"You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather."
- Andre 3000

I'm returning to the basics. Writing out my thoughts to release anxiety from the constraints of this ever changing world. Allowing my words to once again drift from my mind to paper has been helpful for me. I do not journal daily, but it is a goal that I'm striving for. In the meantime, I'll be sharing some of my journaling moments here in the digital Diary of Faith. And you are welcome to comment or journal with me. I'm releasing my PRAY MANIFEST JOURNAL line soon. 

Written on October 15, 2021

Things fall apart, but they also come together...

In many ways and at the least expected times. 

Piece by piece, they gravitate to each other to create the bigger picture. It's the waiting in the "coming together" that feels uncertain. And I don't want, or need, to lose my certainty. Essentially, I wonder if I'm seeking stillness in a place of  "I made it" while the ground is constantly moving. Rearranging and reforming to create a new bigger picture.

A grander portrayal of my life as the infinite knows it. As my "picture" is only a pixel. Zooming back into my thoughts, I hold a high regard for all of the moments, be they painful or pleasurable, that led me to the lucidity of my certainty. 

Forever grateful,

​Faith. 

This blog post is inspired by Rolling with Renia (go subscribe). She posts all of these cute youtube videos! I see her posts and think to myself, “I remember when I used to make youtube videos. It was so much fun!”

So here goes…
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I love myself enough to take a break. 

I’m going to start telling myself this more often. I’m a mother, daughter, bae, sister, teacher, etc. I’m a wombman of PASSION who bears many roles. I go hard for mine. And I haven’t even factored in my work. My work is my passion too! When you love what you do, it doesn’t seem like work. It just feels like playing your favorite game or watching your favorite shows. It feels as natural as anything else that you were born with. And it’s easy to get lost in it.

 
I find myself, using almost every spare moment to work. It’s so easy. What’s harder is making myself take a brain break. This has not always been the case for me, but it is now. And I know from experience that meditating is very beneficial to my health and overall well being. So, I’ve told myself that I have to love myself enough to take a break. I need to allow myself the same passion I have for everything and everybody else. 

And not just for us adults. For our children too. I speak life into my child, but I want her to speak life into herself as she grows up and goes out into this world. We create mantras now to prepare for tomorrow. For my Great Rising! readers, you’ll notice that there is a create a mantra activity in the coloring book.

As an educator, I learned that a lot of our youth don’t love themselves. There are many reasons why a child may feel like this. And because of this lack of love, affection, and confidence, they lash out. They “follow” the wrong crowd. They shut down. Worst of all, they stop believing in themselves. 
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I had a student once who started off the year great. She did her work, had great behavior, and was your average model student. However, as the year progressed, she began to get in trouble more and more. I really didn’t have any issues with her, but she’d get in trouble with her other teachers and become angry. Sometimes, she would bring that angry energy to our science class. One day she snapped at me. I got all of the other students started on their assignment, and I asked her to step out into the hallway. I stood in my doorway and talked with her. Just asked her what’s up. I let her say everything she had to say, and just explained to her that I felt she was upset, and I understood her. After she had calmed down, I reminded her that I didn’t disrespect her, so I expected her not to disrespect me. I explained to her that she can’t let people’s (teachers, students, parents, siblings, etc) actions rile her up to the point of explosion. I asked her had she heard of a mantra. I told her that when she felt her emotions taking her over to say a mantra. I let her sit with me during lunch and help her come up with one. I think her first mantra was, "I am smart," or something like that. Apparently, people had been calling her dumb. She had a few good days after that. Our goal was to write three, but things would come up. So, my lunch and planning periods where occupied. I remember, one day the following week she came to me and asked could we finish her mantras, and I couldn’t because of something. I said we will in a few days. The next day she was expelled. I was sooo hurt. She had come to me for help, and I didn’t. I will always remember those moments. I know I went off on a tangent, but that was a defining moment for me. We all need self-love, and most of us don’t realize it until late.

Once again, I am at point in my life where I gotta give myself some love that’s just for me. I need that balance. And I know that there is somebody else out there who needs it too. That’s why I’m sharing some of the things I do to get myself going.
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You may or may not be able to have some time alone today. BUT if you can find some time, isolate yourself.

Comfort Zone: You don't have to go outside and you don't have to sit on the ground. Go to a quiet place and get comfortable.

Music: Next, turn on some music that's soothing to you. A song that can take you away, yet fade into the background to let you focus on your thoughts.

Meditation Tools: Grab some pink or green crystals. If that's not your thing, skip this step. If it is your thing, but you don't have any, check out my meditation store. Smudge yourself before your meditation begins to clear unwanted energies from the week! Light your favorite incense. Have a mantra ready!

Meditate: A lot of people tell me that they try meditating, but it's hard because they have so much on their minds. I agree that it can be difficult in the beginning. It's difficult for me even today if I'm out of practice. Meditation is like anything else, the more you practice, the better you become at focusing on yourself. Guided meditations are great for beginners and experts alike. I know some great guided meditations and will share the links if you want in the comments. I also help people with meditations as well.

Use the time alone to think about the things that make you happy. Live in your moments of happiness. Love yourself for participating in and creating these moments. Think of new ways to create more happy moments.

Hold your crystals.
Take some deeeeep breaths.
Close your eyes.
Repeat your mantra. (x a # you choose)
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Be silent and continue to breathe deeply for at least 10 minutes. When you start thinking about a background sound or things you need to do, or LIFE.... Go back to your mantra and pull yourself back into your meditation.
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After you’re done. Take a few moments to reflect if you can. Log your meditations. You learn a lot about yourself and the world through meditation. Keep a journal. Thank yourself for the opportunity. Pray. Try your best to do it again. And again. And again. 
Love y'all.

1. Listen to Victoria by Jessie Boykins III. Switch out your name with Victoria. 
2. Sit outside for a few minutes. Get some vitamin D. Listen to the trees and birds. 
3. Celebrate where you are and the changes you made to get here. 
4. Repeat your affirmations while meditating with rose quartz.

Goal crushing ain’t easy! But Kim Natson Hall makes it look like a walk in the park. There is a certain fierceness to her drive that shows any onlooker she is a conqueror. What’s more, she doesn’t sternly conquer with a grimace. Instead, she smiles her cheeky smile and flexes her agility in accomplishing her goals on her terms. Plus, she inspires the people around her to do the same. ​

Faith: So, now that I’ve bragged about you, please tell everyone who you are and what you do.

Hall: Outside of being the CEO and founder of both Global Mentality Inc and Global Mentality (nonprofit). I am a full-time mother, wife, nurse educator, DNP student, and entrepreneur. I started my nursing journey in 2008. I spent several years working on medical, surgical, trauma and telemetry units. 

Faith: How did you get into mental health?

Hall: I found my calling six years ago in psychiatric nursing. Here, is where I found my true passion; helping individuals with mental health illnesses and their families to lead a healthy and prosperous life.   

Faith: Currently, I work at an agency that services children in DFCS care and I get to see first-hand how mental health affects behavior and physical wellness. Yet, some people say that mental health treatment is just the new buzz or hot topic, and not really a necessity. How do you emphasize the importance of mental health?

Faith: I understand your mother has been very influential in your career. I’m all about showing my momma some love. Tell me about your momma! 

Hall: My mother has been one of the biggest influences in my life. During my school-age years, my mother worked in a variety of healthcare settings, from home health to nursing homes. My younger brother and I would volunteer often at long term care facilities. While I was in middle school, my mother began to work in a community home with individuals that suffered from developmental disabilities and mental health illnesses. These individuals grew to be family. My mother has always been loving, kind and non-judgmental. She exhibited great patience and understanding when working with individuals. I witnessed my mother exhibit the exact same skills when dealing with family members that were also suffering from mental health illnesses. My mother has taught me how to be caring, non-judgmental and a mental health advocate. 

Faith: Your mother led by example, and I know she is gleaming with pride from all that you have accomplished. Now that you have your own family, how are they involved with GM?

Hall: Actually, My proudest moment thus far has been watching my family, especially my daughters, participate and assist me in making my dream become a reality. They are present at every event. My family is just as dedicated as I am to giving back to the community and assisting individuals that are affected by mental health illnesses. We are a team. 

Faith: What I’m hearing is teamwork really does make the dream work. I can testify to that, especially when it comes to parenting, working, and running a business. And in your case, you’re also in school AND teaching. I’m getting exhausted just thinking about it. With everything going on in your life, time management must be challenging. How do you handle it all?

Hall: I approached the new challenges and tasks by purchasing several calendars and learning how to plan out my daily, weekly, and monthly activities. I set aside days for school work and separate days for business. I set aside several hours every day strictly for family and nothing else. I learned how to increase my daily flexibility. 

Faith: What goal do you want to accomplish through Global Mentality?

Hall: I would like to break the mental health stigma associated with these disorders. Education is key in this process. I would also like to decrease hospital readmission, incarceration, and suicide rates by providing education and resources to individuals and families. My goal is to let individuals know that they are not alone in dealing with mental health illnesses and they have support. Together we can make a difference.

Faith: I am positive that you and the Global Mentality team will step up and educate our communities on the importance of mental health. I am super proud of your initiative and cannot wait to get the word out about your nonprofit! It has been a pleasure to feature you in the UMM series. What advice do you have for anyone who is interested in starting a nonprofit, or simply a business of their own? 

Hall: My advice would be to do your research. Research if there are other nonprofits or businesses that are doing the same thing you want to do. Find out if you can potentially partner with them as opposed to starting your own. If you decide you want to start your own, look at the businesses that are operating now. Learn the obstacles and challenges they faced so you can avoid them. My most important tip is to believe in yourself. Believe in your dream. Don't let anyone or anything hold you back. ​​

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Facebook - Global Mentality Inc.
Instagram - @globalmentality2
LinkedIn - Kimberly Natson
Website - globalmentalityinc.com

Use your magic! You can find out more information about Global Mentality by visiting their website. Kim Natson Hall will be a featured speaker at a youth summit in January. Check out the event details below!

Faith Underwood

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For more info go to Youth Empowerment Summit Statesboro.

It is Notorious November! Bridging the gap between fall and winter, November is a month of spiritual awakening. It is also the month that I landed on this planet. For these reasons, I thought it was the best month to premier my Using My Magic (UMM) Series. This is a series highlighting entrepreneurs, and their journey into using their magic to bring their dreams to life!

My first feature is someone who awakens my spirit. She is bubbly, optimistic, and her energy is contagious! And the icing on the cake is that she is a November baby too. I’m excited to introduce you to Samari Walker, owner of Ginger Galore.

​Ginger Galore (GG) is an all-natural health and beauty line, which includes products made from ginger to be used internally and externally. Samari specializes in herbal teas, face masks, and face scrubs. Many other products include lip scrub, lip balm, body scrubs, body butters, foot scrubs, detox bath soaks, and bath bombs. 

​For the record, I have tried her teas, scrubs, and body butters myself. They are legit! Ginn & Juice is my favorite tea. It is definitely a southern sweet tea with a spicy kick of ginger. I’m a repeat customer. I can show you my receipts!

Faith: What made you choose to start GG?
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Walker: For a period of time, I was getting sick very often. I started researching ways to build my immune system and I found “ginger tea.” I was not a fan of ginger at all and overlooked that option. Later, I finally decided to give ginger tea a try. I liked it! I added more ingredients until I had a recipe I really liked. I drank my tea every day and noticed I wasn’t getting sick. I didn’t get sick for a whole year! There was one instance where I  stopped drinking my tea a little bit before for a trip. I became really ill. As soon as I got back, I drank my tea and my cold was gone in two days. I gave it to family and friends who were sick and they had the same results that I did… they were back to themselves in as little as two days. It was then that I realized my recipe was special and the world needed it.

Faith: How did your other products come to life?

Walker: I began selling “What’s The Tea.”  Although I knew I had a great product, I didn’t want to sell only tea.  One day, I was riding in the car and the idea to sell beauty products with ginger being the base popped in my head.  It really felt like a light bulb just clicked on, and that’s when I decided to go full force and create GG.

Faith: Let’s talk about business. You ranked time management as most important when it comes to running your business. I definitely agree. Marketing was listed has your second most important process. Explain more.

Walker: I was never interested in marketing. Now that I am a business owner, I realize how important marketing really is. I had to learn all the dynamics. I have to be extra creative and think outside the box in order to reach all the different types of audiences. I am still not a fan of marketing but it’s definitely growing on me. I’m learning new marketing strategies every day and applying them. I read books to help me as well.  My favorite marketing book is Contagious by Jonah Berger.

Faith: Marketing may not be your favorite task, but I couldn’t tell. Your eye-catching photos of your products should snag all types of audiences. Who is one of your biggest entrepreneurial influences? Maybe even someone whose marketing style you admired?

​Walker: Nipsey Hussle was and still is one of my biggest entrepreneurial influences. Nipsey had really great ideas to market his music. 

He sold his Crenshaw album for $100 each! I was so motivated to build something of my own when I saw him start The Marathon store. I started watching his interviews. He made me realize that I could be the diverse and all-around person I always wanted to be. I began to understand that I could have multiple businesses just like he did. I always dreamed of being involved in many different things and start multiple businesses but I didn’t know how to do that and maintain a specific, non-contradicting image. Nipsey Hussle taught me that I can and will do it big! Rest In Paradise Ermias Joseph Asghedom.

​Faith: What has been your proudest moment thus far? 

Walker: My proudest moment was realizing I was really going to bring GG to life and on July 19, 2019, I did just that! I launched GG to the public. It was such a magical, overwhelming, and surreal moment in my life. I was so happy to have something I could finally call my own! I received so much love and support from all of my family, friends, and people I didn’t even know. I was shocked. The love was real and truly appreciated.

Faith: I know the feeling, and I am so happy that you received such an outpouring of support. You will continue to see this support because of the appreciation that you show! Knowing this, fast forward to one year later, where do you see GG?

Walker: In one year, I see GG really taking off. People will be ordering my products from different states. I am investing a lot of time, money, and marketing into GG. That includes creating new products every month and getting them out to be sampled in order to see what products people are gravitating to. With that being said, I also see me discontinuing some products and focusing more on what people really enjoy.

​Faith: I love that you are continuing to move forward by focusing on the products that your customers find most beneficial. That releases your time to new projects. Plus, you could always do a throwback release! 

Walker: Yes! A throwback release would be a great idea. Thank you so much!!

Faith: And thank you for being a part of the UMM series! Your story is inspirational, and I can’t wait to see you and GG grow! Before we say goodbye, do you have any encouraging words for anyone looking to start their own business?

Walker: The best advice I can give is to just start!  After you start, everything will fall into place and I mean everything!!  Also, trust and believe in yourself and your idea. God didn’t give you this brilliant idea for you to sit around and doubt yourself. Lastly, take all feedback as positive feedback!  Listen and contemplate on all the feedback you receive; you never know what ideas you can come up with.

Use your magic! You can check out more of Samari’s products by visiting her website. And don’t forget to enter the raffle for a FREE Galore Body Scrub! 

Faith Underwood