Some people equate being a mogul to being rich, famous and successful. However, Louis Carr, head of media sales at BET, who has generated over $7 billion in revenue over his 31-year career for the company, takes a different approach. His definition includes loyalty, discipline, and commitment. Recently Carr, who also holds the titles of motivational speaker, author, and philanthropist, sat down with President and CEO of Black Enterprise, Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. to talk about becoming a mogul, how to stay committed, and the importance of mentorship at our 1st annual Black Men Xcel Summit. Over-worked, under-slept, and feeling pressure like whoa? There are plenty of ways to find calm—without investing in a 90-minute massage. Turns out all you need is a pair of healthy lungs, your breath, and 10 minutes or less. Here are six expert-approved ways to relax using breathing techniques borrowed from yoga, meditation, and even the therapist’s chair. The Need-to-Know Don’t wait until fight-or-flight kicks in before minding the breath. Controlled breathing not only keeps your mind and body functioning at their best, it can also lower blood pressure, promote feelings of calm and relaxation, and help you de-stress. While the effects of breathing techniques on anxiety haven’t been studied at length (at least in a controlled clinical setting), many experts encourage using the breath as a means of increasing awareness, mindfulness, or—for the yogis among us—finding that elusive state of Zen. To get to the bottom of the breath work, Greatist spoke to breathing expert Dr. Alison McConnell, yoga instructor Rebecca Pacheco, and psychologist Dr. Ellen Langer. But follow closely: Easy breathing isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. Sure, there's not much you can do to stop time. You can however, improve the quality of your life within the time you have — and that includes keeping your mind sharp and vibrant. Just like working out your muscles helps your musculoskeletal system stay strong, any activity that involves practice causes the brain to transmit signals in a specific pattern over and over again, allowing for connections between neurons to strengthen. That means your brain gets stronger, too. But it's not just mental exercises that can strengthen your noggin. From eating the right foods to practicing "deep listening," here are my favorite simple ways to keep your brain sharp and vibrant. 1. Practice meditation to decrease stress. This weekend was my first time ever going to Art Basel in Miami. I have always wanted to go but every year for the past 5 years I couldn't go because I was stuck in Orlando for school. However this year was different because I moved back to Miami and my schedule was free this Art Basel weekend. I've had a strong passion for art my whole life. I have over 25 tattoos and I write poetry and short stories for fun. I love the concept of creating something out of nothing and the detailed yet unique process. Each person has the power to make whatever they want and something about that intrigues me. I am a person filled with emotions and often times reflect those emotions in writing, music, drawing etc. When I gaze at the work of others I feel more connected to them. That window for honesty that is portrayed in their art reflects their vulnerability. Being vulnerable is not always a bad thing. In fact having control over your vulnerability and accepting reality but moving on is a sign of strength. Its an even greater strength when you openly share it with others. Artists share a bond of confidence. To be able to put yourself out there in front of a crowd of over 70,000 people throughout the weekend is inspiring. I'm pretty sure there were some flaws in some of the painter's work. I'm sure a majority of the artist had the feelings of butterflies in their stomach as nerves worked their way through their bodies. But none of this mattered because everyone there was free. Free. Able to let go and breath. Take in the fresh scent of Miami culture. Experience humans interacting with society. Art Basel was rejuvenating. I went to the last day of Art Basel by myself with a camera around my neck looking to learn more about others. I wanted to feel what they felt without having to say a word. While taking this solemn journey I met a lot of dope people. People who were just like me, young Americans trying to survive the best way that they can. Be Yourself I recorded everything I saw and wanted to share this experience with the world. My goal is to maybe open up more opportunities for not only myself but for others to genuinely get to know each other. This world needs more authentic positivity. We need to come together more and truly enjoy the company of another present soul. This weekend I fell even more in love with art. I further understand the steady patience of life. Breathing that air sparked more fuel to my fire. I know that I am headed in the right direction. If you want to experience what I did, you can by watching Episode 1 of Experiencing FDFlife below. You get to visit Art Basel through my lenses. I hope you enjoy. All projects—especially large, complex projects—need clear priorities. Easier said than done. You can count on technical projects, no matter how well-planned, to involve change orders, re-prioritization and the regular appearance of surprises. It’s just the natural order of things. But still. Knowing how to prioritize work affects the success of your project, the engagement of your team, and your role as a leader. We often hear the saying that children are our future. But what happens when children take the troubled path, succumbing to crime, drug addiction or self-destruction? If children are our future, isn’t it our responsibility to shape our future by shaping our youth? We can do that through mentorship. Benefits of Mentorship Mentors are nothing new or unheard of in my career in academia. Mentors are advisers, teachers, sources of funding and guides about classes, careers, jobs, graduate schools and life choices. Above all, mentors are motivators and role models, who believe in their mentees, see their potential and help them get to where they want to go. During my career path, I would not have known what schools to attend, what career to pursue, what classes to take or what steps to take without my mentors. Fortunately, I and other mentees in academia are usually adults. Children and adolescents, in contrast, have more limited worldviews and experiences, are individuating themselves, and are beginning to rely less on parents and more on peers. If you think back to when you were a teenager, you may remember trying to figure out who you were and how to navigate through social norms. Months after graduation I took the vow to explore myself in a way that I never had before. I was focusing too much of my energy on the external world and not enough on my internal world which left me feeling a bit lost. In a six month period, I fasted, reflected, journaled, meditated, traveled, and prayed for divine guidance to lead me to my next steps. It was during this time period that the idea of Viva Soulo came to me and how I began to try to master the art of what I like to call living soulheartedly. So let's break this down: Viva comes from the spanish verb vivir which means to live The soul in soulo means just that, soul; the most authentic yet most mysterious part of ourselves. |
The FDF LifestyleThis page includes blogs, healthy articles, inspiring pictures, exercise tutorials, music, etc. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Archives
April 2024
Visit this section daily to become more healthy and positive.Strengthen your mind by consistently learning new information.
New articles are uploaded throughout the week. |
Live |
Life |
To |
The |
Fullest |