WAAAY UP, I FEEL BLESSED

Hey Queens,

It's that time again. It's time for us to recap our August Best You Challenge and introduce our September Best You Challenge.

Wow, can yall believe we made it to September? For a moment, it felt like this year would never end. But it's trudging forward and so will we. I'm super excited to introduce September's Best You Challenge but first, let's see how August's Best You Challenge went.

RECAPPING AUGUSTS BEST YOU CHALLENGE: HAPPY HOUR

What can I say about August's Best You Challenge, other than I throughly enjoyed it. There was not one day, where I did not practice this challenge. I was 21/21 on this one. I spent an hour every day deep diving into the world of #Insecure and finally catching up on all of the drama between #Molly and #Issa. Can I say that Molly was at fault in the situation and #AsianBae is a god that I wouldn't mind...never-mind. Let's keep this PG, Queens. I started watching #GoodGirls and then got utterly bored around the beginning of the second season. I also rewatched some of my favorite episodes from #BobsBurgers. I got to know my favorite Youtube family, #KierandThem, a lot better. I laughed until my stomach hurt watching reactions to #CardiB and #MegTheeStallion's #WAP music video. I felt like I was traveling back to college on August 31st, when I spent my lunch hour laid out in the grass listening to my favorite podcast: The Read.

It felt so good to not only cross some shows off of my list, but also just turn my brain off and be entertained. I think, being stuck in the middle of this pandemic, at home with nothing to do, is finally starting to get to me. I miss going out to the movies, out to eat, or out to a theme park. Last year, I went to #KnottsBerryFarm like it was my job. I spent the Summer going on bike rides, bowling, roller skating, mini golfing. You name it, I did it. However, I can't do any of that this year and it sucks. However, what I can still do is get lost in someone else's fictional drama and laugh and cry at their struggles. I have been so busy lately, that I haven't able to do much of this. I am so behind on all of my shows. It was good to catch up and have that time to myself.

This is definitely a challenge that I plan to implement into my life permanently. I need to make time for me. Not my goals, not my dreams, but me, everyday. It's so important to spend that time with yourself Queens, not just to work on improvements, but to be with who you are right now, at this moment. The entire point of Phorbe is to help you step into the Queen you're meant to be and walk in your purpose. But we are always a work in progress, Queens. There's so much to learn and so much room for us to grow. Let's not get caught up in always striving for better and not stop to celebrate how far we've come right here in this moment. It's all about balance Queens. Reach for your best and enjoy where you are at the same time.

SEPTEMBER'S BEST YOU CHALLENGE

A few weeks ago, I posted a Blessed blog post on practicing gratitude and its benefits. Queens, it's time to put that blog post into practice. There's just too much, too TOO much going on in this world. It's heartbreaking, it's devastating, it's maddening, it's distracting.

The death of #ChadwickBoseman cut me deep to my core. To think of all of the children who lost their hero, all the parents who had to explain death to their children for the first time, all of his cast-mates who spent so much time with him and didn't know, all the pain and suffering he had to endure in silence while still producing masterpiece after masterpiece for us. So that we can see ourselves on the big screen, so that we would have a deeper understanding of our real life heroes and celebrate them. So that we would be entertained. It breaks my heart that his life was cut short when he had so much more to do.

I decided to take a social media break when I found that I had spent 2 hours looking at people's reactions to this terrible news on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Two hours. I cried, wiped my tears and kept scrolling. It was like it was controlling me and pulling me deeper and deeper into a dark hole of depression that I didn't want any part of. So, I logged out of all of my accounts and turned my phone off.

The world is hurting and I'm hurting. But, I'm not someone who can just stew in this pain. I want to do something, anything to reach out and help. To let people know it's going to be okay, but I don't know what to do. What can I do to help?

Have you ever been here Queens? Well, I have an answer for you. What you can do, is continue walking in your purpose and reaching for your dreams. Your purpose is your why and what. Your purpose is why you were put on this earth and it is what is going to give you the platform to help people. If you're not in a position where you can jump into action and help, then you're not fully walking in your purpose yet. You still have work to do Queen.

It's a hard pill to sallow, but we have got to refocus Queens, and keep our eyes on the target. Getting emotional over the state of the world isn't going to produce change. Getting lost in the new frustrating news that's circulating right now, isn't going to help all of the people you were put here on this earth to help. Focusing on the negative, Queens, will only bring you into a state of depression or despair rendering you unproductive and unhelpful to anybody; including yourself. Focusing on the negative, only produces more negativity.

Inform yourself, yes, but don't dwell on what you've learned. Don't stay with it. Consume it and then use it to catapult yourself into putting in that werk!

For the next four months, we will be completing Best You Challenges that will help us refocus, recenter, and reenergize our vibrations so that we can keep moving forward towards our goals. 2020 has tried hard to take the world down and bring it to it's knees. But us, Phorbe Queens, will not be another one of it's victims. 2020 will not take us. 2020 is still our year. This month, we will be practicing Gratitude in order to bring you back to yourself, to the present, to the tasks at hand.

Practicing gratitude is not only the perfect tool to help you refocus, it is also THE best tool for attracting abundance and positivity in your life.

How will we Practice Gratitude?

To complete this challenge will be very simple Queens. Every day, right before you go to bed, I want you to sit on your bed and write down, with pen to paper, three things that you are grateful for from that day. That's it. It's really that simple.

Start with just three minutes of your day, every day, and think of all of the beautiful, wonderful, miracle, surprising things that have happened to you in the last twenty four hours. Do this before bed, to maximize your sleep and keep the positive energy flowing into your new day.

How to Join

Since there are only 30 days in September, this month's challenge will begin on September 10th and run through the end of the month. On September 10th, I will post the challenge's cover photo on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. To join the challenge, comment "I'm In" on that post on Instagram. Then make sure you check in weekly for accountability and the chance to win free giveaways!

So Queens, what do you say? Are you ready to refocus and drink in all the positivity around you?

It's a beautiful day to conquer the world. So, WALK into the Queen you're meant to be and Slay!

-Queen Maree

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2020