This blog was created to serve as an inspiration to all who read it..........to aspire, to love and to live a life of purpose.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Ode to a Legend: 40 Inspiring 'Maya Angelou' Quotes

As detailed in Ode to a Legend: 21 Inspiring Facts about Maya Angelou, the poet and author, Angelou was a woman blessed with wisdom who rose from poverty to a legend. The self-proclaimed Phenomenal woman left behind wisdom that history will continue to salute.

More so, personally, her quotes have continually inspired me. In penning this post, the difficult task was narrowing down the quotes to the "most inspiring". Evidently, I could only get it to "40 to remember" because honestly, every word she spoke or wrote was worth a gazillion bucks.

 Maya Angelou, we salute you. Thank you for "being"......and for giving us words we could live by.

1.  Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.
2.     If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.
3.     I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
4.     While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation.
5.     My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.
6.     Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.
7.     Nothing will work unless you do.
8.     Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.
9.     Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.
10. Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.
11. Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.
12. It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.
13. You can't forgive without loving. And I don't mean sentimentality. I don't mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, 'I forgive. I'm finished with it.'
14. When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.
15. There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
16. All great achievements require time.
17. We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.
18. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.
19. You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.
20. One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.
21. A wise woman wishes to be no one's enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone's victim.
22. I'm convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they're stones that don't matter. As long as you're breathing, it's never too late to do some good.
23. If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love.
24. I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me.
25. I know that when I pray, something wonderful happens. Not just to the person or persons for whom I'm praying, but also something wonderful happens to me. I'm grateful that I'm heard.
26. I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.
27. We allow our ignorance to prevail upon us and make us think we can survive alone, alone in patches, alone in groups, alone in races, even alone in genders.
28. You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
29. What is a fear of living? It's being preeminently afraid of dying. It is not doing what you came here to do, out of timidity and spinelessness. The antidote is to take full responsibility for yourself - for the time you take up and the space you occupy. If you don't know what you're here to do, then just do some good.
30. If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die.
31. I work very hard, and I play very hard. I'm grateful for life. And I live it - I believe life loves the liver of it. I live it.
32. Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it.
33. If you're serious, you really understand that it's important that you laugh as much as possible and admit that you're the funniest person you ever met. You have to laugh. Admit that you're funny. Otherwise, you die in solemnity.
34. I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels.
35. If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.
36. A cynical young person is almost the saddest sight to see, because it means that he or she has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing.
37. I am a Woman. Phenomenally.
Phenomenal Woman,
that's me.
38. During bad circumstances, which is the human inheritance, you must decide not to be reduced. You have your humanity, and you must not allow anything to reduce that. We are obliged to know we are global citizens. Disasters remind us we are world citizens, whether we like it or not.
39. Nothing can dim the light, which shines from within.
40. Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.

Stay Inspired,

NwaVic – www.nwavic.blogspot.com | dearnwavic@gmail.com |Twitter & Instagram @nwavicesq

Source: BrainyQuote and USA Today.

Ode to a Legend: 21 Inspiring Facts about Maya Angelou

The world is saddened today to learn that African American renowned poet, civil rights activist and author passed away this morning at age 86. Even though she is no longer with us physically, she left with us the blessing that is her work and its impact.

In celebration of the life of this Phenomenal Woman, here are 21 inspiring facts you may not know about Angelou.

1. Angelou was born Marguerite Ann Johnson in St. Louis, Mo on April 4, 1928.


2. Angelou descended from the Mende people of West Africa.
3. In high school, Angelou studied dance and drama. 

4. At the age of 14, she dropped out of school. 

5. Angelou was San Francisco's first African-American, female street car conductor. 

6. Angelou once lived and worked in Cairo as an editor of an English-language weekly newspaper.

7. Angelou once lived in Ghana and taught at the University of Ghana's School of Music and Drama.

8. Angelou spoke several languages, including French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and the West African language Fanti.
9. Angelou met Malcolm X in Ghana.
10. Angelou returned to America in 1964 to help Malcolm X form his Organization of African American Unity.
11. Angelou served as northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference on the request of Martin Luther King Jr.

12. She met Nelson Mandela in Cairo in 1962 and remained good friends with him till his death in 2013.
13. At age 7, she was raped by her mother's boyfriend. (As described in her most popular book "I know why the caged bird sings). Her uncles killed her rapist.
14. Feeling responsible for the death of her rapist, Angelou was mute for five years.
15. In 2010, President Obama awarded Angelou with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

16. Angelou won three Grammy Awards for her spoken-word albums.

17. Although Angelou never went back to school, she received over thirty honorary doctoral degrees.

18. At the time of her death, Angelou had published seven autobiographies, three essay books, and several books of poetry.

19. Angelou was married at least twice (no confirmed number): to Tosh Angelos in 1951 and Paul du Feu in 1973, and in 1961 had a relationship with Vusumzi Make.

20. Angelou has one son Guy, one grandson, and two great-grandchildren.

21. Angelou loved to watch Law & Order and was an avid country music lover.

RIP Maya.....


Stay Inspired,

NwaVic – www.nwavic.blogspot.com | dearnwavic@gmail.com |Twitter & Instagram @nwavicesq

Source: Time and USA Today.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Red Carpet Fashion + Full List of Winners: The 2014 Billboard Music Awards

The 2014 Billboard Music Awards kicked off Sunday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.  Michael Jackson performed. Well, it was more like a hologram of the late pop icon. The Holographic image performed "Slave to the Rhythm" as part of what the media calls the "history-making performance". The performance is said to be a marketing strategy for the release of Michael Jackson's Xscape, the second album since his passing.

Also, Jennifer Lopez won the BBMA Icon Award, the first woman to be honored with the accolade. Justin Timberlake was the big winner of the night, scoring 7 trophies including Top Male Artist and Top Artist. Imagine Dragons won 5 awards while Pharrell, Robin Thicke and T.I. won four trophies each.

Here are photos from the memorable night and the full list of winners...

The Holographic image of Michael Jackson performing

 2 Chainz
 Austin Mahone
 Billy Ray Cyrus
 Calvin Harris
 Carrie Underwood
 Charli XCX
 Cher LLoyd
 Chrissy Teigen
 John Legend and Chrissy Teigen


 Iggy Azalea
 Jackie Jackson
 Jason Derulo
 Jennifer Lopez
 Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart
 Jennifer Lopez
 Jordin Sparks
 Josh Groban
 Kelly Rowland
 Kendall and Kylie Jenner
 Ke$ha
 Lance Bass
 Lucy Hale
 Ludacris
 Miranda Lambert
 Natasha Bedingfield
 Nikki MInaj
 Pete Wentz
 Ricky Martin
 Sarah Hyland
 Shakira
Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose
Shania Twain


ARTIST AWARDS
Top Artist
Justin Timberlake
Top New Artist
Lorde
Top Male Artist
Justin Timberlake
Top Female Artist
Katy Perry
Top Duo/Group
Imagine Dragons
Top Billboard 200 Artist
Justin Timberlake
Top Hot 100 Artist
Imagine Dragons
Top Digital Songs Artist
Katy Perry
Top Radio Songs Artist
Justin Timberlake
Top Touring Artist
Bon Jovi
Top Social Artist
Justin Bieber
Top Streaming Artist
Miley Cyrus
Top R&B Artist
Justin Timberlake
Top Rap Artist
Eminem
Top Country Artist
Luke Bryan
Top Rock ArtistImagine Dragons
Top Latin Artist
Marc Anthony
Top Dance/Electronic Artist
Daft Punk
Top Christian Artist
Chris Tomlin
ALBUM AWARDS
Top Billboard 200 Album
Justin Timberlake, "The 20/20 Experience"
Top R&B Album
Justin Timberlake, "The 20/20 Experience"
Top Rap Album
Eminem, "The Marshall Mathers LP 2"
Top Country Album
Luke Bryan, "Crash My Party"
Top Rock Album
Imagine Dragons, "Night Visions"
Top Latin Album
Marc Anthony, "3.0"
Top Dance/Electronic Album
Daft Punk, "Random Access Memories"
Top Christian Album
Alan Jackson, "Precious Memories: Volume II"

SONG AWARDS
Top Hot 100 Song
Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell, "Blurred Lines"
Top Digital Song
Robin Thicke, Featuring T.I. & Pharrell "Blurred Lines"
Top Radio Song
Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell, "Blurred Lines"
Top Streaming Song (Audio)
Imagine Dragons, "Radioactive"
Top Streaming Song (Video)
Miley Cyrus "Wrecking Ball"
Top R&B Song
Robin Thicke Feat. T.I. & Pharrell, "Blurred Lines"
Top Rap Song
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Ray Dalton, "Can't Hold Us" 
Top Country Song
Florida Georgia Line Featuring Nelly, "Cruise"
Top Rock Song
Lorde, "Royals"
Top Latin Song
Marc Anthony "Vivir Mi Vida"
Top Dance/Electronic Song
Avicii "Wake Me Up!"
Top Christian Song
Matthew West "Hello, My Name Is"

Sources: NY Daily and Billboard.com.

NwaVic – www.nwavic.blogspot.com | dearnwavic@gmail.com |Twitter & Instagram @nwavicesq