Letter from the Editor: Just Say No

You deserve a break. The hustle and the grind has put us in a state of perpetual stress. I know my girl Rihanna said it, “Just get ready fi work, work, work, work.” Collectively ya’ll, we need to learn how to chill! Even God rested one day. Aren’t you tired? Hustle culture is sucking the life out of us. Hustle culture is defined as a toxic state of working long hours and increasing productivity in order to achieve wealth or status. The side effects are burnout, depression, anxiety, and other health issues. Like why though? Why do we do this to ourselves? I am writing you today, to encourage you to take a minute, reestablish your boundaries and be OK with saying ‘NO’ sometimes. No, you don’t have to pick up that extra shift. No, you don’t have to pull an all-nighter. No, you don’t have to go to that birthday party. The world will continue to spin, and that’s OK. And while I have your attention, let me shout out all the mothers. Mother’s Day is this month and all the mother’s whether employed or not, are the hardest working people I know. Momma, this is for you. Take a break, pamper yourself, get your nails done, spend a little extra time loving yourself… you deserve it. For the men, love on yourself too. Buy the Jordan’s, treat yourself to good seats at the game, order the filet mignon. If we don’t stop to enjoy life, it’ll pass us by. Don’t get caught up in daily hustle. We’re all going to die one day, but very few of us understand the difference between being alive and truly living life.

Living my best life,

Attiyya Atkins