Archive of ‘Inspiring Stories’ category
Waiting is for winners
Failure will happen. What you do next is up to you
National Lipstick day is made for makeup mavens like Jestina Howard
By Chanda Temple
For years, I wore Desire, a plum lip color from MAC. It was my signature shade.
Little did I know I was only supposed to wear it in the colder months. (It took my aunt to break the news to me when she saw me on TV one morning. She said it was too dark and not the best look for spring.)
I lightened up on the lip color the next day.
But I want to also credit Birmingham, Ala. makeup maven Jestina Howard for challenging me to step outside my makeup comfort zone. In 2013, I contacted her to buy my favorite plum color from her line, Aware Cosmetics. (Hey, let’s just say I’m addicted to plum.) Anyway, Jestina said that color no longer existed in her line. Then, she encouraged me to try a bright red.
Ummm, excuse me. Bright red?!! Oh no, I thought. That’s not me. (more…)
There’s power in your potential
By Chanda Temple
A friend texted me today, saying he wanted to work out but it was raining where he lived.
He knows I’m a big supporter of fitness, so I encouraged him to go for it. He texted back: “But I’m tired and sleepy. Plus, I left my headphones at work.”
I saw this exchange was gonna require some tough love. I texted back: “Did you have your headphones when you were downing that meal at P.F. Chang’s?”
Motivation Monday: Just Start
By Chanda Temple
I ran into a friend at a coffee shop this morning and she said something that got me to thinking.
She talked about life and then expressed how she really wanted to write. She said she liked to write poetry and maybe write even a book. I had no idea she loved to write, so her words intrigued me.
When I asked her why she had not started, she said, “It’s not that I’m scared. I’m just worried no one will like it.”
Write your own story
By Chanda Temple
What makes you smile? Do yourself a favor and do it.
Silly? Maybe. But it’s your first step to getting to your happy.
Stop letting others set your agenda. You are in charge, so take the lead.
By the end of the day, you’ll be glad you did.
Chanda Temple is a veteran reporter now working in public relations. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. Follow her on Twitter at @chandatemple.
I’m here because of them
Condoleezza Rice: Find something you are passionate about
By Chanda Temple
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice always thought she’d be a concert pianist.
She could play the piano and read music before she could read. But by the end of her sophomore year in college, she attended a prestigious music festival and school where music prodigies at the age of 12 had put her piano playing skills to shame.
Hmm, she thought, maybe piano is not for me.
Remembering mom this Mother’s Day
NOTE: This tribute to my mother appears in the May 2015 issue of Birmingham Magazine. Happy Mother’s Day!
By Chanda Temple
Sitting on my desk is one of my favorite photos of my mother.
In it, she’s wearing a pressed dress suit, perfectly coiffed hair and a high-wattage smile — some of my favorite things about her.
My younger sister and I are standing by her side after the two of us appeared in a children’s fashion show — a norm in our young lives during the 1970s in Huntsville. As we walked out of the venue, my mother slipped off her heels, took hold of our little hands and started to escort us down a pair of concrete stairs.
Something about that image must have struck my father because he snapped the photo.
“Cheese!”