Jun 28, 20205 min read

#SumItUpSunday: Sunday, June 28th, 2020

Anxiety happens when you lead yourself to believe that everything has to be figured out and handled at once. Breathe. You got this. Do what you can to organize that beautiful scattered mind of yours. There are great ideas in there. Write them down. Create an action plan. And tackle each step- one thought at a time, one decision at a time, and achieve your goals one leap at a time.

Sometimes, the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step in your life. Tip toe if you must, but you gotta take a step. Getting knocked down in life is a given. Getting up and moving forward is a choice and I see you striving.

As we all know, we are all doing our best to keep our heads above water during these chaotic times. In a previous post, I shared about a fun game we play at Kim's Studio, a small and intimate dojo in Berwyn, Maryland. The game is called Tornado and in short the game's intention is to train the mind to remain centered in the midst of craziness and chaos. I miss that game and I miss sparring everyday. Regardless, I am thankful for the lesson my dojo masters thought me before this pandemic. Things are completely out of control outside of me, and there have been many times where anxiety has gotten the best of me.

Realistically speaking, how can one really handle murderers with badges, hangings in 2020, people dying left and right because of our ignorance and greed while an unknown virus takes over, a drastic increase in domestic violence, immigrant children lost & confused (click here to see multiple ways to help), and literally a bottomless list of daily fucked up stories? How do we handle this? We handle it with balance and with one breath, one decision, and one action at a time. Keep in mind that extreme actions are easy as hell, maintaining that balance within is the true challenge. I believe in you and I hope that the content shared through the BeYouForYou platform inspires you to acknowledge what is and to work through it as authentically as possible.

Here, at the BeYouForYou Network Headquarters, we have the same information provided to you and we are doing our best to contribute elevated changes through every connection we are blessed with. Sometimes it feels pointless knowing that we can't change the world even in one week but we keep going and we keep pushing. Personally, if I am able to inspire one person to look in the mirror and acknowledge their own power, potential, and creativity- well that makes the world just a little better, doesn't it?

Three of our members have taken strides in their artistic journey and here they are.

Chris Gregori (@LifeYieldsFood, aka Mr.Game'N'Cook) has not only been signing petitions left and right towards a world of more Love and growing his own vegetables and sharing it with neighbors.

Recently, he has been inspired to share more recipes and content with you guys. Making instructional videos, or any visuals with good quality and cohesive thoughts isn't as easy as tying your shoes... especially when no one has taught you how to double knot it. Do you know what I mean? We all start somewhere, we all want to move forward, and in order to do that one must take steps.

Click HERE to view Chris Gregori's Creamy Garlic Orzo recipe. Subscribe to his channel and let him know what you think! While we focus on our talents, it is important that we continue to do what we can when we can. Click HERE to help Chris bring the Black History Education Bill to life!

2. Amanda Jones, (@chandi.198822) a DMV native, and my best friend has recently decided to take a big step and share her art with us as well. Amanda is kind, empathetic, and always open to unbecoming and returning to her most authentic self. Growing up, we all pick up things along the way that are simply normalized but that does not mean those things aren't toxic. We pick up toxic behaviors along the way and it is up to us as individuals to undo what does not work for us and focus our energy on what lifts our spirits.

It warms my heart to be blessed with her friendship and witness Amanda become Amanda- a

strong, independent, raw, and impactful woman. She is a Crochet Queen, an evolving photographer, a Scrap booking expert, a humble writer, and a loyal & true friend. Click HERE to read her introductory article, "Quarantining My Best Life", where she shares what keeps her sane and leveled during quarantine.

Amanda has also participated in local protests standing with #BlackLivesMatter, and showed support and good morals in various ways. Sign this petition with us to spread awareness to #JusticeForAlthea- a victim of a hate crime. Four white men burned her with lighter fluid while using racial slurs. Althea now suffers from third degree burns, and the city is only considering hate crime charges. We believe premeditated attempted murder should be the primary charge.

3. Victoria, (@furyanprincess27), the brains behind V is for Voltron), is currently a DC resident and a smart-ass individual. She has recently taken big steps in which BeYouForYou celebrates her for in ways that she is comfortable. With that in mind, just know that this artist is fucking dope and that we look forward to sharing her skills, talents, and wittiness with you. Victoria is passionate, unique, down-to-earth, and dependable. Check out some of her clever jokes HERE.

Humor helps a lot, and in times like these a good laugh is healthy. Comedy is vital and so is

thinking ahead. Victoria is one of thousands and thousands of people that were financially affected by this pandemic. Sign this petition with us to urge for an extention for COVID19 Emergency Unemployment Insurance funds.

"Over the span of fourteen weeks, more than 47.1 million Americans have filed unemployment claims across the country because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. This amounts to nearly 14% of the US population who are now out of a job—and that's only those who have formally applied for benefits. The actual number of newly unemployed people is likely much larger and will continue to increase in coming months." Things are fucked up, the future is uncertain, and bills still have their hand out.