I love being creative! After finishing up my work yesterday, I began creating a new promo video for Growing Up Black in America. I was thinking of the best way to incorporate Katy Perry's song 'ROAR' as it is the theme song of my life. Some of the lyrics include, "I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath, scared to rock the boat and make a mess. So I sat quietly, agreed politely. I guess that I forgot I had a choice I let you push me past the breaking point. I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything. You held me down, but I got up, already brushing off the dust. You hear my voice, you hear that sound, like thunder gonna shake your ground. You held me down, but I got up. Get ready cause I've had enough. I see it all, I see it now. I got the eye of the tiger, the fighter, dancing through the fire. 'Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me ROAR. Louder, louder than a lion cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me ROAR." This is currently my favorite song and it describes my life so much. I also sat quietly, almost mute and did not voice my opinion. Therefore, everyone else's opinion clouded my judgment. NO MORE. MY BOOK IS MY ROAR! So below is the video, it is copyrighted content so YouTube will block it, therefore it will not be posted on social media. I'm not making any money whatsoever from the video and will not because it is not my material it all belongs to Katy Perry. I only added myself and the book into the video with a few special effects. ENJOY! I had fun putting this together. ​

There are some common myths that hold work at home businesses and investors from achieving success. These myths can have a powerful psychological impact on small business owners, stopping them from building wealth, and preventing them from reaching their full potential.

Myth #1 Money breeds Money

This may have been true pre discovery period, but it is not true in the Internet age. The myth that you need to be born into money, or attend an Ivy League school, or you’ll never know how to make real money is a difficult roadblock to overcome.

Millionaires are made every day. Most start with nothing, and use a program that failed for thousands of other business owners. Bill Gates, Oprah, and Martha Stewart all started from humble origins.

Myth #2 Money is Made on the Backs of the Poor

If you are afraid of going for the brass ring because you fear ruining someone else’s life, then relax. Your playbook can be moral, ethical, and built on old fashion values, and it will lead you to untold wealth. The easiest way to become rich is to create value in other people's lives.

This myth is high-grade, premium quality nonsense. There is enough money for everyone. Many ‘work at home’ programs prove this. The company may sell 10,000 programs. Just because only 100 people succeeded doesn’t mean that the program was a rip off. Those who do not succeed don't believe they can.

Remember that success starts in the mind. You need to believe that you can succeed before you will succeed.

Myth #3 You Must Sacrifice Family to Build Wealth

The baby boomers believed this and introduced one of the highest divorce rates in recorded history. However, their children have learned the value of balance, and the truth behind wealth. The rich and famous do not work as hard as the factory workers who run the companies that built their wealth.

This generation has coined a new phrase, ‘work hard, or work smart.’

There's a difference between working hard and working smart. Successful people learn to work smart. They learn to emulate successful people and use them as models so they can avoid mistakes other people make.

You can save a lot of time, money, effort as well as some major headaches by finding a mentor, or hiring a life/success coach.

Getting your business started and running require work but you can chose to have a successful business and a family.

Myth #4 Rich People Cannot Live Normal Lives

Most of today’s millionaires live in suburban towns and lead normal lives. The dream of living the rich and famous life has lost its luster. More people are learning that the fantasy of wealth was more attractive than the reality.

However, you can live the good life without giving up a normal life. There is no reason why you cannot take a vacation with your family at a local camp ground on the weekend, and then attend a conference in a $2,000 outfit and $800 shoes through the week. (Although I would recommend not spending your money on such material things)

Don’t let the fear of being rich stop you from reaching your dreams.

Life is sweet. It will be what you decide to make it as long as you remember that no one can define who you are – unless you give them the power to.

​-Shenteria Marie

I shipped out several of my books on Monday which means many people I know are now reading my words! I found a honest mistake in the book which has been corrected for the new readers. It was in the chapter 'Facts Do Matter' under the sub-chapter 'Denial of Black on Black Crime.' If you are one of the first to receive the book and would like to receive the edit for FREE just email me at shenteriamarie@gmail.com and let me know. 

This post is about providing you with some great information for any of you that are thinking of writing your first book or are in the stages of completing your book.

I stumbled upon a wonderful website (www.kindlepreneur.com) which has a great tool called the 'Amazon Book Description Generator.' By using this very useful tool I was able to create a far better description for my book on Amazon. The bullet points certainly add the extra ump to it! I highly recommend it to anyone publishing books online. The creator of the tool is a Kindlepreneur who provides valuable information to those publishing through the Kindle platform.

Here is my shiny new description:

Growing Up Black in America Without Experiencing Racism: A New Reality and Hope for the Future is a culmination of facts, truths, solutions, and personal experiences. This book was written to bring awareness to the many major issues that are harming the black community. It is meant to make people consciously aware of the fact that we desperately need to change things within the black community itself. By acknowledging the many issues that are ignored we can actively work on fixing them together; which in turn helps society become better. 

Issues mentioned within:

• The break down of the black family
• Lack of emotional control
• Neglect of education
• Absentee Fathers
• Black on Black crime
• Victim Mentality

Solutions mentioned within:

• Diversity and its healing effects
• How to bring unity back to the black community
• Ways to combat black on black crime
• Ways to create a better, brighter future for younger generations
• Many positive inspiring quotes 

Although this book has many solutions for the black community it was written for all races of people. Everyone must work together to bridge the gap or racial divide between the races. The many solutions within this book are the starting point.

Bookmark the tool, as I have, to keep it handy for when you are publishing your book with Amazon. Also be sure to check out the site, there is a lot of useful information you will find there! 

-Shenteria Marie

In our world we are often aimlessly living lives without purpose, why is that? Were we fed a dream of what and how our lives should play out and don't recognize it? 

As a black American woman, I can see how and why many people do not live up to their full potential or do not find their purpose. So many people live such momentary lives and leave this planet without a single mark. I split this evaluation up into 3 different types of people: those who limit themselves to the lack of achievement of those around them, those who are trying too hard to reach for something without aim or direction, and those who do not feel they have a purpose. Which of these categories do you fall under? 

I found myself in the first category. I've always wanted to do something better, something more, to find my purpose, but I limited myself as I mentioned in a previous post. In my newest song, I wrote about how I didn't think about the future or my future. It didn't occur to me that I'd live to be a certain age or that I would need to plan for that future in some way. I think this is the downfall of many people, they do not plan for their futures. It's almost as if they cannot visualize themselves at an age beyond what they currently are. Therefore, they also go into the third category of feeling as though they have no purpose. It must be an acquirement in our world that everyone plans for their future beyond the moment they are in, beyond a year, 5 years, 10 years. Begin to question yourself and your purpose in life, what is your aim? What are you focusing all your energy on?

For those who are trying too hard to reach for something without aim or direction, I would say stop, take a breather, and find out what your purpose is. People in this category may be those who are killing themselves working countless hours, going nowhere fast. Often times it can be those with corporate jobs who are chasing money with no goal in sight. These types of people are so busy that they are neglecting their health, their relationships, and have no thoughts about spirituality. It can also be celebrities who fall under this category. My advice: come back down to Earth, center yourself, think about where you really want to go and why that is important to you. 

For those who do not feel you have a purpose, I would ask why? I would try to get to the root of this negative thought to pluck it from your head. Of course you have a purpose, we all do. I would say make it your mission to find out what your purpose is. In my book I wrote in caps: A WOMAN IS NOT ONLY OF VALUE WHEN SHE IS A MOTHER. This is very true, too many in our world were sold a "dream" that as women our only purpose is to reproduce. A BIG LIE! Those women who buy into that "dream" end up with children who often times sadly are neglected and as those women get older they end up unhappy. I wish this on no one. After their children become adults, they feel they no longer have a purpose. Your purpose is about you, your life, the direction you take, it does not involve anyone else. People in this category must recognize that people are in our lives momentarily, for we all walk different paths that often times intersect. Always seek to find what your purpose is and do not tie it to someone else.

AWAKEN PEOPLE, RISE UP.

-Shenteria Marie

As a newly published author, I feel it is my duty to inform everyone that they have a story within themselves as well. I grew up poor, on welfare in America and today I count myself among many accomplished authors as being a first time author myself. 

I went through many tough times growing up where I did (East St. Louis, IL) and I am thankful to be able to recognize those struggles as blessings in disguise. I now use my story, my life, my experiences to help those who need it to overcome any obstacles in their way. 2 days ago, I wrote another song which I titled "Make A Change" through which I speak about my struggles and how they made me stronger. We must take everything in life as a lesson to be learned, once we learn it we must move forward from there, but make sure we do not go through it again. The whole sum of my life has been one filled with many blessings, hard times, sadness, and much joy. I will be 30 years old this year and I do not regret any of my life experiences. I have made it my business to never return to the depressed, sad state of mind in which I lived for years in my teens and early 20s. I count and recognize each day as a blessing from God and in doing so I receive many more blessings to be thankful for.

Being a first time author is a dream come true for me, a big accomplishment that I did not see happening. By putting forth sustained action to accomplish this big goal, I made it happen! This book proves to me that I am capable of so much more than I ever thought possible. "Never tell yourself there is something you cannot do." My purpose in writing this book overall is to help our world become a better place. My whole platform as an author is one of motivation, struggle, and triumph as a first time author and as a black woman. This book was created with the younger me in mind. When I reminiscence about my childhood I wish for no child to have to go through what I did. Therefore, I use my voice to shout out to the parents and adults so they can make sure their children do not go through similar situations. We must make our world better, it begins with all of us, together.

In our world, we must recognize that it isn't someone else telling us we cannot achieve things, it is our own negative thoughts. Never allow a negative mindset to stop you from moving forward, to stop you from reaching and achieving more in life. As a human being you are worth so much more so keep striving for it. Far too many people sell themselves short by not creating goals, by not wanting to put in the necessary work, by not reaching for the stars, and by lazily accepting less. Do not allow this to be you. Access the strength within you, use it to push yourself further than you ever imagined. ALWAYS THINK POSITIVE AND ALWAYS MOVE FORWARD. 

A month ago I joined a Facebook group titled 'Black Las Vegas' I believe it was. It is a group for black people in Vegas to discuss many different issues and so I figured I'd like to be in the conversation. After noticing little interesting posts, I decided to strike up a conversation. I asked why is racism such a big problem in our world today when it is not the biggest problem that is hurting the black community. A few people responded, 2 men in particular began to personally spit out a lot of ignorance saying "white people" this and "white people" that. They said white people never apologized for slavery nor gave any payment for it. One of them even questioned if I actually grew up in East St. Louis, IL since, as he said, there was so much racism that happened there back in the day. He refused to believe that I have never experienced racism as my book clearly states. The other guy chose to take jabs at my relationship saying ignorant things such as, "See the white man promotes her book more than she does, maybe he wrote it." This is the kind of ignorance and immaturity black women face when they find a loving relationship outside of their race. The immature men completely ignored anything I mentioned about black on black crime as all they could think or talk about was hating white people. I pity those ignorant souls.

Since I have a low tolerance for ignorance these days I wrote a post telling them both off and left the group. Some of the things I wrote included: Yes my husband supports me as he should, your focus should be on the many black men who do not support their families and leave their children Fatherless. Yes I am an accomplished black woman from ESTL, IL there are many of us who do not play into the negative stereotypes this shows how little you think of people from there to question the validity that I was raised there. Apparently he assumed I could not become an author since I am from ESTL. I also wrote about the fact that those of us alive today did not endure slavery therefore we should not expect a hand out. I feel that is a big part of the reason majority of the black community is not thriving because young people grow up feeling they must expect this or that.

I feel the older generation is doing more damage to the black community than anyone of a different race. Instead of telling young people to get an education (education is the passport to the future as Malcolm X said) they are being told they cannot achieve anything because they are black. They are being shown how to lazily sit back and expect the world to fall at their feet, which never happens. They aren't being shown the importance of an education in our world today. The library is constantly ignored, while the TV is watched for hours on end. This victim/self-entitled mentality needs to STOP! Young people need to go into the real world and see for themselves the many opportunities they have available to them. It took me leaving IL, my hometown, to open my mind to many new things and I am now an author before the age of 30! Young people, do not allow the older generation to hinder your growth, you can rise above, you can excel. You may have to get away from those negative opinions of others, but trust me it makes a world of difference.

One of the men spouting ignorance happened to be the admin for the group. To me, this says a lot about the way many people think. You have a group that is teaching black people to hate white people and you don't see anything wrong with that? It blows my mind how close minded so many people are today. Black women are looked down on when they excel because they are not dating or married to a black man. Ignorance is bliss as they say. I told them both to keep allowing life to pass them by as they spit hatred on Facebook. God bless their hearts for having the maturity age of teenagers and living their lives out on Facebook, in unreality.  

I stand by my book and my husband, I have never experienced racism in America, but I have been subjected to ignorant black people who are racist themselves. 

God bless you all!
Let your light shine so bright that men may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.