Scripture: “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 NLT
March 24, 2018 was my fifth year anniversary being a member of the BEST sorority on Earth. My sisters planned a trip to the cabins to celebrate another year of sisterhood! We had a great time playing card games, roasting marshmallows, paint & sip, strolling, and more. Although most of us keep in contact with each other, we had the opportunity to share our lives with one another. We laughed, cooked, and bonded over wine and snacks lol I am so grateful for them!
I want to give a quick S/O to the Exquisite Eta Iota (HI) Chapter & my 12 lovely charter members. Major S/O to the Sponsoring Grad Chapter, Gamma Tau Omega. Moreover, S/O to 22 I.O.T.P.K for choosing me to be an Alpha Kappa Alpha woman.
Below are five lessons I learned in undergrad that transferred into my career and personal life.
Serve Others - “It is NOT always about you!”
I participated in various community service projects in undergrad. A memorable event was serving at a women’s shelter in the city with my sisters. It was a day of Easter activities for the children and we served food, read books, and painted the children’s faces. I will be honest, I stopped serving the community when I graduated because life got hectic and I was not sure where to start. I picked it back up a couple of weeks ago by serving at the Atlanta Missions soup kitchen with other women in Adjust Your Crown Mentoring, Inc.
Nevertheless, serving is not always about charity work. How are you serving your friends and family? I have to share how my sisters served each other early Sunday morning. Some of them were up early and noticed another sisters’ tire was flat. They decided to take matters into their own hands and fix it while she slept. They served her while she was knocked out in dreamland lol I wish I got a picture but they deserve the sister of the year award <3
Most importantly, how are you serving in your church? Are you apart of any ministries? Serving in a ministry will help you grow spiritually and you are allowing God to use you. You do not have to be in an “extravagant” ministry. You can join a prayer team, the children’s ministry, janitorial team…anything! Just do something for someone else because it is not always about you!
Professionalism -“If you’re on time…you’re late!”
I hold myself on a HIgher standard as a business-woman and young professional. I am expected to be reliable, competent, and uphold a sound moral character. However, if I possessed all of those qualities but was always sloppy and never on time, people would not take me seriously. Showing up on time says a lot about what you deem important. It demonstrates your respect for the event host. It even shows your respect for the attendees because they do not have to wait for you to show up in order for the event to start. Sometimes being late is inevitable due to the nature of traffic and accidents. However, try to plan accordingly, drive safe, and be on time. If you want to be fancy, 15 minutes prior is my golden rule (the Army taught me that! They also taught me, "hurry up & wait" but I’m not going to even get into that lol)
Check Your Attitude -“Sometimes it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.”
There are days where we may have woke up on the wrong side of the bed and that is okay. We are human so we are not going to be at 100% all the time. Take control of your days when it is trying to get the best of you. Learn to live in the present and ask God to help adjust your attitude. Embrace the uncertainty of life with a smile. The next time life pushes you in a negative mindset and everything seems to go wrong, just smile (Steven Furtick taught me that lol.) I know that sounds crazy but watch how your mood changes dramatically. They say it takes more muscles to frown, so do not waste energy being angry and taking it out on people. Your perspective on life is your reality. As my LS would say, “I’m not going to ruin someone else’s day by being rude and nasty because of something going on in MY life. My issues have nothing to do with them.”
Creativity -“tHInk outside of the box”
My chapter constantly planned events! We had an event for each initiative and we coordinated seasonal events so that we would maintain the Title as being #1 on campus! :D We would share ideas that provoked meaningful discussions for other students. This skill has definitely transferred into my career because I am constantly given the opportunity to think outside of the box. I am a financial auditor and my team discusses various ways to test accounts and transactions during brainstorming sessions. This skill has allowed me to enhance my thought process. Be creative and come up with solutions to be more efficient at work.
In addition, I totally support entrepreneurship! Think creatively about a business or a product, you would like to sell. If you think outside of the box hard enough, you might develop something that can change the world and your bank account :)
Money Management -“It’s not really what you have but how you manage what you have.”
AKA definitely taught me how to manage money because we always worked within the scope of our budget when we planned events. There is nothing worse than spending money aimlessly with nothing to show for it. I learned bills were NOT A JOKE when I graduated. I do not go on unnecessary shopping sprees unless I can afford it with cash. The credit card will be your enemy if it isn’t handled with care!!
S/O to the planning committee for organizing the trip! They chose the perfect cabin, designed fun activities, purchased all of the items we needed for the weekend, and it was very affordable. The trip was planned perfectly. They did not ask for extra money last minute because they managed our money right!
Overall Alpha Kappa Alpha taught me invaluable lessons that I may have been able to learn elsewhere; but I am glad I got the opportunity to learn and grow as a sorority sister. If you’re thinking about joining a sorority, fraternity (for men), honor society, or any organization, GO FOR IT! It may be the best decision you ever make. In the comments below, let me know if you’re in an organization & a lesson you’ve learned while being a part of it. I’d love to learn something new from you!
Until next time…
***Peace & Blessings xoxo***
