Archive of ‘Inspiration’ category

Motivation Monday: Just Start

Stuck on start? Get your engines going and just begin. Know this: It will be a beautiful journey because you are in the driver's seat.

Stuck on start? Get your engines going and just begin. Know this: It will be a beautiful journey because you are in the driver’s seat.

 

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.”

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Write your own story

Write your own story.

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.

 

Motivation Monday: Bike to work and inspire others

Burgess "BJ" Jeffries. Photo by Gregory B. Huber.

Burgess “BJ” Jeffries. Photo by J.C. Bravo.

By Chanda Temple

Huffman High School math teacher Burgess “BJ” Jeffries is used to dealing in matters that add up.

So when he researched the benefits of how riding a bicycle to work would increase his fitness levels and decrease his carbon foot print, he knew there was only one thing to do. He bought a bicycle in February 2014 and started riding it to work in March 2014. He’s maintained the routine every week, when weather permits.

Does he have a car? Sure. But he says that riding his bicycle increased his energy levels and allows him to help the environment. His ride to work is 3.2 miles, one way, on Roebuck Parkway in eastern Birmingham. He hopes his efforts will encourage others to ride work.

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Condoleezza Rice: Find something you are passionate about

Dr. Condi with students at Regions

Dr. Condoleeza Rice speaks to students in Birmingham, Ala. at Regions bank. Photo by Chanda Temple.

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.

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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!

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Chanda Temple holding a photo of her late mother, Ann Temple. Chanda Temple is a former journalist now working as the executive assistant to the superintendent and school board for Birmingham City Schools. (Photo by Major Colbert)

 

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!”

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Put down the promises and pick up the payoffs

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By Chanda Temple

I was watching TV late one night and saw an interview with NBC’s Hoda Kotb. Her comments on  The Nate Berkus Show had me reaching for my notepad.

She said: “Someone once said the way you spend your days is the way you spend your life. So if you are dissatisfied with your life, just change Monday. And then you change Tuesday, Wednesday and a week.”

If that’s too tall of an order right now, think of how doing just those simple things will change you.

Still not convinced to change? Think of this: If you continue to drag into work on Monday, for example, that’s how you’ll live your life, she said.

So pick up the broken pieces at your feet and get ready to create another great masterpiece. Your future is waiting on you.

Note: This post is part of my #MakeMovesInMay series, a challenge to do things that will improve myself and others in May.

Chanda Temple is a former reporter now working in public relations. She blogs at  http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. Follow her on Twitter at @chandatemple.

#MakeMovesInMay means cleaning out the clutter

On this Motivation Monday, take time to clear out the clutter. (Image via Flickr)

On this Motivation Monday, take time to clear out the clutter. (Image via Flickr by Sean MacEntee.)

By Chanda Temple

In sticking with my challenge to #MakeMovesInMay toward better living, I finally tackled the stacks of papers piled up in my home office because clutter can stunt creativity.

Scribbled on notepads were quotes I’d collected from interviews, TV programs or social media. As I started to read them, I thought they’d be perfect to share today for Motivation Monday. May they help you on your journey of self improvement.

A comeback is not a go back

Once you make it, don’t try to go back and show others what you have done to prove you are worthy, says life coach Tim Storey on Oprah Winfrey’s “Super Soul Sunday.” Stay focused on the present and not the past.

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Make moves in May

 

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By Chanda Temple

It’s 4 a.m. on the first day of May 2015 and I’m up thinking how will I “Make Moves in May.”

I know I’m not alone. Every time the first of the month rolls around, we promise ourselves that “this is the day I’ll do” this or that for improvement. And by the third day, we’ve fallen back into old habits.

Well, today is M-Day and it’s time to get serious. So for the next 31 days, I’m committing to making moves that will not only change my life but I hope will impact others. I’ll occasionally tweet about my journey and use the hashtag #makemovesinmay.

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Motivation Monday: Will you accept the 42 acts of kindness challenge?

 

Birmingham School Board member Sherman Collins Jr. challenges citizens to do 42 acts of kindness in memory of late wife

By Chanda Temple

“Clink! Clink! Clink” go the quarters as Sherman Collins Jr. drops them into an expired parking meter next to a stranger’s car.

“That should help somebody,” he says as he buys $2 worth of time and moves to the next meter in downtown Birmingham.

His actions today come with a special meaning. He’s doing them in honor of his late wife, Katrina Bethune Collins, who was always helping strangers in the smallest of ways.

“She wanted to bless people,” Collins says. “She’d buy people lunch. Feed expired meters. It didn’t have to be someone’s birthday. She would buy flowers and take them to (people’s) grandmothers.”

Birmingham School Board member Sherman Collins Jr. with his wife and their children. Photo credit: Special

Birmingham School Board member Sherman Collins Jr. with his wife and their children. Photo credit: Special

Sherman Collins Jr., a member of the Birmingham Board of Education, challenges citizens to do 42 acts of kindness in memory of late wife

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