​Okay, we get it - you love attention, you're attractive and you want to be someone with deep, comical yet meaningful insight. The problem is you have a few people who are not missing the opportunity to call out your bullshit in front of your fans. These critics who are quick witted and think they have you figured out are lining up at your home plate and hitting your best pitches out the park with no fucks given. Their ballsy asses even bunt the post when you end it with a hashtag "this isn't up for debate." They don't care, it's social media, and they're going for the jugular, and the crowd is going wild over their response to your now mediocre post. 
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​Now if you are hot, pretty, handsome, and trendy then you have a better chance of getting your statements across home plate with awesome strikeouts while inexperienced batters are eating your banter up. However, when you come across more experience batters who know you and examine your finessing ways - well, it doesn't matter what type of curve ball you throw at them they're going to hit it. 
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​What can you do to avoid these kinds of batters? I suggest a couple of options (a) think before you post (b) find room to laugh at yourself (c) don't take it personally - you're popular (d) reflect and agree (e) totally ignore them or (f) block their disrespectful asses LOL just joking ;). 

I haven't been on this planet that long but I know enough to know that everyone isn't over-analyzing your posts the way your smart followers do. In today's world you can't just makeup shit and sound prophetic neither can you steal meme's words and make them work in your favor. Everyone is plugged into social media and someone, somewhere, especially if they are an intelligent clap backer and a pop culture expert will call you out on your shit. They are the umpire to your best pitches and will let you know if you throw a foul ball. 

​So the best advice I can give you trendy folks out there is to filter your audience. Manipulate the view of your post so that the intelligent-clap-backer-hitters won't be able to score a homerun on your over indulging post and only share your fastballs with those who are too slow to hit it or get it. 

​Mixing social media and politics is tricky especially with the polarization in the U.S. Many folks like to avoid political banter. However, I can't. I have tried several times, but this little voice in my head likes to trickle down to the tips of my fingers and type out my thoughts. 

Someone needs to be the messenger, the voice - and not in a Chrisette Michelle kind of way. We need to say something, anything! We need to make plausible statements and let the world know how we feel. I say "we" collectively because I mean that. 

The inability of people to voice their concerns without ridicule is a top reason why we're in our current situation. Half the nation wasn't ready for Trump to be president AND none of our social media friends who supported him prepared us for his win. 

I could have taken the news a lot better if I had seen my Facebook friends share their thoughts about Trump. Out of nearly 1500 Facebook friends, I recall seeing two of my Caucasian friends post in support of President Trump and I know I have at least 200 white friends. [Insert tumbleweeds].

In hindsight I guess I could have suspected this - Caucasian folks don't like to disclose who they are voting for because...they're white and don't really want the world to know they voted for Trump. Me, I don't care who knows it, it's my right, and I am proud to vote for my candidate of choice. 

However, I wonder if the election outcome would have been different if we openly and unashamedly shared our support for the candidate of our choice? Would the tables be turned? Would we have witness the history in seeing the US first female president? Too bad we will never know. 

Passion is within all of us we just have to tap into it. Self-discovery and knowing thyself is the ultimate remedy to find, apply and execute your desire. For many years I juggled between jobs that temporarily satisfied my curiosity and livelihood. It was a pleasuring idea that I mapped out and planned, and it always worked, but as usual, I ended up tossing it aside. Been there, did that, don't like it anymore was my favorite sayings. The avoidance of being committed to one thing was overwhelming until I realized that I could not do it anymore. My passion is communication in the form of writing. 

The feeling of not being good enough to write is no longer holding me captive. It is strange to let people in on my weakness, but I know someone out there needs to hear it. Since a kid, I idolized those with formal education and fumbled when it came to speaking in front of these gifted individuals. I thought they would figure out this country girl with a thick southern draw and limited vocabulary is a fraud. Unfortunately I assumed degrees would change all of that. I have nearly $105,000 worth of education and debt instilled in me and still feel intimidated about my disserations. I don't think the crippling fear of it will ever go away, and that is where my passion lays. 

Will I ever master writing? Probably not, but practicing makes perfect. I am telling you this because a writer exist in all of us, struggling to get out. We should share our thoughts and be open to others while constricting our insecurities and limiting the sensitivity that harbors inside when it comes to expressing ourselves on paper. Learn to overcome it and don't be afraid of displaying your passion.  

In 2013 I made up my mind to finally leave my hometown. It wasn't a difficult decision, but the planning process and execution took a lot of work. I had to create a fail-proof strategy because I had two little ones depending on me to make it (my  5 & 6-year-old). As a single mother, I often felt like the move was impossible, but I quickly realized I am not the only single mother in the world who has ever moved. I knew I needed to have a decent amount of money to pull it off and this is a short list of how I did it.

1. I had to evaluate my situation
I had very little in the bank, a poor credit score, a mortgage, a raggedy car and two small kids who would need child care. Knowing my circumstances gave me the insight to put things in writing and research ways to change the outcome. It was at this moment; I decided that my refund was going to help get me through the first three months of my move. 

2. I made a plan
I created a timeline and put it on a vision board. The plan was to increase my bank account, make payment arrangements with creditors, get a reliable car, find an apartment with free child care, rent out my house, and apply for jobs in chosen area. 

3. I got a part time job & paid off debt
I opted for a seasonal job with a flexible schedule. I am pretty good at doing taxes, so I decided to work for a tax agency. I knew it would be easy to get hired because of my experience. I had to dedicate several weeks of free work to learn the fundamentals of the company's tax software and pass the agency's exam. The extra money that I earned, I applied it to bills that were on my credit. Remember credit is critical when moving because it will determine many of your deposits. Better credit equals less money spent, better rates, and more cushion in your bank account. 

4. I limited my spending 
I made the decision to cut my spending habit. I only bought what was needed and started cooking at home. I stopped going out unnecessarily and gave up cigarettes and alcohol. During this phase, I lost weight and saved money, so it was a win-win situation. However, because my planning was around Christmas the gift list was short. I am glad my kids were little enough to where they didn't mind it. 

5. I crashed at a friend's house 
After figuring out that I would move to Houston, I started staying with a friend on the weekends. I got a key to my friend's apartment giving me the ability to come and go as needed. I got the experience of testing the waters before I moved which was important to me since I feared city traffic. I was able to visit apartments, navigate through the city, interview for jobs, and save money (no hotel fees). 

6. I looked for a job in Houston
I started looking for jobs earlier in the year. I flirted with relocating for a while and I was waiting for a job to just happen. I didn't take it seriously until I was forced too (that's another story) and this taught me the lesson that when you move look for jobs at least four months in advance. I saved my vacation and personal days at work and used it on Mondays and Fridays for job interviews. 

7. I found an apartment with free child care
I got an apartment finder magazine with a list of different areas to live in the city. I quickly realized that rent changes depending on location. Many of the places look great in the magazine until you saw it in person. There are reasonable apartments with free child care, but it comes with some sacrifices. I suggest signing a 6, 9, or a 12-month lease when renting these apartments. Remember your living situation is temporary and not your permanent destination. 

8. I had a garage sale
I had to let go and move on. I went from a furnished 1,789 sqft. four bedroom house to a 900 sqft. two bedroom apartment. There was no way all of the items was going to fit in my new home, and the expense of moving everything would blow my budget. The money I made from the garage went towards new furniture.

9. I rented out my house
This was a tricky part of my move, but it worked. I rented my house out to a relative for the exact amount of the mortgage. I highly suggest not renting your home to family members, but that is another topic. I let my cousin move in a month early, and I moved in with my mother. It was another way to save additional money. 

10. I made a new plan
Once I made it to my apartment I wrote down a new plan to get out of it within a year. I knew the area wasn't the best but it was a start and I could survive. It was what I needed to get to where I wanted to be, and I am happy to say that I left that place in less than a year and moved to a great neighborhood. 

I have given you a short list of items to consider before you make a move. There is more to be added, and I will cover it in future blogs. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and feel free to share what has helped you with moving. Any advice is welcome!