YOU ARE EXHAUSTING!!

The other day when I got home, I flopped down on my couch exasperated and exhausted. Yes part of it was due to work and long work week, part was due to just fatigue as a results of months upon months of being on the go, but a major part of the exhaustion was due to weeks of dealing with people who are just exhausting and overwhelming to your spirit. Everyone knows who these people are, everyone except the guilty culprit that due to the fact they are too self-absorbed and too self involved to notice the effects that they have on people.

This my friends is what you call the exhausting, self-absorbed, entitled, overly dramatic person that for some reason you just cannot escape. They are at your workplace, in your family, in your circle of friends so inevitably you have to deal with him or her.

This person is so taxing that you just become exhausted and exasperated when you hear their name. Everything that comes out of their mouth just makes you want to scratch your head in bewilderment. You see the number come up on the caller ID and you begin to sigh because you know you are about to deal with an exhausting conversation with an exhausting person.

This could also be the person at work or other professional settings that when you see coming, you conveniently go the other way. You take the steps when they are at the elevator, or duck in a room if they approach (yes sometimes its that bad). Often times those people are so self-involved they do not even notice.

Look at the checklist below, if you can answer yes to these questions then you are dealing with an exhausting and exasperating person.


1. There is always a crisis in this person’s life. They call you only to discuss some issue that seems to happen at least three or four times a week.
2. The person takes advantage of your kindness. You do one favor for them, now each week they need you to do something else. Don’t you dare say no, cause they will get an attitude or throw a temper tantrum.
3. Is so self-absorbed that they ask you how you are doing (as a courtesy) but are not even listening when you tell them. They are waiting to interject back with their stuff. Often times they respond back to you with something about them. Example: “I’m am doing good man, I just won this award at work. Life is great.” Exasperating Friend: “ Can you do me a favor?” or “You won’t believe what happened to me today!” They did not even acknowledge your statement.
4. Only calls when a favor is needed. You see the number on the ID and you sigh because you know a huge favor is needed. They never call just to check in. There is always an agenda.
5. Needs constant validation from you. They need to be told all the time that they are ok, or be given praise or do or say things to get your reaction. They constantly need your attention, much like a small child who needs the attention of their parents.
6. Asks for advice, but always does the opposite.
7. Never available when you need them, but you better make sure you are available whenever they need you. In their minds, their life is more important than yours. Their schedules are always busier; their lives are always fuller and so on.



Does this sound familiar to you? We all have someone like this in our lives. It is not to say that you do not love this person, but their persona sometime can just be too much. Everything is always about them. It’s ok sometimes to take a break and to gain some perspective. The other thing that works is that you can check the person. If your friendship is real, then you can go to this person and voice your concerns. You may even have to go “Bro, you are exhausting!” Then elaborate. The fact that you made such a declarative statement will get the attention you need and you can use that to go in and be real. It may or may not work but at least you can say you were honest about it.

Best of luck with dealing with the exhausting and exasperating person, they are not always easy to escape.

You are not alone. I’m exhausted!!

CG2

I Got An Answer For Ya!

A grievous mistake occurred the other day on my part. Fortunately, it was one I could correct very easily. It is a mistake I have I have made more than a few times in the past, but as I am getting older and a little wiser I am not making that mistake as much, that my friends is explaining your actions, decisions, and opinions to others. As you hit a certain age, and you have accomplished things, and you begin to add more and more to your successes and even your failures, you grow, you live and you learn. These things increase more with time, so does the need to explain yourself as well as the need to have people accept you.

I think back to when I was in high school. That was such a fun, complex, confusing, and conflicting time in my life. The need to have people accept and need me was overwhelming. I always wanted to fit in, and be accepted. So much so that at times, I would catch myself holding back on things, rolling over for others, and letting people take advantage. I was what you called “The nice guy.” Of course there is nothing wrong with being the nice guy. That is a reputation I hope to continue to hold on to as I continue to move in this life. However, what has changed with time as that now I do not hold back. I do not give in (as much), and I let my voice be heard. I think a lot of times when you are nice, people tend to take advantage of your kindness, and confuse your niceness and easygoing nature as passive or weak. I am neither, however some often confuse the behaviors.

Why now? Because I think I have earned the right to do so. When you have taken steps to better your life, when you accomplish the things that you have set out to do, you feel justified in the way you live your life. For me these past three years have increased my confidence levels, moved me from a place of repeated self-doubt and need for approval, to accepting and loving the person I am and no longer needing people to approve my decision. The need to justify myself to others had decreased. Am I at one hundred percent, no of course not, I do not think there is anybody who could ever be at that level but I now feel more comfortable in my own skin. I look in the mirror and like what I see. If others do not like it, that is there problem. The only person who I feel the need to explain to is the almighty creator God himself. In certain situations, you do need to explain to others of course. Your boss for being late, team members for missing a meeting, and so on. But that is the limit. I do not owe anyone explanations on things in my personal life or for the decisions I make especially if they are of no consequence to them.

It always amazes me when people expect explanations or when we feel obligated to explain something to someone. Most of the time, our own guilty convictions or inexplicable need to be accepted are the root cause, so we catch ourselves explaining away or apologizing for our opinions or feeling like trouble or uncomfortable when we do express ourselves. Why? Look at what we have been through. Look at what we have accomplished. With that, why feel uncomfortable.
Believe or not, there are some people who I feel in my heart do not like me (even though they don’t think I know). Even a year ago, that would bother me because I would ask myself, “Why?” “Do I need act a certain way?” “Maybe if I say this or say that…” Then I thought to myself one-day wait a minute? Who cares? There is nothing wrong with me. I am a good guy. I have lot of talents and God has blessed me. If God sees me with love and acceptance, why worry what others think? He created me and loves me. If others don’t that is there problem not mine.
Will it always be easy? Will I always be at 100%, again no. With growth, will come growing pains. Some people will not be ready for your growth, but in time either they will accept it or they will not. As I write this, I always think of my grandmother Christine, who had no problem expressing herself and did not give two cents about what anybody thought about her. She had a confidence like I had never seen before. She had a swag and a style all her own. She had no problem mincing words. She always would say… “I got an answer for ya!” and I loved that. As I continue to grow, get older and accomplish more. I hope I too can continue you to say…”You may not like me, or what I am doing, but I got an answer for you…!”

In love,

CG2

Letter To My Younger Self :

People Magazine recently celebrated their 40th Anniversary. As part of that celebration, they had celebrities write letters to their younger selves. I always wanted to write something like this and now finally getting around to doing it. While I am not a celebrity, I think the quote "If I Only Knew Then, What I Know Now.." is very applicable here. But having said that there are no regrets. Everything is vessel to get you where you need to be in life.

Read on...


Dear 17 Year Old Chris:

Hey There,

This is an exciting and complex time for you right now. Your life is full of twist and turns and this is only the beginning. Brace yourself for these next 20 years.

Enjoy the ride and don’t rush it, you may think things will be easier for you when you get older and become an adult, and trust me you will love your independence but there is something about this time of your life that needs to be treasured. Believe me there will be plenty of times down the road when you will wish you were back here in this moment. Enjoy the ride and don’t speed it up.

You are dealing with a lot of people right now, you may be mistrusting of some of those around you right now, who claim to call you friend. Unfortunately, that does not change with time. What does change with time however is the ability to discern a little faster who those people are. Looking down the road, you are going to have some friendships that will dissolve over silly things but you will also gain some great friendships that will last a lifetime, they will add joy to your life and you will add joy to theirs, there will be NO QUESTION who those people are.

Family is everything to you and that will continue to be the case. Certain things will happen both good and bad, but hold close to the memories. You have a family like no other.

Right now, you are questioning your nice guy persona, you feel as If the old saying “Nice guys finish last.” Is true. I’m here to tell you they don’t. Keep being a nice guy; keep being a gentleman despite what others say about you. There will be great rewards for you. Also remember nice does not = pushover or weak. Don’t change that about yourself. People do honor and admire that about you. They may not always show it, but you will feel the love when you need it. Don't take things so personal, that will be a struggle for you. Don't internalize other people's moods, egos, and other baggage. Its often about something they are dealing with. As time passes, you will get better at it though.



God has you now and will continue to have you. Always look to him for strength. You will fall and get up, fall and get up. You may feel alone but the hand of God is always on you despite some of the things you will do. Always keep God first; there will be many rewards if you do.
You may not know it now, but each situation, day that you have lived up to this point is preparing you for your future career. You will have a few different careers and each will seem like that is the right fit. Know that a lot of things in your life will be for a season and then you move on. It’s all part of a bigger story in which you will enjoy your greatest success. Hang in there and don’t be discouraged when certain choices, certain paths do not work out even though it seems as if they should you are going where you need to go.


Lastly, don’t be afraid to dream, step out on faith, and listen to God. When he says, “move”. It will take you where you always wanted to go. Don’t get comfortable where you are because he has another area for you, your dreams will come true there. Your reality will include things right now that you are only dreaming of. Your destiny is being fulfilled. Your dreams are coming true.

Stay tuned… the best is yet to come

Sincerely,

Chris, Age 37.

Random Observations of Last Two Week

1. The line inside the bank was wrapped around the corner today. I guess people get paid on Mondays too. One lady was asking for a chair cause she did not want to stand up. Score one more for “Team Lazy”


2. Did I miss the part on the California Written Exam for Drivers License that said using your turn signals was optional? Have you ever been so lazy, that you couldn’t not put your hand up and turn on your signal to indicate a turn? Yeah, me neither.

3.

There are hundreds of conspiracy theories out there regarding the Ebola Virus. Everything from “The Government trying to kill us!” to “Jay-Z and Beyonce and the Iluminati is working to destroy us all…” If Jay and Bey truly were trying to kill everyone, who would buy their records and attend their concerts? Fear makes this worse people. Educate yourselves on what this is and is not. Fear and paranoia only adds to the chaos. God is STILL IN CONTROL.

4. Listening to The Heat is On by The Isley Brothers and The Songstress by Anita Baker on VINYL as I am writing this just makes me smile.

5. Save the drama for The Young & The Restless. Leave it off social media. Some of y'all are doing the most with your status updates.

6. I think shows like The Voice, America’s Got Talent, and The X Factor contribute to the “Flash In The Pan” era that we are dealing with in the music industry now. There is too much instant fame. Where is the staying power?

7. Actor Stephen Collins just proved that you never know what goes on behind closed doors. Wow, color me shocked, saddened and disturbed. Not Pastor Camden from 7th Heaven. The hashtag for many is #childhoodruined

8. Super excited the Brach’s candy can now be found again at the grocery store. Can we say Royals and Fruit Slices?

9. Jimmy x’s 2 (Fallon and Kimmel) should do some type of merge event during Primetime. Hey it could happen.

10. George Clooney got married. I can now get a full night’s sleep. #sarcasmineffect

11. Viola Davis needs to prepare herself for awards season for How To Get Away With Murder. The cast of Scandal deserves some love too during award season. The fact that Jeff Perry (Cyrus), Bellamy Young (Mellie), and Katie Lowes (Quinn), Guillermo Diaz (Huck) have not even got nominations is beyond me. Shonda Rhimes is RUNNING Thursday night. Must See TV What?

12. This year is Saturday Night Live's (SNL) 40th anniversary. I am wondering when SNL will get out its creative slump. I still root for that show. Such a rich legacy. Where is the next Eddie Murphy? Will Ferrell, Chris Farley, Gilda Radner, Belushi? This is the longest slump I have seen.

13. You can make all the excuses in the world for Kanye, Yezus, or whoever he is calling himself this week, it still won’t be enough for me to get on the train because ultimately there is bound to be a train wreck.

14. There have been so many people that have lost loved ones this week. Tell the people in your life that you love them and that they matter. Rest in Paradise: Macarthur "Mac" Birzer, Rosalind Johnson Marshall, Cousin Richard Bruce II (Dickie),William Reynolds, and Michael Brenneman

15. As I am listening to All ‘N’ All (on vinyl) by Earth, Wind & Fire I wonder how we went from that to Miley Cyrus, Justin Beiber, and autotunes.

16. The Kool-Aid is always sweet…at first. Have a mind of your own in EVERY environment. Educate yourself on your surroundings. Don't always fall for the "okie doke"

17. Once again, please watch your use of hashtags. #threeto4limit

18. Self-absorbed people are too self-absorbed to even see this in my blog.

19. There are certain things I do not have to prove to ANYbody except for God.

20. Alfonso Riberio be prepared to win the DWTS crown. Thanks for bringing The Carlton back into our lives.Long live the 90s!

21. IT’S A GREAT TIME FOR KANSAS CITY!! KANSAS CITY ROYALS!! Can you believe it?? So proud of Kansas City!! Always home. #takethecrown

Give It Up, Turn It Loose.

“If they don’t want ya, you don’t need them…” – “Give It Up Turn It Lose”
-En Vogue

As I was sitting here listening to my music which I often do, I put the song “Give It Up Turn It Loose” by the 90s super group En Vogue and for some reason I was inspired to write. A light bulb went off in my head. While the song is told from the perspective of a girl dealing with a dead end relationship with a two-timing boyfriend, and her girlfriends telling her to move on, I thought of another scenario, toxic friendships, or friendships that simply are not going anywhere.

A few days ago, I found myself in my feelings because my feelings got hurt from somebody I thought truly was a friend. Because of the situation, it had me questioning a lot of my friendships and relationships and putting doubt into my head that was really down for me like they say they are, because as we all know not everyone who say they are in your corner, are truly in your corner.
Quiet as it’s kept, friendships are also relationships that require commitment on each person’s part. There are a lot of friends when push comes to shove are not there for you when you need them to be. When you need them, they are full of excuses, full of defensiveness, and then treat you as if you are the bad guy when you ask for a little bit of their time.
What I realized is that as I was taking inventory of people who I claim to be friends I had to do a mental “purge” or “delete” like on social media. I had to ask myself why I was tripping on this person who has done so little for me? Why was I allowing this energy to affect my day? Then what I came to realize is that there are a few friends that I have to delete. At the end of the day, I had to count my blessings and think of those friends that truly do mean the world to me and are there for me.
You have to give up relationships that bring you down, make you feel less than who you are, and make you question other relationships. The mind is a battlefield and often time negative people and negative energy can dance around in that battlefield making you crazy. As I was thinking about toxic friendships I had to devise a checklist. The checklist is simple.

Is this person truly your friend if (check all that apply):


______ 90 percent of the time, you are the one initiating communication with this other person. Never will you find this person checking in with you. Not even a simple text or phone call. Half the time you are lucky if you even get a call back or response from the text.
______ Your friend makes you out to be the heavy if you ask for some time to hang out. Throws out a laundry list of excuses at you.
______ Never supports or asks about your goals or what you are doing unless its gossip or mess.
______Throws shade at your achievements, goals/aspirations.
______Takes no interest in what you are doing, does not come to events in which you may be spotlighted (again comes up with a laundry list of excuses).
______Constantly insulting you and putting you down, but says, “that’s what friends do…” or “I’m joking...” (Note: there is a difference and teasing the ones you love and joking and full on insults…)
______Feels you are inferior if you are not at their level of life (example: they are married, you are single, or vice versa, you aren’t at on the same financial, social, and cultural status).
______Other people are comfortable going to him/her with mess, gossip, etc about you.
______When the “friend” does initiate communication, its because they need a favor, have a question. It’s never really to see how you are doing.
______Unwilling at all to be inconvenienced or make sacrifices for the sake of friendship. (I.e.: coming to your event or hanging out even though they are tired at times, eating at a restaurant they don’t like, etc).

Did you find yourself checking a majority of those boxes? I did. I put several so called friends up to test, and some failed miserably. They have since been moved to the “associate” pile. Now I will not waste so much energy and time worried about what that friendship means or where that relationship is going, because it’s going nowhere. I also used it for an accountability piece for me as well as sometimes I find myself guilty of the time and excuses issue. Life happens and well get busy, you sometimes lose touch with people, but it’s not a good excuse to just stay in that thinking. If it’s been a while, reach out to those friends who you claim mean so much to you, but if that friend has failed the test repeatedly, wish them well and move on.

“You’ll be fine, take this time to find peace of mind. Sooner or later bad feelings will die. You must be strong, don’t blame it all on love. In time good things will come…” (“Give It Up Turn It Loose” En Vogue)

It’s truly time to “Give It Up and Turn It Lose” purge, delete, and move on.

Does It Take All This To Be All That?: The Over Zealous Person

Ambition. That is a simple enough word, three syllables right? It’s a word that is not at all difficult to pronounce (maybe for some people). It is something we all should have in our lives no matter what our goals and aspirations are. Without ambition those goals and are like a driving a car from L.A to Vegas on a fourth of a tank of gas. You may want to get there soon enough, but you really will not get very far. No there is nothing wrong with having ambition and wanting to get to the top. However, there is something wrong when you do WHATEVER it takes to get there.
“WHATEVER it takes!” or “By any means necessary.” As a society we hear these terms often and they are applicable to certain things. Perhaps most parents would do what Denzel Washington’s character did in John Q if their child’s life depended on it. But it is crazy how many people apply this thinking to their business and professional goals, WHATEVER IT TAKES.
Over the years, Hollywood has given us characters we love to hate. Fictional characters that are willing to do whatever it takes to be on top. For example J.R Ewing from the show Dallas, J.R would do whatever it took to stay top dog at the family business including lie, cheat, frame his brothers, whatever it took to stay on top. Flash forward to the present with Rowan Pope or “Papa Pope” as die hard Scandal fans call him. (SPOILER ALERT) The season finale showed us that Rowan was willing to do “whatever it took” to get back B613 and get his daughter Olivia out of the country. He wanted to be on top by any means necessary, which included killing the President’s son, and Pope Associate Harrison. We all know that ultimately his machinations will be exposed, just like other over zealous go-getters.
Overly ambitious people scare me to an extent. While granted most if not all of the overly ambitious people I know would not go to the J.R and Rowan extremes, their limits to what they would do go far beyond what some of us could imagine. There are a number of people that I come in contact with from day to day that I simply do not trust, and overly ambitious people are right there at the top of that list. There are a lot of ways to spot an overly ambitious person that is willing to do whatever it takes. Mainly you see this person in the workplace or in your professional groups. They are often gunning for positions that are 1. Not even available, 2. That they are not qualified for. So they use their skills of manipulation to work their magic with often-disastrous results. Look at the following traits of an overly ambitious person, if you can identify someone that fits these traits…tread carefully.

Characteristics of an Overly Ambitious Person:

1. Every word out of his/her mouth sounds as if they are campaigning.
2. Constantly throwing shade at his/her coworkers (pointing out little petty errors, or mistakes, constantly making negative remarks) especially around supervisors, leaders, and other important key people.
3. Constant kissing up to leaders, supervisors, executives.
4. (The flip of #2 above). Overly complementing you for EVERY little thing. To a point where it really does not feel genuine.
5. Asking colleagues to do work that he/she feels is beneath them, but then takes the credit for it in front of leadership.
6. Refusal to own up to his/her mistakes especially around leadership. Makes excuses, gets defensive and/or almost combative when their error is called out.
7. Refuses to do something without a title, praise, or compensation.
8. Talks about everyone around the office, network, organization, but then acts like their best friend when they come around.
9. Views you as “trouble” or a “rebel” if you speak your mind especially if it challenges his/her ideas or projects.
10. Afraid to challenge upper management or key leaders or ask questions of leadership because they don’t want to ruffle feathers.
11. Never associates with you unless a favor is needed, or job to be done that will make him/her look good.
12. Only attends meetings, events, and planning sessions if there is a opportunity for him/her to shine.
13. Throws a tantrum if he/she looses out on a promotion, election, or appointment and results to desperate measures to get back on top (mud-slinging, demanding recount, etc). Sometimes this person will leave or quit all together (see #7 above).
14. Aligns him/herself with other sneaky, ambitious, and manipulative people with promises of an outcome… (“If you align with me, you will be my #2”. we can share the position, etc) that normally will never come to pass.
15. Leaving you out of important meetings with key people and then swear you were included but there is no documentation or schedule a meeting on a day you can’t attend (off work, out of town, another meeting) then make you look bad to leaders for not attending.

Recognize any of those characteristics? As you read, did you go “Oh my God that, is (insert name here)! ” You really have to be careful around these people. They may act like your friend, they may talk to you all the time, or the opposite they may not but then all of a sudden they are your best friend? Know the signs folks. Often time it helps to think like them, so that you can understand them. As you study the characteristics above, you will know who to steer clear from. The irony of the whole thing is often times the over zealous person has become somewhat a joke in many circles. Their reputation proceeds them within the organization, workplace, or other professional groups. This can spill into their personal lives, leaving them alone with no real friends, or meaningful relationships other then the ones they think they have formed but usually it’s his/her own mind. (“Oh me and the Vice-President are the best of friends!”)
If this person does make it up to the top (which is rare) their success is as temporary as Clear Pepsi. Often times, these are not the people leaders want representing their brand. In some organizations, there is an opportunity for everyone to have success and shine, yet the over zealous person shows their hand and tries to prove just how much more talented he or she is over the rest, which turns out to be an epic fail.
There is nothing wrong with ambition, having goals, and having the desire to be on top, but it should never, never come at the expense of others, sacrificing your morals and beliefs, and tearing down your reputation
It can be very, very lonely at the top. Is it worth it??

The LAULYPS: A Blessing That Keeps On Blessing

So by now, I am pretty sure you know how the story goes. In October 2011 I made the track for Kansas City to Los Angeles with nothing but my car, a few belongings and a whole of faith. One of the biggest concerns for me was making new friends and finding people to connect with who not only looked liked me but also shared some of the same beliefs, thoughts and common visions. Not that I did not have that in Kansas City, but I was leaving that behind. I knew why I was coming to L.A for and what the purpose was so I needed people that would help get me there. I also knew that I needed to be doing more civically and politically in helping my community prosper and move forward.
Of course I already had mutual friends though my relatives and I had watered the seeds of those relationships and they embraced me with loving and open arms and for that I am most grateful.
However, I needed something that was mine that I accomplished on my own, that was very important to me to come out to Los Angeles and succeed on my own terms. I needed to succeed in my goals, make friends, make powerful connections, and connect and serve this great city that I moved out here to be a part of. I was unsure of how to make this all happen until one day my cousin Nailah said to me, “Chris you need to go to a Los Angeles Urban League Young Professionals meeting. You need to be a part of that organization. It is so for you.” When she first told me, I kind of thought about it but put it on my backburner of things of “Yeah I will get to that later….” I kept putting it off until I went to one of their first events I want to say in early 2012. I went to a meeting at the Writers Guild of America in West L.A/Hollywood. I was hooked instantly. To see people of my age group be connected with some powerful players in the entertainment industry. It was definitely an eye opener and I knew that I was in the right place. I then went from there to a general body meeting and met Chanelle Brown who was (and still is) so passionate about this movement. I was interested but did not have the $100 membership fee and was not really trying to do that so I was like I will just come to the meetings and not pay for now. I was afraid to pay the dues but eventually I decided that $100 would be okay to pay, after all look what it connected me too.

I finally became a member and met our fearless and honorable President Abby Harris and she told me about a vacant Secretary position on the Executive Board of the LAULYP that I might consider. I was a little hesitant because I was not sure if I was ready for such a responsibility but I remembered what my goal was when I traveled out here and so I decided to go for it. I did some minutes for a meeting and submitted them and the rest is history. Fast-forward to almost three years later and I cannot imagine my life without the Los Angeles Urban League Young Professionals. It has helped me to push forward with all of my goals. I have met so many important people. I know that whatever I want to accomplish the LAULYP can help me get there. It is like a really good and planned out buffet – there is a lot to choose for everyone, but there it’s organized that it’s not overwhelming. I have made friends that I know will be friends for a lifetime. Now, I no longer just think of them as my YP friends but just friends who happen to be YP’s. We have common goals and visions. We work together to empower the community and then as result, we become empowered. I do not any regrets, but one every now and then I wonder what might have been had I went to a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) and pledged a Greek fraternity. While there is nothing that can compare to those experiences I am sure, there is a connection here as well with the LAULYPS. Like Greek organizations, it’s a brotherhood and sisterhood that you can use to connect with other individuals like yourself. No matter where you go in this country, you can find other young professionals and it’s a bond their that you can instantly connect with for others.

Joining the LAULYPS has also helped me become more civically engaged. Through our Civic and Public Engagement Committee there have been plenty of events to help us understand more about our local and national government and how its policies affect us as young professionals. We are no longer the voice of tomorrow; we are the voice of today. We are the ones who elicit change. Dr. King, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, and Nelson Mandela were young professionals who were age when they made their impact. We must know what is going around us if we truly want to grow our communities and see change happen. I cannot think of a better organization then the LAULYPS.

Our Community Service Committee works their behinds off with organizing events that help us empower the community. Just recently on Sunday, we helped to serve food to the homeless down in the Skid Row area of downtown L.A at the Midnight Mission. That was definitely an eye-opening experience. There are the events that make you feel good in the sense that you are giving back a little bit of what has been invested in you with your talents, gifts, and blessings. There was a time I was unemployed and the LAULYP was there to help. The Professional Development committee has events designed to help you find employment and our President has a goal of 100% employment before her term ends later on this year. Even if you just need encouragement on your current job or need strategies to be more successful on your current job, my LAULYP crew is there.

There are parties with a purpose. There are red carpet events that I have attended, award shows I have been invited too. None of this would be possible without the LAULYPS. God sent this organization into my life and it is one of my greatest blessings. The same could hold true for you.

I could go on and on about what the LAULYPS means to me, but I think you all get the point. It is a great movement to be a part of. It is a family, a network, a resource, a lifeline, whatever you want to make it, is there. So I encourage you to join this great organization. It is money well spent, that money is an investment into you and your community. It’s a deposit into your dreams and goals. Its time to get started and as our President would say, “keep is pushin!”

See you at the next meeting! #wegotnow #joinweek #ypsrunla www.laulyp.com