More Than a Label

What is the first thing you recognize when applying for a job position? For me it’s the job title, of course!  A title confirmed your role in a company, it qualified you to have a voice in certain areas. In a dental office you’ll interact with people in the front office to the dental assistant and hygienist. They can all give you advice to ‘brush your teeth’ but when the dentist delivers the same message it is received because they are highly respected and ‘most qualified’ to say it.

This wasn’t my reason of wanting to become a doctor but I paid attention to the respect patients gave dentists and loved it.

Respect, responsibility, a decent pay was in a title and if I wasn’t careful whatever job I had could eventually become my identity if I allowed it.

If you thought the same as me I hope you also came to realize self love is worth way more than a job title.

Working with coworkers and adapting to responsibilities develops your character but your title does not define who you are or your success.

In any role, whether it’s being a doctor or a janitor, serving others should always be your first priority.

E.G.A Book Launch Behind the Scenes

It’s officially been a month since my first virtual book launch for Ella’s Greatest Adventures: Peace at the Dental Office!
I remembered feeling kind of overwhelmed, nervous, yet excited to finally share my book but before I talk about my feelings, what’s a book launch?

A book launch is an event where the book is presented to the public for the first time , either traditionally at a venue or digitally.

I chose to launch on Facebook live mostly because of timing and less preparation that was needed to set up. So that morning I met my friends outside of my apartment’s clubhouse and immediately after speaking we ended up moving around  furniture to quickly set up.

Minutes before going live as we were eating icees and praying for a successful launch , I began to read over my notes. Clicked ‘live’ and no one was online. I waited..refreshed page..waited..refreshed page and couldn’t see anyone still lol.

At first I was using Ella’s Greatest Adventures Facebook page to go live (a page that did not have much traffic to begin with smh) and that’s when my friends suggested I used my regular account, so yayy for friends! It worked!

Everyone started popping in and I was nervous! You would think because I was sitting behind a screen I would be comfortable but I still visualized being in a physical room with people coming in and out during my presentation. Eventually I was comfortable because I realized the ones that were watching were people that I knew.

This was a big step for me because it’s easier for me to express myself on paper without using my actual voice. Also the fact that I do not like ‘live videos’, ughh!

In spite of my feelings, Ella’s story was told, family & friends rocked, and I faced my fears of doing my first book launch!

** check out Ella’s Site by clicking HERE

Getting the last scoop

Growing up in my mom’s home it was required to eat all of my food. It was necessary if I was hungry and in order to get to dessert , my plate had to be clean. Hmm, I’ll come back to this in a moment..So a few weeks ago I received an awesome word in bible study that addressed the history of my past self esteem issues. It was a relief to know there was a foundation in what I believed about myself and feeling rejected went further back than the first guy I liked. Yes, that felt good because in all of those moments God was really with me and he cared. I just didn’t understand why would he bring this up now? I wasn’t in that place anymore or so I thought..

The next day or so I kept wondering why would God bring up those things , I’m in a better place , I forgave and moved on , so why ? That’s when the illustration of an ice cream box came to me.

There was an ice cream box that appeared to be empty until the ice cream scooper scooped the last bit of ice cream out its corners. Wow. (2 Timothy 2:21)  “If you keep yourself pure, you will be a utensil God can use for his purpose. Your life will be clean and you’ll be ready for the master to use you for every good work.”

It was important to get those small bits out of me , the bits I didn’t pay much attention to as an adult but contributed in my life. This takes me back to the beginning of my blog post where it was necessary to eat all of mother’s cooking so I wouldn’t starve and move on to the best part, Desserts!

Our heavenly father wants us to ‘clean our plate’ of unresolved issues. Maybe you’re like me where you didn’t think ‘Timmy’ leaving you at the playground by yourself would grow into you needing an entourage to feel important (or something like that lol). The best part is God is always listening and you don’t have to clean your plate by yourself, he’s willing to help if you ask. Everyday we need him , in our decisions, his blessings, just his presence alone is necessary or we’ll starve, spiritually. So if you’re ready to move on to the best of the best in your life , your dessert, allow him to take that last scoop!

Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

I just came back from NYC on a business trip and I must admit I enjoyed myself! My coworkers and I attended an event called Supplier’s Day, which included vendors from all over sharing their newest trends in the cosmetic industry. During the free times, I had the opportunity to explore the area.

Now rewind << to my airport experience, very interesting. The last time I rode on an airplane was during 5th grade and I had marshalls so I had no clue of what to expect years later. I printed my boarding pass and the only thing on my mind was the destination. I didn’t have much time to check my bag in so I decided to carry on. As I walked through security, the sensor goes off because of my sequin top and my braids.The lady had to check me thoroughly (including hair). Security recognized liquids in my suitcase and had to throw away my perfume, lotion, etc.  By this point, I was annoyed because I wasn’t at my destination but the process of getting there took a lot of work.  Once I finally got settled on the plane my attitude started to shift.  The transition from the airport to the plane shifted my attitude. I sat by an awesome doctor which was heaven-sent because we had so much in common and the fact she was inspiring. Once we arrived in NY everything started to flow.

I wonder if God shared that day in detail with me would I still go through the process or avoid it altogether?I’m learning to somehow be comfortable being uncomfortable. My heavenly father constantly molding me into my purpose and though I’m not sure of the details I have to be comfortable with that.  I think we all have a ‘destination’ we’re trying to arrive to but we’re still going through a process that’s going to make it worth the wait. Stay encouraged knowing you’re at the right place and trust the process 🙂

 

Ephesians 6:7

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the lord, not people- Ephes.6:7

Before I start with my daily tasks at work I have to pray for strength, wisdom, and the right attitude to serve. I don’t know about you but this is a hard scripture to meditate on sometimes. To serve wholeheartedly, what does that mean? Well to serve is to perform duties for another individual and wholeheartedly is to be completely sincere, enthusiastic. So just that part alone I should be enthusiastic to help others..right.

 My very first job was at Subway and ‘serving wholeheartedly’ was the last thing on my mind. Sure I always had a smile on my face but I did not enjoy the details of sandwich making. I’ve matured in my ways of thinking though I recognize I am still learning how to serve wholeheartedly through my job experiences. As the scripture continues it not only say serve wholeheartedly but as if you’re serving the lord, not people. Random but I seriously wonder if that’s Chick-Fil-A’s mission statement. They are known to give with a cheerful attitude in spite of how they really feel or how customers may respond. I wonder when I had some of the roughest days at work would the result be any different if I imagined serving God instead. If I could imagine making God a sub would he be satisfied with how I made it? Or as a histo-tech, would God be satisfied in the way I dissected his tissue sample in a hurry? As a chemist, am I really serving wholeheartedly? Sometimes I like to compare my current moment to my volunteering moments. Serving becomes my heart when it comes to dental clinics. I can have a few hours of sleep and feel energized the following day to serve.

  Serve wholeheartedly, as if you are serving the lord, not people is a constant reminder for me as it may be for you. Your passion can be in one area but the needs of people can be found in all areas of life. Sure that one person gets on your nerves or the work is not the creme de la creme, join the club. The lord wants us to serve enthusiastically so he can reward us with something much bigger! So give your complete best with a smile and ask, “How can I serve you today?”

 

 

Overcoming the fear of dentists

I had the opportunity to shadow all kinds of dentists and the specialty that caught my interest was pediatric dentistry. In this field dentists focus on oral health of children from babies through teenage years. The patients are unpredictable , some cooperate while others have no problem letting everyone know they are terrified of dentists.

Could it be from the bright lights? The weird looking dental instruments? Or the fact dentists are working in their personal space? I agree the dental office can be intimidating and the thought of someone handling vulnerable areas in the mouth is enough to run away . However there are some tips that may help children on their next dental visit.

According to NCPediatricDentistry, they recommend that you talk about dentists positively. Create a good experience by sharing stories related to dentists. If you could only think of that one bad experience you had share other people stories. Reward them for being brave. One of the things I enjoyed from my dental visits was the toy treasure chest. If I was good during my appointment (which was all the time lol) the dentist allowed me to pick one toy from the chest, very encouraging! I went to one office to shadow and they rewarded children by giving them a gold coin to use for their toy/ gumball machine.

Explain that the dentist is a friend. I could tell the difference between the child that received ‘pep talk’ before their dental appointment vs the one that cry hysterically as their parents talk to them at the moment. I think it helps children and dentists when the parents already explain the details of the dental appointment. Playing ‘pretend doctor’ could help lessen anxiety and reading children books about dentistry is a plus!

Take your child to meet the dentist first. As they visit the dentist consistently they’ll hopefully start to recognize them as a friend and become comfortable during their actual appointment. I enjoyed watching fear disappear from children faces when hygienists allow them to hold some of the dental instruments  to let them know there’s nothing to be scared of . When there’s a lot of interaction and communication between the patient and dental staff it makes a big difference.

Select sedation for children. Now for this I wish there was an alternative. Through shadowing I’ve watched and helped dentists keep children seated so they could sedate them properly and it was NOT EASY! I also understand this is necessary for most of their procedures. One thing I enjoyed was how some dental offices kept children preoccupied with iPads and TV as they administered medicine.

There’s so much to learn from the world of dentistry and fear is not one of them. So let’s start painting better pictures for our children and dentists!

~*Forever 21*~

♥♥I’m 5’4 , pretty lean , and like to exercise. When people discover I like working out I tend to get comments like the following: “Oh you’re small you don’t need to work out”, ” you don’t have any fat what do you have to lose??” in addition to facial expressions which I love  :

I’ve always been involved in activites as long as I can remember. I did jazz/ tap for 11 years, cheerleading (I know right!) , and tennis. So when I got into the work flow I knew I needed a balance ..Exercising! Working out has so many benefits besides the obvious one of losing weight, that’s a given.  According to Fitness magazine, working out can cause ________

1. Your lungs to get stronger
2. Protection against the snuffles (cold/flu)
3.  to feel like you’re on cloud 9 , stress free
4.  ♥  healthier
5.  alert and focused
6. cut the risk of getting cancer
7. become one of the members of The Avengers (not really but remain consistent along with dieting and your muscle endurance will increase)

See? There are so many benefits including the one I left out about how awesome you’ll feel as you notice your beautiful results externally & internally.  Feeling Forever21 or whatever age you want doesn’t have to be time consuming or like a boring homework assignment. Make working out fun by connecting with others and schedule a time to meet and sweat . Today , a local YMCA had an aerobic-thon (FREE) and I attended a zumba class as well as a sculpting class. Even though I did not meet with any friends one of my coworkers told me about the event :-).  Sign up for a run: I’m not much of a runner but it didn’t stop me from pursuing The Color Run. It was fun being in a rainbow crowd (literally) where everyone seemed so happy to be running/walking for a great cause. Then at the end of the run, there’s a party with live music and color bombing everywhere!

Oh right, no time to do all that? Workout at home ! That’s what I do mostly because I don’t have a membership at a gym. Look for home workouts on Youtube , Instagram, Pinterest for starters. At times I may try to cheat myself by doing less of a workout so I like to use apps to keep me focused like Sworkit . So ladies and gents , lets get our blood pumping because we have a healthy year to enjoy !

♥Forever21