Day 10 Update

As expected, not much difference in my skin condition after the first ten days on Claravis.  I experienced a few headaches, but I believe they were related to the sinus cold that I'm FINALLY getting over!!!  I'm looking forward to the next ten days!!

DAY 1...a little under the weather too.  Let the journey begin!!

Here we go again!!

Hi World!  I'm back again with yet another attempt to be a "blogger."  I can only imagine that this will not go well either considering all of the new additions to my life.  I am currently pursuing a PhD in Leadership and Change at Antioch University.  Woohoo!!  It's a very different style of learning, yet rigorous and intense, just as any other doctoral program.  Crazy enough, I am doing this while still working full-time.  I have also increased my community involvement by serving on the Fundraising and Development Committee for Girls on the Run of the Triangle (www.gotrtriangle.org), and I am a member of the NC Statewide Pioneering Healthier Communities Advisory Committee.  I have definitely been living up to my blog's title, but failed in documenting all of my experiences thus far.

So, how and WHY would I take another shot at this blogging thing??  Well, I am embarking on a new journey that is actually pretty scary for me, but something that I feel is necessary for my self-esteem, confidence, and honestly, love for myself.  I believe that documenting this journey will not only be beneficial for someone who may be going through the same thing, but it also helps me to be more open and authentic, which is a journey within itself.  As I may have mentioned in an earlier post, I am typically a private person, and doing something like this is waaaay out of my comfort zone.  But hey, I can't expect others to Be Bold and try something new if I'm not willing to push myself to uncomfortable limits, right?

With that said, for the next five or six months (I'm praying for five), I plan to document my journey using a very powerful acne medicine called Isotretinoin (Claravis brand).  I have struggled with acne since I was a teenager and the 'ish just will not go away!!  Now in my thirties, I fear that I'll be dealing with it for the rest of my life, especially since the breakouts have become more frequent.  Yesterday (Nov. 17, 2013) was day one for actually taking the medicine, but the journey actually started back in late September when I went to see a dermatologist at Central Dermatology Center.  Having been there multiple times before, he was somewhat familiar with my struggles and knew that it was time to go hard!!

So, here I am...after completing the necessary requirements to get the prescription filled...taking one pill at a time...patiently awaiting the results.  To avoid boring you with every single detail and because I honestly don't have the time to give daily updates, I plan to post once a week.

Wish me luck and pray that I don't experience any of those evil side effects!!

Get Fit or Cry Trying

The title of this post is so fitting for what I have experienced over the past two months.  I have been training, well sort of training, for a 5K obstacle course:  Rugged Maniac.  It's 3.1 miles of mud, water, fire, walls, hills, planks, wire, etc., etc.!!  I was very excited until last week when I looked at the calendar and realized that it was only two weeks away (now less than a week)...YIKES!!  So, needless to say, I have been cramming.  I just hope the results are as good as when I used to cram for exams in college.  The good thing about it is that I won't have to do this alone.  I'm on a team of "Wonder Women!"  Yes, we plan to dress the part, but I'm not so sure that the performance will be up to par.  As Wonder Women, we will give it our all!!  So bring on the mud, the fire, the walls, etc., etc.!!  But first, let me say a little prayer...

Video courtesy of YouTube

Guess Who's Bizack!!

To quote the International superstar rapper, Jay-Z, "Guess who's bizack?"  It's meee!! (in my Whitley Gilbert voice)  I have completely neglected my blog.  Smh...what an awful way to start!  When life requires you to put all of your attention into something, you have two choices:  1) you can figure out a way to do it all or 2) you drop something until you're able to give it equal attention.  Unfortunately for my blog, I chose option #2.  I was so focused on other things that I didn't really have time to write, however, the desire to document my experiences was forever prevalent.  Now, I'm choosing option #1.  That's what my blog is supposed to be about anyway, right?  Being strong and bold enough to do all the things that make me happy, while sharing my life in the process.  I have the ability to do everything that my heart desires and be successful at them all.  It will take a strong dose of metabolism and a lot of prayer, but I can handle it.  I'm sure.

Dr. King, an Influential Leader

On this day, we celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  He selflessly gave his life fighting for social justice, equality for all mankind and ultimately, what he believed was right.  Of all the things that Dr. King did for this world and the eloquent words that he spoke, I most admire his determination to do the seemingly impossible.  He had a strong desire to change the way people think, which is what it all comes down to anyway.  His dream meant more than blacks and whites sitting beside each other on a bus or providing equal educational opportunities to all races.  Dr. King was blessed with the gift of influence, and he used it to alter the status quo thinking amongst so many people.  If citizens in that era had not changed their way of thinking, then they would not have started to do things differently. 

So on this day, I celebrate and honor the life and legacy of an influential leader, who even after his death, is still evoking change in our lives.  While our society has improved since the "King era," we still have a long way to go.  We should charge ourselves with the responsibility of not only altering the way other people think, but also the way we think.

May his dream live on.

Hello World!!

For some time now, I have been wanting to start a blog but was having difficulty deciding on a theme/topic.  I had so many ideas, but none of them seemed to be good enough.  They didn't really reflect the real ChiquanaMichelle.  For instance, I thought about blogging my experience as a dog owner, but I was getting bored just thinking about it.  Then, I had the bright idea to attempt to write about love and relationships because that's just what this world needs, another "relationship expert."  Luckily for you, I quickly changed my mind on the subject.  Besides, I'm not quite ready to expose that much of myself to the world.

After months of pondering and procrastinating, I finally saw the light!  I was encouraged by a friend to start a 30 before 30 list, but I only had a few months left.  So, I decided to generate a 35 before 35 list.  It consists of some very ambitious goals and some things that I just want to try before I reach a new "age box".  The most important thing about this list, however, is that I am forcing myself to actually "DO."  It is an opportunity for me to embark on a journey that I may not have taken otherwise.  My hope is to take you, my readers, along with me.  

While I don't plan to blog about my list and my accomplishments, I will share how these and other experiences impact my life.  In 2011, I realized that I was pretending to be strong in certain areas that actually broke me down.  I wasn't taking as many risks that I know I'm very capable of conquering (i.e. exposing parts of my life in a blog).  And equally important, something tampered with my happiness.  Well, one of my strengths is that I do not hesitate to correct anything that I see wrong in my life.  I'm not one to wallow in my own misery...that's so 90's. 

This blog is my way of holding myself accountable for building physical and emotional strength, following through with the risks that I plan to take, and as my mom said to me on the first day of 2012, just being happy!!  

So, buckle your seat belts friends and get ready to ride!!