them? It can be in any facet of life: employment, relationships, and friendships. There are people who consistently find themselves frustrated and anxiety ridden because of the choices they make. I call it the Tubman-Boy condition. Let me explain. When Harriet Tubman first achieved freedom by escaping from the plantation, she brought her three brothers with her. Her brothers were big, brawny, and...

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Love Notes - Friday 1/14/11

Have a fantastic weekend!...

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Happy Black Girl Day: Top Black Girl Pride Moments of 2010

***We are still under construction!  Bear with us as we continue to post during our makeover!!*** ***Today's post was originally posted on The Fresh Xpress on 12/30/2010*** In 2010, Black women had a rockin', self-lovin', no limit kind of year. Is it just me, or is there a refreshing energy pulsating through the collective spirit of black womanhood these days? More of us are realizing that we each have a unique purpose and the capability to realize it in spite of the obstacles that once held us captive. There are many examples of excellence, individuality, talent and grit from last year. These are just a few. Michelle Obama - An...

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Stress-Busters: 5 Useful Tips to Help You Cope

Some days can just be more difficult to get through than others, because life throws what I like to call “learning opportunities” our way when it feels like we need them. Because I am practicing speaking only positivity into my life, it is my goal to not refer to these moments as stressful; but the reality is they can be both physically and emotionally taxing! What makes the difference is how we deal with them. We can give in (as I almost did today after a particularly trying day at work) or we can go to our list of things that bring us back to a place of peace: 1. Walk away. One of the most helpful things you can do when encountering something...

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Love Notes - Friday 1/7/2011

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Reactions to “Princess Boy” Story

I watched a video yesterday about a little brown boy who calls himself a "princess boy" because he loves pink and sparkles and wearing dresses (If you haven’t seen it, click here). Social media outlets have been abuzz with people expressing their reactions and opinions--some intelligently and others ignorantly; but what most of the responses had in common was the strong stance on one side of the issue or the other. I, however, have mixed emotions. On the one-hand, it's just a dress. It's just clothing--just something we use to cover ourselves. Who initially decided that girls and women were to wear dresses and men were to wear pants? While the answer to this question is probably available somewhere on the internet, the point is that it was just some other person who made the decision--not...

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My word for 2011: Persistence

Last year, my first post for 2010 was all about my declaration to develop an energized state of mind.  I was about four months pregnant at the time, so it doesn't surprise me that I was craving energy! Seriously though, ENERGIZED was my word for 2010. I set my intention with the following statement: "This is my word of the year. I will no longer call myself lazy, tired and old, because I am truly none of these things! The first step is to stop thinking of myself this way and replace those thoughts with appropriate contradictions that affirm my limitless potential and energy to live, love and experience all that life has to offer!"Throughout...

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And our First Winners Are...

Happy New Year Everyone! First, I apologize because I was supposed to announce the winners on Monday, and technically right now it's Tuesday.  Thanks to all of you who left a comment and shared your reflections and words of encouragement.  Thanks to all of you who read our blog, follow us on facebook or twitter and let us know that we make a difference and add some love to the blogosphere. For this giveaway, we randomly chose two of the commenters from the giveaway post.  Without further ado, the winners are JessJ and ljkelly!  Ladies, please send us an email at peaceloveprettythings@gmail.com with the...

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