A Time to Love and A Lifetime to Keep it Going

We talk about self-love all the time but don't really understand what it truly means. If we did, we wouldn't take it so lightly and would give it the respect it warrants. To love oneself, honestly, wholeheartedly and unconditionally sets the tone for the rest of your life. It will determine the type of people you surround yourself with, how you interact with them, how much of yourself you share with them, the authenticity of the relationships you make, and how you carry yourself. This means your love for yourself or lack thereof dictates your future; so you should treat it as such. Because if you don't love yourself, it can and will manifest in different areas of your life in a negative way.

Battle of the Sexes: Part 1 - "What a Man, What a Mighty Good Man"

So you think you know what makes a man? You believe you can think like them and know what goes on in their heads? What's your justification? Is it personal experience? Is it what your friends have gone through? Is it what you read online, saw in a movie, or heard on the radio? Well, similar to how difficult it can be to understand the complexity of a woman, there is more to a man than meets the eye. There are a significant amount of supposed facts I hear from my female friends and women in my life about men, and more often times than not, it's usually wrong. I feel that the view of men being "dogs" and "good-for-nothing" tends to take precedence over the truth about them. That's not to say that there aren't a good amount of them that promote this stereotype, which makes it hard for women to think otherwise, but a few off colors in a painting shouldn't take away from its beauty. Don't let those guys ruin your perception of men.

Then what is the truth about men?

Battle of the Sexes Series in the Works

Men. As simple as they may seem, there is actually a lot more to them than most people know. My initial motivation for this piece comes from years of hearing about all the problems women have had with "typical men", and how they are no good. This usually stemmed from events, such as a guy breaking a girl's heart or forgetting the things — like anniversaries and dates — that make the biggest difference. So I thought maybe an explanation of how men operate and how they think would help correct some of their misconceptions. My goal is to introduce a new perspective, in hopes to alter the way women see us. This may be an extremely difficult task since Beyonce dropped Lemonade, but I’m up for the challenge. In the process of brainstorming this idea, I decided to add a spin on the piece.

Instead of simply discussing the issue at hand, I wanted to break this down into a blog series. In the first part of this series, I’d explain some of the misconceptions surrounding men. I’d then go on to explain some of the characteristics men believe are necessary to be a man, and why they’re false. After that, I would do the same for the women. The one thing I want everyone to keep in mind is that my words aren't law. Every person in this world is different, so not everything will apply to a single person. However, these pieces will still provide substantial knowledge of the truth behind men and women, and what you should keep in mind about them before you approach or profile them. Now that you have the background, let's get to work.