The Squeakiest Wheel Gets The Oil! Tips On How To Level Up In Life!

At the beginning of the pandemic in January 2020, the world was introduced to the coronavirus and thought it would just be a series of colds and flus. Its 2022 and it is still here. To date, I have had both a series of 5 booster shots and an actual case of the virus in January of 2021. That diagnosis was both shocking and life saving all in one. After surviving corona in January in 2021, I made some life altering decisions. I decided to take better care of my health i.e. body. I have always been pretty fit but I have slacked on working my body out just for lack of motivation. Now, I go to the dr. on a regular basis. I try to get a workout in everyday for at least 30 minutes.  I go to the dentist, hairdresser, gynecologist and primary care dr. around the clock. I am a good steward of all that God has blessed me with. I was given a second chance to live and so many others did not. I had my 40th birthday on August 2021 and I am happy to say that my life is totally different just holding myself accountable for everything I can control in my life. As my precious mother has always told me, YOU do what you can and let God do the rest. Let me give you a deeper look into what changes I have made to revamp my life. The time has come to LEVEL UP!

The Black Lives Movement was resurrected in May of 2020, only 5 months after COVID 19 was brought to America. Around this time, there was a lot of fear spreading around the world. The Black Lives Movement began because of the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. My father has always had an interesting way of motivating myself and my brothers and sisters. He has always said amongst many other things, 'Knetris, the squeakiest wheel gets the oil!' Now that I am older I know what this means and practice it as much as I can. My father was trying to tell me that you must be relentless in pursuing the things you want out of life. Closed mouths do not get fed. You have to speak up and OUT in order to get what you want in life. I remember trying to land jobs in the past and my father would say, '...the squeakiest wheel get the oil.' He mean to be persistent and relentless in reaching out to contacts I knew in order to get the position. He always gives the best advice! YOU too can be the squeakiest wheel. Practice perseverance and over time, you will begin to attract the things you want in life over and over again.

What It’s Really Like Being A Twin!

Shared the same womb✅ Knetris was born at 11:56PM

Julius was born at 11:58 PM

Share the same birthday✅ Aug. 14, 1981

Share the same taste in food✅ Spaghetti Bolognese

Share the same fave musical band✅ Hall and Oates

Share the same dislike in ‘Trends’✅ Crocs are a no-no

People, let me tell you bout’ my best friend! My twin brother, Julius and I have so much in common. Whenever I think about him, I get all warm and fuzzy inside and it makes me smile with joy! Julius is an amazing brother, father, husband, friend and confidante. He is also an excellent motivator, cook and comedian! When we were growing up in rural Virginia, we would play school. I was the teacher and he was the student. We laughed so hard and had an absolute blast. We shared the same classes in grade school until we reached high school. We even shared the same friends! We were both very athletic and studious in school. We both shared roles in high school. He was the class president two years in a row and I was the secretary! Julius was always a bit more reserved than I was as kids. I ended up staying in Virginia for college and Julius landed a scholarship to The University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana! He would be playing college football on a full scholarship. 

Julius was and still is an INCREDIBLE athlete! So much so that he is a co-owner of a youth training and conditioning facility in South Florida called, 'Ballers.' Both of us ran track but I used to watch him run the hurdles in awe. It was something that only God could give him the talent to do. We both love sports and being active. We both love children. Julius has two boys of his own who are a lot like him. We both love Italian food. Julius’ wife is Italian and Brazilian. Her name is Kelly! She is an excellent cook. I think Julius and I have both used music to get through life up until this point in our lives. We will be 41 in August. Our favorite groups are Hall and Oates and FLO-Rida! We love their music. 

Having a twin brother is such a blessing! I absolutely adore Julius and I am SO excited for what the future holds for both of us. It is like having a built in best friend. I love and adore my twin!

FUNEmployment! How I Spent My Time Looking For Employment!

FUN Fact: In the United States, under the Biden Administration; 337,000 jobs have been added to the economy and the unemployment rate is at a low of 3.6% in June 2022 despite fears of a recession.

FUNEmployment: pronounced  [fun•em•ploi•ment]

I am pretty sure that if you asked anyone that's been in the market for a job, they would say that looking was NOT a fun experience. Going from job to job is extremely stressful. I have had to find jobs multiple times throughout my education career. I took a sabbatical from teaching from 2016-2021. I had several different jobs during that time period. I did not plan on going back into the classroom. Then an awesome opportunity presented itself and  I am back in the classroom again. In order to find a job teaching writing to 5th graders, it took a lot of perseverance and patience. One of my good friend's said, '...looking for a job is a full time job.' The way I have looked for employment and the approach I took with me day after day became very significant to my current success! Here are some tips and tricks I will share with you on how unemployment became, 'FUNEmployment!'

*Look at your time looking for work as an opportunity to grow. During my times away from work, I went to the library everyday to read and better my computer skills. I purchased an Audible subscription and really took advantage of that time while waiting for another job opportunity to open up for me. 

*Look at your sabbatical as an opportunity to get better at your craft. Study, Write and Read everything you can get your hands on to better prepare you for what's coming down the pipeline. You will need it for your next assignment!

*Look at your time looking for work as a period to get focused.

*Look at your time off to get better in other areas of your life; i.e. self care, health, working out, and mental health.

*Look at your time away from work as an opportunity to expand your contact list for jobs.

*Realize that your time waiting for a job will not last forever. This is just a learning experience and it does have an expiration date. Take advantage of the time off because it may not come again!