Category Archives: Insight at its Best

I’ll just let you all read and tell me what you think…

Is He Worth Upgrading?
As posted on http://www.necolebitchie.com

Remember when Nightline did that awful “Face-Off” about the plight of the single Black woman back in 2009 featuring Hill Harper, Jacque Reid, Sherri Shepherd, Steve Harvey and the other guy whom I refuse to name? In one segment, Hill Harper told an anecdote about an established female attorney realizing the potential in a male suitor. Although she was higher up on the chain of command, this young man didn’t let her position, or his for that matter, prevent him from pursuing her. After turning him down a number of times she eventually gave in to one date. The rest is history. Literally. Harper’s narrative was the story of Michelle Robinson and Barack Obama. His point in telling the story was to suggest women date potential as Michelle once saw the potential in Barack.

Sherri Shepherd immediately retorted by proving Harper’s logic was flawed. Yes, Michelle took a chance on Barack who was fresh out of law school while she was already an associate at the firm, but he had a law degree from Harvard. She wasn’t dating the type of potential who was riding the bus and working at Burger King. I was so happy Shepherd corrected Harper on his “dating potential” analogy.

But dating potential isn’t uncommon for women. It isn’t unusual for a woman to date a man who isn’t up-to-par of her standards. Women will sometimes invest time and money to fix him up. Beyonce sang about upgrading men with her hit record “Upgrade U.” Bey sings:

Partner let me upgrade you
Audemars Piguet you
Switch your neck ties to purple labels
Upgrade you

Introduce you to some new things &
Upgrade you
I can (up),
Can I (up), let me
Upgrade you

The problem with upgrading a man is you rarely see a return on your investment. And what happens when the two of you break up? All the women he dates from henceforth will reap the rewards of the new man you helped create. Nothing about upgrading a man seems appealing.

However, is it a double standard when it comes to men taking women from rags to riches?

When Kanye West met former stripper, Amber Rose, he saw something he apparently liked. She literally went from the pole to music videos to front row seats in Paris for Fashion Week. Kanye loved Amber Rose, which is evident by the lyrics of “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.” Ultimately, Kanye changed her life forever by dating her and exposing her to his world- the world of fame, power and fortune. And now that the couple has split Kanye is arguably kicking himself for creating a star that is now publicly dating another rapper.

Men dating women who aren’t in the same tax bracket, who aren’t as educated or come from a lower class, is nothing new. It is no big deal when men do it. But a woman upgrading a man is frowned upon. Something to ponder.

Dating more than anything is about compatibility. If your man is not compatible on basic levels: values, class, intelligence or common interests, the relationship won’t last. When you are dating someone you are compatible with there shouldn’t be a need to essentially change him through an upgrading process.

Clearly Beyonce is not upgrading anyone as she is married to the most powerful man in hip-hop. It is one thing to date potential similar to the potential Michelle Obama once saw in Barack Obama, as long as women remember he came to the table already a degreed intellect with morals and ambition. It is quite another to date “potential” if you are an Account Executive at a PR firm dating a weed head with three children working at the local grocery store who has no goals past surviving day to day.

Personally, I’m not in the business of playing fixer-upper. Spending money on a man to upgrade his status in life sounds like an unfulfilling job I’ll gladly pass on. For the ladies upgrading brothers, don’t be salty when the relationship goes sour. Nobody told you to turn Steve Urkel into Stefan.

Written By @WrittenByBene

Posted by alwaysbknown in Insight at its Best

Living in Las Vegas, I can definitely say it’s been a challenge finding people that I can truly call my friend, but Steven Jackson will definitely be one that is life long.  If you didn’t know, Steven Jackson in my opinion, is on track to being one of the next major sports Moguls of his time.  This is the second installment of a series where he wears an Executive Producer hat.  Last year it was a 4 part series composed of 10 minute segments called “A Day In the life”,  giving fans an inside honest look at where Steven calls home, his interests in fashion and his relationship with his family.  This year he did a 3 part series called “A week in the life”, showing a week in the Life of Steven Jackson and the hard work and dedication he puts in week after week.  I truly appreciate the hard work and dedication that he puts into everything he does, this is truly a testament to what persistence and perseverance  is.  So enjoy and make sure you watch all 3 videos you will be sure to enjoy it!  Keep up the great work SJ! To keep up with all the Latest Steven Jackson news you can follow him on twitter @sj39 and be sure to check out his website www.sj39.com

EPISODE 1: Recovery

EPISODE 2: Reunion

EPISODE 3: GameDay

Posted by alwaysbknown in Insight at its Best

Anytime I read something that moves me internally I feel like it’s my duty to share it with as many people as possible. Please read with an open heart and mind it truly touched me! Thanks Justin!!!

Write a Note
For the Married, Thinking about Marriage, and the Divorced – A MUST READ!
by ‘Justin Jones-Fosu on Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 10:01pm
MARRIAGE

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn’t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.

She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn’t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn’t love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.

She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn’t have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane.

When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn’t want anything from me, but needed a month’s notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month’s time and she didn’t want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.

She requested that every day for the month’s duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife’s divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don’t tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside
the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn’t looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.

On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn’t tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me… she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it’s time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn’t noticed that our life lacked intimacy.

I drove to office…. jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind…I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won’t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn’t value the details of our lives, not because we didn’t love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.

Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.

At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I’ll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed – dead.
My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push thru with the divorce.– At least, in the eyes of our son— I’m a loving husband….

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse’s friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don’t share this, nothing will happen to you.

If you do, you just might save a marriage.
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

A CHRIST-CENTERED MARRIAGE IS A MARRIAGE THAT IS SURE TO LAST A LIFETIME.

So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. Matthew 19:6

By: Justin Jones-Fosu

Posted by alwaysbknown in Insight at its Best