Tag: rebuilding

Life

Independence Day 2020

Shaun Bradford
Freedom is not free. What sacrifices are you willing to make?

What legacies are you passing on? What will your descendants say about you?

Please watch NPR’s YouTube video, Frederick Douglass’ Descendants Deliver His ‘Fourth of July’ Speech, and please, please share. Note: The actual speech is titled, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?

Here are my thoughts after watching the video:

I believe Frederick Douglass’ descendants reading his “Fourth of July” speech is just as powerful as the speech itself. It is up to us to continue the difficult conversations surrounding racial issues, even on Independence Day.

Honestly, I considered not sharing this video. I did not want to interrupt the happy celebrations. But are the celebrations truly joyous? Because after the fireworks, BBQs, SAFE social gatherings, and “Happy 4th of July” pictures and posts, racial inequality remains. I mean.. only a few days ago Mississippi finally removed its racially divisive flag— in 2020!! What year did the United States gain its independence? Umm..1776. What year was slavery abolished in the United States? Supposedly 1865. And what year is this, again? Hmm.. 2020 in the 21st century.

Y’all, we cannot continue to pretend everything is okay, because IT IS NOT. Change is happening NOW, and WE must keep up the momentum. We cannot sit back and wait for another great leader to come along and tell us what to do. They have already done that. They have already equipped us with everything we need. Now it is our time to follow through. Not tomorrow or next month, but NOW!

Who’s with me?!

P.S. Be sure to watch the commentary at the end of the video. POWERFUL‼️
‬
‪#HappyFourthOfJuly‬

Shaun

Life

My Love-Hate Relationship with Twitter

Shaun Bradford

I have this love-hate relationship with Twitter that is driving me crazy. I created my first Twitter account a little over six years ago to follow other registered dietitians, celebrity chefs, people in academia, and a few colleagues. Slowly, I began adding celebrities, television shows, and began following my followers. About a month later, I recognized I needed another account to separate my professional life from my guilty pleasures of tweeting during my favorite shows. Sadly, those two accounts have transformed into five accounts. Yes, I have five Twitter accounts. This is where the love-hate relationship comes in.

I love Twitter. Y’all, it is my favorite social media platform. I love it because the interaction is constant, especially while live tweeting during shows. Also, unlike Facebook and Instagram, I only know a handful of my followers. Which is what originally drew me to Twitter. I saw it as a place where I could freely express myself and not worry about being judged. Hmm… So I thought. Here is where the hate comes in.

So, why do I hate Twitter? Well.. not necessarily hate, because hate is such a strong word, so dislike.. why do I dislike Twitter? Twitter seems to magnify my insecurities more than any other platform. Honestly, I feel like I am always being judged or scrutinized based on my tweets, replies, and retweets. Since about 90% of my tweets are related to my shows, I feel like an imposter (yes I suffer from imposter syndrome) when attempting to tweet something serious and meaningful. This has really affected the way I interact with followers on my professional accounts. Anytime I attempt to tweet something of worth, I feel like I am being judged. I also have to admit (being very transparent right now) this is one of the reasons I stopped blogging professionally. I began to feel like an imposter.

Right now, I feel like I am at a crossroad. Like I have to decide between professionalism or my guilty pleasures. Tweeting during my shows is my outlet. It is when I unwind. It is where I feel most comfortable being myself. However, I realize it is hindering me professionally. I need to start tweeting more from my professional accounts. I need to start blogging professionally, again. I have so many decisions to make. Is it possible to do both and not feel less authentic? Life…..

Shaun

Uncategorized

Finally Rebuilding

Shaun Bradford

Two years ago, on April 7, 2018, I wrote in my journal that I needed to – reflect, regroup, refocus, and rebuild. It took me a minute to get here, but I’m here. Finally rebuilding.

I can’t believe I spent so much time reflecting. Reflecting on what could’ve, would’ve, and what I believed, should’ve happened. I was forever living in the past. Chastising myself for making a mess of my life. For the mistakes I had made. It was a while before I realized I was supposed to use those reflections as stepping stones for my future. The mistakes I made were lessons, not a place for self pity. After I realized this, I was able to move on to regrouping and refocusing.

Had to get myself together spiritually, emotionally, mentally and financially. Y’all, I was a mess. As I began to regroup, my focus changed. Instead of being all over the place about future endeavors, I finally narrowed them down to focusing on the things I love. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not where I want to be, but I know where I’m headed.

Now, it has taken a while to get to this rebuilding phase. Well, I’ve actually been rebuilding for some time. However, I was so distracted by my reflections, and trying to refocus and regroup, that I didn’t notice God rebuilding my life. Yeah.. He was doing it all along. See, I was so focused on how long it was taking that I didn’t pay attention to what God was doing along the way. Not only was He teaching me patience, but He was teaching me how to – have faith, totally depend on him, take leaps, and manage my finances. Oh.. and I can’t forget, how to forgive myself and move forward. I’ve always heard, God doesn’t take you straight to your blessings. You have to go through a few things before you get them. Didn’t understand this concept while I was going through my trials, but I do now.

As I stated before, I’m not where I want to be, BUT I’m finally moving forward. Finally rebuilding. The light at the end of the tunnel is so much brighter.

Now, TRUST! Trust is my next hurdle. Especially when it comes to trusting in love. That’s a BIG one. We shall see what happens with that. Lol.

Shaun