Category: Book/Magazine Reviews

The Happy Equation

Published on by BriAlys

My next read is definitely a “Geek Read” – Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdat. Solve for Happy is a book about creating and maintaining happiness, written by a top Google executive with an engineer’s training and fondness for thoroughly analyzing a problem, “problems” like self driving cars and Google Glass. Mo applies his engineering skills to the “problem” of happiness and proposes an algorithm based on an understanding of how the brain takes in and processes joy and sadness. 🙌🏽❤️

One of Solve for Happy‘s key premises is that happiness is a default state. If we shape expectations to acknowledge the full range of possible events, unhappiness is on its way to being defeated. To steer clear of unhappiness traps, we must dispel the six illusions that cloud our thinking (e.g., the illusion of time, of control, and of fear); overcome the brain’s seven deadly defects (e.g., the tendency to exaggerate, label, and filter), and embrace five ultimate truths (e.g., change is real, now is real, unconditional love is real). By means of several highly original thought experiments, Mo helps readers find enduring contentment by questioning some of the most fundamental aspects of their existence. panmacmillan

Watch Mo in action below and purchase your copy of Solve for Happy on Amazon (videos, Goodreads).

50 for Your Future

Published on by BriAlys

New book alert! 50 for Your Future: Lessons from Down the Road by Tavis Smiley is  full of inspiration in the form of quotes followed by a (very) short story explaining the concept in more detail. You can think of it like a short devotional, packed with tips and wisdom that you can and should learn and re-read as a reminder. Reinforcement is key! Here is my favorite quote from the book:

You have the right to remain silent. Exercise it Sometimes.

The author goes on to explain (my thoughts in green):

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  • Sometimes the best thing you can do is just keep quit. I like to call this staying in your lane until and unless someone invites you into theirs. Even then, proceed with caution!
  • People often assume there is something implicit in what you leave unsaid – and that can be very powerful. In other words, you don’t always have to say something, to say something!

There are a few others I absolutely love as well

  • #24 -Fall in love with the possibility of you.
  • #28 – Some of you is not the sum of you.
  • #30 – Today is not refundable.
  • #50 – You decide. <== #THIS 🙌🏽✅

You can purchase the book on Amazon and also watch Tavis’ interview on Bloomberg below.

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Shonda Rhimes’ Ted Talk

Published on by BriAlys

I’m a huge Shonda Rhimes fan. Shonda Rhimes is the new Oprah. She’s a great writer, inspirational speaker and her story is one that will leave you in awe. Yes, she’s also super successful; but, she’s also a very real and down to earth person. I feel like if know her personally – can you tell? I’ve read her book, “Year of Yes” once and I’m planning to read it again, very soon! I follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I try to read everything she writes. I ♥ Shonda.

Shonda recently released a Ted talk that I highly suggest you listen to – on your commute to work, while you brush your teeth, wash dishes or whatever mundane task you have next on your schedule.  Listen and enjoy.

Work doesn’t work without play. I said yes to less work and more play and somehow I still run my world. My brain is still global, my campfire still burns.


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Year of Yes

Published on by BriAlys

This is not some game or new trendy thing to do. “Year of Yes” is a memoir by Shonda Rhimes (yes, that Shonda Rhimes). In Year of Yes, Shonda shares tips from her own enlightenment and how she changed her whole life. I don’t read many memoirs but I plan to read this one, every single page! 

 

NPR did a feature in which Shonda explains how she “Said ‘yes’ to her children”. What will you say yes to? No need to wait until the New Year to make a resolution you probably won’t keep… Start today. First and foremost Start by saying Yes to Yourself!

Accepting the concept that you don’t have to do the conventional thing because everyone says that’s what you should want. USA Today

If you missed Shonda on Ellen today, you can catch her with Oprah this Sunday. I will certainly be watching. I’ve already preordered my copy. Put this book on your Christmas list this year – for yourself or for a friend.
#readAnything #learn #grow #sayyes

Year of Yes, Amazon

  

September 2015 – the month of the Black Woman

Published on by BriAlys

I’m calling September 2015 the month of the black woman. Incredible things have happened. Not just in terms of what black women have accomplished – that has been happening for many years – but in terms of ACKNOWLEDGEMENT by the media. This is a hot topic that has been talked about in The Huffington Post, The New York Times and others news/media outlets. I’m summarizing a few of the awesome news stories / articles you can read up on at your leisure, complete with pictures, videos and tweets from social media.

  • The Emmy’s: How to Get Away with Murder’s Viola Davis became the the first African-American to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama. Viola is amazing and her speech was perfect – she came out rocking her natural hair and did not shy away from the significance of the moment, quoting Harriet Tubman. Also, Orange is the New Black’s Uzo Aduba won Best Supporting Actress Drama category and American Crime‘s Regina King as Supporting Actress in a Limited Series Or Movie — a record for diversity in the top categories. (Deadspin).
  • TV and Advertising: Shonda Rimes had an amazing spotlight in Essence magazine, called ShondaLand, featuring her hit shows on ABC: Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder and Scandal. You should definitely buy this issue – all the covers are fabulous. It was also just announced that the hit show Empire on Fox, produce by Lee Daniels, starring Emmy nominee Taraji P. Henson, is getting Getting Half a Million Dollars for 30 Seconds of Ad Time – that’s as much as it costs in some top-tier NFL programming. #score
  • Movies. The Perfect Guy, starring Sanaa Lathan, won the box office its opening weekend with a gross of nearly $26 million.
  • Magazine Covers: We’re talking majors here. Vogue (Beyonce), New York (Serena Williams), Self (Kerry Washington), Essence (Misty Copeland), i-D (Willow), Dazed (Amandla Stenberg), Shape (Ciara), Variety (Queen Latifah) – all in the month of September. This is definitely first. Buy one or all of them. Check out Black Enterprise for more great shots. When black women are on the cover of major magazines, we should support it with our dollars by purchasing a copy of the magazine.
  • Music: Last night during The Emmy’s, Apple released a new ad featuring Mary J. Blige, Kerry Washington and Taraji P. Henson promoting Apple Music. You can watch it here. Beyonce also headlined Jay Z’s Made In America fest in Philadelphia and brought the house down! #wishiwasthere You can watch her full performance here.
  • Sports: Serena Williams is #1 tennis player in the world. She is also the first person since Stephie Graff (1988) to play for a chance to complete a Calendar year Grand Slam. She also launched a new campaign with Chase. (This is a happy post so I won’t talk about her pay discrepancy or endorsement deals, you can read more about that in The Atlantic).
  • Politics. Loretta Lynch was recently photographed for Vogue Magazine and recently spoke to the Congressional Black Caucus (transcript here). She has an even more magnificent spread in the October issue of Essence. President Obama also paid homage to Amelia Boynton Robinson who died last month at age 104 and other female civil rights leaders. “Even if they weren’t allowed to run the civil rights organizations on paper, behind the scenes they were the thinkers and the doers making things happen each and every day, doing the work that no one else wanted to do.” At this conference Essence and BWR also release the results from its survey, “The Power of the Sister Vote.” The results are not alarming. #wevote Read the results here.
  • Fashion and Beauty. Janelle Monae is the Face of COVERGIRL’s Star Wars Collaboration and Samira Wiley will hit the runway for Christian Siriano.

The very essence of this post alone shows that the country is showing the positive faces of many Black Americans in an array of fields.The many faces of Black American Women. And I’m almost sure I missed something we should feel good about. These features should make us  all proud, they certainly make me smile. And while our individual efforts may not be showcased to the general public, the question I have for you is, “What are you doing to continue to display and embody these positive messages and themes?” #BeTheChange #readAnything

“The only thing that separates women of color from anyone is opportunity,” Viola Davis

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click image to watch the video
click image to watch the video

 

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