Today, take the time to forgive yourself for past faults. Forgive yourself for past mistakes, past miscommunications and past judgments. Today is a gift that you will not get back, because tomorrow – today will be the past. The past is one of our greatest life teachers. The past allows for us to reflect on how we could have handled a situation better, how we could have not reacted or how much we still have to learn. But, today choose to forgive yourself, others and adverse situations for not being or doing what you now know and have the full understanding of. Choose to do yourself a favor, and let it go to forgiveness.
A resumé remains the most acceptable means of self-promotion, alongside having a hype man lead call-and-response chants about your GPA. Make an first-time impression with a great resume package.
Jenice Armstead, has over a decade of experience helping job applicants pin point what hiring managers are looking for in their resume. After submitting a current resumé and filling out a questionnaire on career goals and accomplishments, applicants work one-on-one with a writer to craft a resumé that’s clear, concise, and attractive to interviewers. This business expert also boost clients’ chances of getting hired with extra-mile services, such as O*Net job descriptions, job analysis and creating possible job descriptions for the clients.
Professional writers increase your chances of employment by creating a smart new resumé targeted to specific employers.
$99 for a Professional Resumé Package with a Cover Letter and Thank You Letter ($250 Value). For more information contact jenicearmstead@gmail.com
When was the last time you took a moment to reflect on all of the good things in your life? How far have you come in your career? How far have you come from your educational goal? How far have you come in your relationships? How far have you come in your financial growth? How far have you come in your own personal growth? Reflecting gives us the ability to “see” how much we have accomplished. Taking time to do this, allows us to see more positive than negative in our lives. Take a moment, write a letter of “accomplishment” to yourself. Save it in place where you will remember to go and read it every so often. Make sure to take time to write down details of your “Thankfulness” in the situation. You will find that you have more to be thankful for than you realize.
The ability to visualize your self in different situations will assist you in transforming energy from negative to positive instantly. No matter what I may feel, what I may see or what others may do – I know and trust and believe in GOD and in what GOD is doing in and for me for my greater good. When I feel the least and see the least, that is when I know GOD is doing the most in my life.
After you have submitted your government application wait until the job announcement closes to check the status of your application. Log into your www.usajobs.gov profile and click on the title “Application Status” on the left hand side. Then find the announcement you wish to check on. Go to the “application status” which is a blue underlined word and click this hyperlink. Some government agencies don’t link the application status to this hyperlink and some agencies do. If the agency does use this hyperlink, you will be redirected to the agency website where you submitted your original application. You will be able to view the status of your application here.
If the agency does not use this hyperlink, it will say “no application status available” this is okay. Don’t be discouraged. Click on the job announcement title and a second window will open up. Scroll down to the bottom of the job announcement and find the point of contact. You will see contact phone number or an email address. Contact this person and request the “Applicant Status.” Sometimes, you may get a HR Specialist whom doesn’t want to talk or gives you a vague answer.
If this happens, ask a more specific question like “Has the selecting official received the list of applicant’s resumes that have been referred and qualified for the position?” This will ensure you get a more detailed answer. I recommend always contacting the point of contact via email; this will ensure you have written documentation in case you have any issues with this job announcement in the future.
All the best to you, and if you have any questions – you know where to find me.
Each of us has the ability to visualize. One can think of a rose, either to picture it or feel it, it is all about focus and staying focused on the object and start to see and smell it as if it were in front of your face. This is the process one would use in order to become more aware of the energy in and around the current environment. You can learn to feel the emotional energy in a room of people using the same process, by picking out which person is emitting energy that is feeling anxiety, upset, or joy. You can learn to change the effect of that energy by closing your eyes, focusing with precision on the energy that is bothering you, and changing its impact with your mind. Just as you can close your eyes and visualize and smell a rose, so can you use the process of visualization to heal people and work on energy that you do not like, or would like to evolve in your being.
Always continuously grow and develop your trade. Being a Professor at Saint Leo University, technology is used as a learning tool in the traditional and non-traditional classrooms. Using software such as Prezi, Blackboard Collaborate and Video Teleconferencing are the entire craze in the post secondary education sector. Using updated software is not only an excellent way to get students interested topics, but it allows for professors to utilized other instruments to “live in up” lectures. It is a win-win for everyone. I recently took the initiative to receive training on Prezi (Live Streaming Presentation Software), Blackboard Collaborative (Online Distance Learning Program) and VTT (Video Teleconferencing Technology) to improve my lectures. Take some time today to learn and grow your trade.
All the Best to You,
Prof. Jenice Armstead
Prof. Jenice Armstead, MBA w/ Concentration in HR, DBA Candidate
Being thankful is more than a feeling or a thought, is how we act when we don’t get what we want, when we want it. Thankfulness is about knowing that your situation is working in your favor for your good, for the betterment of who you are to be in this life. When you wake up, before you say anything – you could say “Thank you for my life, thank you my sweet sleep, or thank you for the ability to start a new day.” Each and everyday we have an opportunity to “begin again.” Beginning again is a gift. We get a new start and old things pass away. You have the ability to dwell on your past, or you can take the “new day” and go forward with a thankful attitude. You have an ability to start again with a new day, new way of thinking, and new unforeseen opportunities. Many times when we see the least happening in our lives, that’s when God, Higher Self and the Infinite Divine are working the hardest in our difficult situation. The key to taking hold of the “newness” is to never give up, never give in and have awareness when doubt tries to enter and take your thankfulness away. Being thankful is more than how you think, what you want or what you feel – thankfulness is a way of living.
On Sunday night, I watched the most gut retching show: “Paycheck to Paycheck” Town Hall Meeting on the OWN network. Many people in our economy are working from paycheck to paycheck, barely making ends meat. They are a paycheck away from poverty, hoping not to get one flat tire, one missed car payment or one overdraft. Dollars away from losing everything they have worked so hard for. While watching, I realized that there is new face of poverty. Now, your next-door neighbor, the person that bags your groceries or the school bus driver could be considered “working poor.”
The United States use to have a strong “working class” and status classes were broken down into to Upper, Middle and Poor. Now, there are 5 additional classes to add to the economic status: Working Poor, Poor, Lower Middle, Middle, Upper Middle, Wealthy, Rich and Ultra Rich. There are ways to help one another get through tough times, start a dialogue with the people you see on a daily basis. If you see a need that you can fulfill, do so.
I am going to do my part, anyone that needs assistance with writing a resume or help with finding a job – please email me and I will work with you to help improve your job skills, no charge. You are welcome to email me at jenicearmstead@gmail or through my website. Do your part to help someone else that may be going through a harder time than yourself.
For more information on the “Paycheck to Paycheck” documentary go to: The Shriver Report
When was the last time you reflected on how good your life was? When was the last time you were grateful for what you have, how far you come or where you see yourself being in a particular time period. It is time to renew your mind and realize that you have a choice on how you will react to “this moment” in time. Will you “bless” it or, will you “curse” it. Complaints and negative thoughts can have an adverse reaction to a situation, while on the other hand, embracing a situation and trying to find the “message in the mess” will allow for you to grow your character and experiences.
Take some time to write down your thoughts on a situation that may be irritating to you. What is the situation? What are the components? What are the pros and cons of the situation? How can you utilize self-control in the situation? Are you a direct component of a resolution? Then, sit with this information and release “good thoughts” with resolving it even if you don’t believe it to be true. When the situation comes up, reflect back on your notes and remember that you can only control what YOU do in any given situation. You have more control over the situation than you may think you do.
Are you frustrated and in-patient? Why is that? Do you feel that you should be in a position or financial place that you feel you are not currently? Why is that? Take some time to realize that you have “gifts” that you can do naturally. Instead of being and doing what you think you should do, take some time to think about what makes you truly happy.
For a while, I thought that success was a corner office in a high rise building, with a ton of employees answers to me. After taking some time to embrace my “true self,” I realized that I have had many job opportunities where a “high rise” office was foreseeable. While pursing that goal, I found myself with an emptiness that wasn’t fulfilled. After taking some to sitt with my thoughts and feelings and realized that I loved to teach people how to do things to make their lives better. Teaching is one of my natural gifts, I can remember as far back as 5 years old standing up in front of my Barbie Dolls teaching a class lecture about how to teach people. My core being is to teach. What is your core being? Ask yourself a few questions to get started:
When am I truly happy professionally?
When was the last time I did those things?
How can I embrace the “true being” of myself and grow professionally?
Many applicants are very motivated and will mark the “availability” section as immediately. This could be a good and a bad move. Most employer are looking for applicants to start within the next week or so, in comparison to the interviewing date. But, keep in mind you don’t want to look “too” available. If applicants appear to be “too” available employers are likely to wonder why. Here are some tips for you when you are asked the classic interview question: When are you available to start?
Now that you have made it to the interviewing process, and you are near the end of an interview, you’ve answered all the required questions and the selecting official asks you the question of: “When are you available to start?” The humanistic answer is to say “today” but you need to be mindful and think about the date you can actually start. Before you go to an interview be sure to have a pre-selected date in mind when you are asked this question.
After you state the date you are available to start, make sure you add a personal statement about yourself such as “I have my affairs in order, and if you need me to start earlier, say the 10th of April, then I will be able to manage that start date as well.” Make sure you know what the current date is. When you are interviewing for a position knowing what day it is, is important. This shows the selecting official that you are aware of your current, place and time. This also shows the selecting official that you are mentally organized.
All in all, know your exact availability dates and the current date. It sounds simple, but these are interviewing techniques that are true and work. All the best to you on your job hunt and finding your dream job.
Have you ever noticed when you are “feeling” good about yourself, you tend to be more selfish than when you aren’t? That is because feelings are fickle. Feelings come and go with the wind. One minute you can feel happy, and the very next minute you can feel sad. This is because feelings are an aspect of what we “think” is happing to us. Instead of letting your feelings rule you, make a point to be aware of your feelings when they suddenly change. Take a moment to self reflect to see if you have done something that your Spirit or Higher Self has disagreed with. Did you act badly in traffic? Did you not respond to a “good morning” from a friendly stranger? Did you wake up and start saying hurtful things to your loved ones? No matter the situation, make a point to try and self reflect in the situation and evaluate why you are feeling the way you are. You will be surprised at what you may learn about yourself.
My natural hair care journey started like many hair journeys’ start off, a self-epiphany. I woke up one morning and I wondered: “If I died today, would the mortician have to put a relaxer in my hair before they could prep my body for my funeral?” Then I busted into uncontrollable laugher at the very idea. Sounds morbid, but it is true. I actually had this very thought, and really had to think about my relationship with my hair. Relaxer had become my version of Heroin or Crack Cocaine, “Creamy Crack” to be exact! Like both of these drugs, relaxers were introduced to me by those that I loved and who claimed to love me the most. Would love ones do something to you that they knew would affect your very being and health? My answer was, of course not – but, they had.
The process of relaxing my hair changed my whole life from the day I received my very first treatment. The first relaxer I received was referred to as the “kiddy perm” but there was nothing “kiddy” about it. I was never properly informed of the dangers of the relaxer chemical nor was I told the physical damage it could do to my body. Just like drugs, I was hooked on relaxer like a crack head on his/her main drug of choice. Relaxer claimed to straighten and strengthen my hair, when in fact it did just the opposite. Relaxer did not only weaken and damaged my hair; but it started the process of balding by causing my hair to franticly breaking off. This gave the illusion of a stunt in growth, which allowed me to think that my hair was not growing at all. It seemed when I managed to gain any kind of length to my hair, it was breaking faster than it could grow. When I was relaxed I can’t count know how many times I was told that “ethnic women don’t grow hair as fast as other races” which is a completely false statement. The truth is, all hair grows at the same pace, normally two inches a month. The relaxer started balding the edges of my hairline. At the age of 31 years old, I decided to do something about my “Creamy Crack” addiction. Determined to kick the habit for good, and for the good of becoming healthier I decided to “Go Natural.”
On March 13, 2010 I decided to “Go Natural” and do whatever I needed to do to keep and grow my own healthy hair. I set aside time to research and collect lecture about natural hair, I joined hair blog forums and little by little I completed the “Long Transition” toward becoming all natural. I never really thought to much about hair until I realized I was destroying it. I received a third degree chemical burn in the middle of my head and on the side of my face while finishing up a relaxer, that was my last relater I put in my hair. I go into more detail about the whole story throughout the book.
I have been getting relaxers put in my hair since I was a young child. I have been doing them myself since I was 18 years old and not once had I ever read the box to see the warnings for chemical burns, nor did I research what the relaxer chemical actually was. The truth of the manner is I never really thought about the dangers of relaxers and what the chemical was doing to my skin, body and mind. It was just a part of my normal life to go to the beauty shop or beauty supply store, get a relaxer, put in my hair every two to four weeks – repeat every three to four weeks like clockwork.
Working out was difficult, swimming was impossible and I could forget about anyone “running” their hands through any part of my hair first few days after getting a relaxer or relaxer touch up. I had never added all the trips to the beauty stores up or all of the time I spent on doing, managing, or keeping my hair “bone straight,” and I certainly never thought about what the chemicals were doing to my body and my organs, until I started writing this book on my personal hair journey.
The life-changing event was when I decided to see the documentary “Good Hair” by Chris Rock. I expected to laugh, and be entertained. Instead of merely being entertained, I was educated on a subject that I never had a second thought about – my own hair and what I had been led to believe about it. I was told all of my life by my family, friends and the media that I was ugly unless I had straight hair. The worst thing anyone could ever have said to me in my relaxed days was “You look nice, but your new growth is showing.” This means that it was time for another relaxer because my “real hair texture” was exposed. This is where I started to panic, because I was more than what my hair looked like – or so I thought. I was beautiful and it was time to start being what God made me in God’s image – Beautifully natural.
Now that I was all motivated to “Go Natural” it was time to start getting an idea of what I was going to do. More panic came: “I don’t know what my hair is going to look like, I don’t want to look crazy, I don’t want people to think that I am all Afrocentric or hostile, I have no idea what to do with my hair once I do grow it out, I don’t even know what to put in it or how to style it.” I thought for days and days. I started to do some research on products, styles and what was considered bad and good for hair in general. I research what hair was and how often it grows. It turned out that all the rumors were false, ethnic hair grows just as much as any other hair type.
As a child I was constantly told that “Black peoples hair doesn’t grow as fast as other people’s hair does, so never cut your hair. If it breaks off then it will even its self out.” How ridiculous is that?! This was a repetitive hair statement in my young life. This is actually, what other black women would tell me, with the exception of a select few of black women in my life such as my Grand Mother Charlene, my Nana Perkins and others mentioned throughout the book.
My Grandmother Charlene was my grandmother on my father’s side. She had beautiful brownish red hair that flowed right down her back. Her hair was thick and lustrous. I always would play in her hair and hope and pray my hair would one day be like that. “You hair is beautiful child.” She would often say to me before I received my first relaxer. “You don’t need that junk in your hair, you will see” She said. Now, at age 31 years old I realized, she was right.
My Nana Perkins had a whole other thought about hair. “Any chemical you have to put in your hair to make it pretty has got to be bad for you.” Nana would say. Nana Perkins way of getting straight hair was the old fashion way, a good hot comb on a hot stove, along with a huge bucket of hair grease. This worked, until it rained and your beautiful straight hair transformed into a hot mess on your head.
Both of these fantastic women taught me that hair is just that, and to make it more than what it is to demine yourself. Being confident and beautiful are not mutually exclusive character traits, they are a part of each other, just as hair is a part of who you are. These are two of the most important lessons I have kept near to my heart. For that, these women have allowed for myself to grow into the woman I am today.
Excerpt from: A Natural Hair Journey, Stories and Memories of a Curly Girl
By: Jenice Armstead
A Natural Hair Journey, Stories and Memories of a Curly Girl by: Jenice Armstead
When you “feel” something, the first thing you should do is take a second to analysis why you are “feeling” the way you are. If you are feeling sad, happy, excited or reserved, remember that your environment is a contributing factor to your feelings. You have control of how you respond to your feelings.
A girl finally got her dream job and on her first day of work she felt excited. She was smiling and happy to see and meet her new co-workers. While getting ready to leave for the day, one of her new co-workers decided to voice her opinion about the new girl’s perceived happiness of working there. The co-worked made a rude remark in front of other co-works. The new girl started to feel anxiety and negativity, which made her question if she even belonged there. Instead of acting on the feelings, the new girl decided to say aloud to herself “I can do anything I put my mind to, I earned this position and I know that I have self-control.” Then the new girl turned to the co-worker whom said the rude remark and said “It was a pleasure to meet you, I look forward to working with you in the future.” The new girl walked to her car grinning with the understanding that she didn’t let her “feelings” control her, instead she decided to exercise her self-control over her own “feelings.”
We have the ability to be reactive in a negative way or a positive way. Be careful to not let “feelings” rule your life. You have the power of self-control.
The ability to visualize your self in different situations will assist you in transforming energy from negative to positive instantly. You can enjoy every single bit of your life, even the difficult times. You have the authority to keep your joy and have peace in any situation. The more truth you know, the more you can keep your faith in difficult times.
A thought is energy that you can control. Instead of being affected by negative energy, create positive life energy. Be aware of how you are feeling when you are around people and ask yourself the question: Is this bring me closer to my higher self?
It is important to know how much you are capable of receiving, for many of you are not very open to accepting anything, although you love to give to others. If you feel that others do not appreciate what you give them, it is time to take a look at how open you are to receiving from others. Start the new year off right and appreciate yourself – first.
Mind is a powerful thing to waste
Why waste when you can use every drop for profit
Profit which can assist with growth and development
Development of body and soul
Soulness of knowledge and aspirations
Aspiring to grow and become one with your reality
Reality of life
Life of knowledge
Knowledge of growth
Growth of one
How happy are you with your life? Your career? Your relationships? Your success? I have come to a realization that will change how and what I do for the rest of my life. I have realized that true happiness comes from being genuinely happy by removing selfishness from my life. You have the power to release “strong holds” on your life by taking a simple inventory of yourself. How often do you look to be a blessing or good to others? One of the quickest ways I have found to increase my happiness is to purposely look to be a blessing to others just because.
There are a number of ways to do this: Smiling and saying hello to a someone you don’t know, asking the checkout clerk “How are you doing today?” or simply waking up in the morning and choosing to think about all the people and blessings you are thankful for. It is time for all of us to remove selfishness from our lives and go back to the basics of happiness.
Try it and you will be surprised at how much your happiness will increase when you begin to recognize and remove selfishness from your everyday life. That is my two-cents on selfishness.
