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 meant 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!

How I Dealt With Grief In My 20’s🙏🏾

The subject of grief is something that is very near and dear to my heart! It is a subject that immediately gets my attention. I pay attention when people around me say that they lost a loved one. I have been there! I have lost people very close to me, more than once. But my first time losing a loved one was extremely hard and I would like to share with all of you the beautiful blessings that have come out of that experience! I would like to share with you ALL the beautiful things you have to live for despite your loss! It is my pleasure to share with you that God has a time, season and a purpose for your pain! Grief is not a place where we are to reside forever! It’s temporary! ‘Ecclesiastes 3:1-8’ If you would allow me, I would like to share a little about my journey to healing. Let’s Go🙏🏾

My first experience with death started at just 21 years old. I lost a dear friend to diabetes. He had been sick for so long but his death was a total shock to me. We were extremely close. After the initial news that he was in a better place, I became very angry. A few years of moving around and trying to rebuild my life, I started reaching out to get help with my grief. I found myself needing a lot of space because I was isolating myself on a regular basis. That was not working well for me. I noticed a big change in my life when I started going to church. I was so overwhelmed with so much anger and bitterness. I blamed myself for his death. I comforted myself with food. I was going on shopping sprees with money I didn’t have. I was just in a really bad space. I did not start going to therapy until around year 9 or 10 after Jason’s death. Therapy was like milk to a baby for me! I was able to open up to someone who could understand my struggles and not judge me! Although my family loved me and hated to see me in that state of mind, there was only so much they could do for my mental health! That was just something that I would have to take control of on my own.

The combination of church and therapy was JUST what I needed. I have been going to therapy for a total of 12 years now! My relationship with God is something I just cannot put into words. God is absolutely everything in my life! During my long days and nights battling grief, I discovered my love for writing. It’s something I do daily. Writing is WHO I am! I was born to do it. My writing journey began in college and has continued as a form of healing over the years. My memoir, ‘Love Me Back To Life,’ is on the way! This project has come strictly from my grief. I have all the compassion and patience in the world for people who are hurting. My family was very patient with me when I was struggling. My parents and sisters would often attend therapy sessions with me. I’m am SO blessed! I realized that my family and friends needed me and that grief couldn’t occupy anymore space in my life.

In hindsight, I believe that getting the strength and courage to say that grief had no more space in my life was the beginning of my healing. AND only God is responsible for making that kind of decision. Although death rocks our world, life has to and does exist outside of it. My mental health is so important to me. That comes first in my life. If you are struggling with grief, please understand that trouble don’t last always and there will come a time where the depression will lift! God has so much for you to do. WE need you! YOU are loved and one day you will be helping people overcome their grief just like I’m helping you with YOURS! 

What is a Brag Folder and Why Everyone Should Have One!

Some people say that people don’t read blogs anymore. They say they are outdated! That couldn’t be further from the truth. Wanna know why? YOU. ARE. READING. A. BLOG. RIGHT. NOW!

My blog saved my LIFE! I hope you have had a productive second day to the beginning of a new week! A little late but I showed up for YOU nonetheless! I have made it my business to spread as much positivity and motivation to you guys since late last year.  Motivational Monday is the name of the game. Sometimes, I show up late but you can ALWAYS count on me to show up for you. Mental Health Awareness Month is still rolling on. I consider myself a mental health advocate! I have so much to say about it. I actually created this blog during a very difficult time in my life! Now, I consider it one of my greatest accomplishments! You see, going through hard times allows us to discover our most intimate feelings that allow us to be vulnerable enough to struggle, grow and triumph. During Mental Health Awareness Month, I take time out to educate myself on fun things I can do for self care and excellent mental health! For example, have you ever heard of a 'brag folder?' I first heard of this term last year while working on better money management. You are supposed to keep a file of all of your receipts, money saved on a monthly basis along with paid bills. A brag folder is also a folder where one can keep all of your accomplishments in your career. Keeping track of your accomplishments in a brag folder is good for everyone!

I have decided to use it as a tool to gage my mental health! Here is what I plan to do with my Brag Folder in order to improve my mental health. 

1. I’m a 5th grade Writing Teacher and my students are given writing prompts daily. Topics vary from Opinion writing to Sequence of Events. I keep all of their work in individual binders and at the end of the week, they submit their work to me for a grade. I found it so effective that I decided to create a brag folder for myself. 

2. I will create writing prompts for myself that act as a journal filled with my thoughts about how I’m feeling that particular day. 

3. I will fill my brag folder with my hopes, fears and dreams. In no particular order, I write them down. 

4. I will fill my brag folder with some of my favorite scriptures.

5. I’m trying to build a better body and have been working on it for a while now. I will fill my brag folder with healthy recipes and also keep track of steps I’ve walked day to day, calories burned and my weight on a monthly basis.

Although I don’t go out and literally ‘Brag’ about my accomplishments, it’s more for a private confidence booster for me! I love this idea and want to know if you create one of your own!

I Quit My Job and Went to Work!

At 40 years old, I feel as if I have finally found my calling! BUT it has been a fight to reach this point in my life. It has been the fight of my life! As aforementioned in many of my previous blog posts, I have worked in the education industry for a total of 16 years. I have known and felt that I would work with children at an early age. It has been a journey. I have been offered many positions in education that were not teaching and have thrived in those areas as well. I have not been 100% happy with my teaching journey in a very long time! In fact I have been miserable. Not because of my students or workload, but miserable because I have not been in touch with who I am until now. In touch with who I really am to the core. In touch with the woman that Christ created me to be. Holding on to past hurts and carrying around a lot of baggage. In addition to that, there was no support from my leadership team nor other co-workers. I resigned from my ESL teaching position in June of 2016. It was time to go because I was finding out that if I couldn't be true to myself, how could  I teach young children how to. At that time, I had been in the classroom on and off a total of about 10 years. I have also received education experience as an Assistant Director for a preschool for a year in Pembroke Pines, FL and worked at The University of Virginia at The Curry School of Education. After working there a few years, God led me right back into the classroom. 

After I quit my teaching position in 2016,  I went to work, on MYSELF! It all started with journaling. I started attending church on a regular basis and I would take notes during every service. I started implementing what I heard into my everyday life. I started seeing a therapist on a regular basis. I started reaching out to family more and addressing my issues more and more. I began to EXERCISE on a regular basis. I would bring workout clothes and shoes to work with me. I was consistent with this routine for about 2 or 3 years. My mental health improved but I still had a lot of work to do.

One thing I learned how to do was to REST! Society tends to make us think that working like a maniac equals success. So far from the truth. We need REST! Rest is the precursor to any kind of elevation in life. I doesn't come from working all the time. It's fine to have an outlet like work in our daily lives but if you notice, success doesn't come when we are stressed. It comes when we are at rest. True rest comes when our spirit rests in our Savior. I love that part of being a child of God. My pursuit in obtaining the things that God wants me to be, do and have will continue as long as I am living. I quit my job and went to work AND that's the best decision I've ever made!

How Teaching Prepared Me For Success! Part 2!

Teaching young kids gives me a feeling that I just cannot describe. It feels like I’m right in the middle of God’s calling for my life. It has not always been this way. There was a time where teaching gave me stress like nothing else in the world. I’ve wanted to teach since I was in college. After declaring my major as English, I decided to give teaching a go. I took a public speaking course in college and hated it. I was so intimidated by getting up in front of class and speaking in front of people I barely knew. Fast forward 20 years later and my passion has led me to a 16 year education career. I’m teaching to touch lives! It’s part of the calling that I have walked into. Once you find your calling, everything in life comes together like the missing pieces of a puzzle!

I started my teaching journey in Mexico City, MX in 2003. I moved there with my best friend and roommate a few months after graduating from college. I stayed there about 6 months. When returning to the states, I taught on and off for about 9 years before I returned to a licensed teaching environment. During that time, I was an Assistant Director of a preschool in Pembroke Pines, FL and a Research Specialist at UVA. I took on the role of lead ESL teacher in 2013. 2013 was a special year. It was also the year that I created my blog, ‘The Word Nerd!’ In my off time, I discovered my passion for writing. I wrote in gratitude journals, my Bible, and wrote papers for courses I needed to take for professional development. After teaching in Eastern North Carolina for 2 years, I decided to go back to school and obtain a Masters in Teaching. That decision led me to where I am now! Teaching and Writing go hand in hand. I would have never had discovered these passions if not for putting myself in position to be disciplined enough to follow God’s plan for my life. I am so happy with my current skills. I love teaching and writing and I hope to do both for a very long time!