Author: Roshonda B

My name is Roshonda Blackmon and I have been known in life as “the encourager” God gave me that gift before I even realized what it was or what it truly meant, the only thing I knew is that a vast amount of people liked to come to me for advice and once that advice was received, I never heard from them anymore until they wanted more advice. That gifting soon became my ministry. I’ve been through quite a bit of challenges in life from dealing with suicide, low self-image which resulted in low self-esteem, to the difficulties of growing up in a one parent household and the list goes on and on. But God in all his Mercy and Grace blessed me to overcome those obstacles and situations and gave me a “second” chance by allowing me to live through all that darkness in order to help spread an encouraging light to others. In a world of uncertainty and negatism’s I want to encourage you to LIVE. Yes, Life does get hard sometimes, But if we keep looking up at the SON; we gain strength, we become empowered and we grow in the process with God’s help; for it doesn’t matter where you are in your life at this moment in time; God is able and will meet you within that dark place and change your life from Dark to Light, I’m not only a witness to this; but JustsumInspiration to show you, That you too can make it.

Whose the SCAM NOW!!

Published on September 7, 2017 by Roshonda B4 Comments

2017 came in so fast and with the blink of an eye, it looks as if it’s leaving us as fast as it came in. Summer is officially over, Fall is on the way and the next thing you know we’ll all be singing “Jingle Bells” as Christmas will be here and Uh-Oh, another year has snuck upon us. But, let’s slow things down a bit, even if it’s in our minds. Speaking of Christmas, this is the time of year in which layaway’s get full; its also the time in which Wal-Mart (at least they used to), open up the layaway option for people to put items away and pay for them until 2 or 3 weeks before Christmas (could be a little earlier)….

With that being said and while the Holidays, Gifts and Saving are on people’s minds right now, so is getting a second job. You see, this is also the time of year in which stores like JCPenny’s, TJMaxx, Wal-Mart and/or the Mall start looking for and hiring temporary employee’s for the upcoming season; in some places this starts in October. There are a vast amount of people who look for second jobs in order to splurge big for Black Friday and/or have a little extra income to be able to get their kids or loved ones nice gifts.

While the hunt for a second job gets underway, whether to buy more presents before Christmas or to supplement an existing income; there are also people out there whom are looking to increase their pockets as well, they’re called SCAMMERS. You see, while you may have all the good intentions in the world regarding your financial situation, you have people out there whom offer “To good to be true” job offers that promises a big payday for little to no work on your part. These ads look something like this, (see below)

If you’re not careful and I’ve fallen for it many times myself, you’ll fall prey to such ads. I see it all the time on Facebook and you might have too – with people showing pictures of wads of money, saying things such as “Wanna know how I make this in a Day?, just message me to find out how” and depending on your current situation, you’ll begin to get tempted by what they offer, I mean after all, who wants to work a second 9-5 punching in a clock only to make no more than what you bring home on your first job and let’s not even get into how much money Uncle Sam (The IRS) will take out of it, so it’ll feel as if you’re really not breaking bank and suddenly the excitement, goals and aspirations you had with getting a second job, begin to make you agitated. So, when you see ads like above or a social media post of someone flashing all this cash, in which according to their claims, was made in a day; Our eyes see instant opportunity, Our minds get filled with excitement and our heart becomes greedy, next thing you know our fingers have hit the button to contact this supposedly great opportunity.

I’ve been there and while that money does look good and I can think of many things in which I could do with it, I had to come to my senses and ask myself a couple of questions; “Who’s really making that much money in a day?” “How are they doing It?” and “Is it Legal?” and let me tell you, there’s always a catch to that madness because, if it sounds to good to be true – then it usually is. You better watch out because up under that hundred dollar bill could be a boat load of one’s and fives. People display things like that to get your attention; their overall intention is to never actually show you how to get that sort of money but to take you on a roller coaster ride of options in which you yourself may have to invest money into, to get some sort of course that promises to get you thousands or even millions of dollars. The talk is good, but in actuality you’ll become a mouse who’s following the cheese….but never gets to eat it.

My suggestion to you would be to forget those “Get Rich Quick Schemes” and go after jobs that are legit. Yes, you may have to work a couple of hours but at least your check will be honest and the only thing you would be out of, is the time it took you to complete the application. I recently looked into getting a second job and found great success on Sitter City – this website is for people whom want to take on a nanny role; in which includes babysitting, pet sitting and elderly care. There are people on there all the time looking for people whom can help them out, for instance; you may have a couple whom want to have a date night and need someone to watch their kids for a couple of hours or you may have someone whom needs a sitter to care for their pet, either to walk them or look after them while their out of town and If you love elderly people (like I do) then you’ll even find people whom may need you to sit, read or help take care of their special loved one.

The only thing you’ll have to do is complete an online application for either one or all services; you’ll set your own hours and indicate how much you’ll charge. All of this is free of course unless you choose to attach a background check to your application (now that will cost you a little something) but it won’t break your pocket, however; it does give great comfort for whomever choosing you to see that you are the real deal. If Sitter City sounds like something you’ll be interested in, then maybe you should give it a try. I have to warn you, just because you complete an application doesn’t mean, people will respond right away and please use your best judgment and instincts when it comes to potential clients because everyone is not in their right mind and can use such sites to seek out innocent people so, use your head. If Sitter City is not you thing, then check out the link below in which was first aired on The Mom’s Everyday Show and discover how to avoid a scammer when looking for secondary employment.

If the proposition is to good to be true?, It usually is.
Always check the business out with the Better Business Bureau.
Check to see if the building is a Brick and Mortar place and not out of someone’s garage or other place in which you have never heard of or seen.
Applications for employment are always FREE!!!! Never send money to anyone to complete an application – that’s a RED FLAG!!
Don’t send your resume to a fax machine or an undisclosed number, if possible you can look the number up on Google to verify where it’s from and sometimes who it is.
If someone is flashing that they made 1000.00 in a day and want you to sign up?, Disregard it, because that’s a SCAM!!

As stated above you can view more of these tips and stories on The Mom’s Everyday Show – Check it out and get wise about your job hunt.

Happy Safe Job Hunting!!

Roshonda N. Blackmon – Creator of JustsumInspiration, Author, Speaker & Encourager

Let’s Live Well, Laugh Loud & Love Hard!

** ** **

Feel free to comment or email us @ justsuminspiration@gmail.com

For Daily Inspiration, you can follow us on one or all of the social media sites below:

Facebook: JustsumInspiration for the Mind, Body & Soul

Instagram: justsuminspiration2u

Twitter: jus2inspireu

Ain’t It The Truth Tuesday!!

Published on September 5, 2017September 1, 2017 by Roshonda BLeave a comment

Hey, You!!

I thought we would play a little game today. It’s a short week (for some people who were off on Monday) and while coming back to work or working through a holiday can be a bit of a drab; I wanted to get your week started off right with a little game.

We played this game at a friends birthday party recently and while I knew the game and had seen it on T.V. before. It was refreshing to get to know some pretty cool and interesting things about people you don’t know or either associate yourself with. The game is called:

If you don’t know how to play, let me explain quickly.

This will require you to think about yourself in a way that you wouldn’t normally think about, but you have to come up with three facts about yourself; except one will not be a fact, it’ll be the lie. Once you reveal your three things, then people have to guess out of the three, which one is FALSE.

So, to kick things off – I’ll start, you’ll have to guess which one is the lie. If you play, I’ll try to guess which one is the falsey for you. It’s a cool, fun game that will allow you to get to know me and I you.

Here are mine:

(Can you guess which one is not true for me?)

1. When I was in my early 20’s, I became a manager at McDonalds.

2. It was always a life long dream of mine to become a Nun.

3. I once tried out for a movie and got a part in it.

Please leave your answer in the comments and also leave your 2 truths and a lie and I’ll respond with which one I think is the Lie for you..

Are you Ready, Get Set! GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

P.S. You don’t have to know people to guess – it’s more fun when you don’t know people, that’s what makes the game interesting.

Sunday’s Thought: You Betta Get Your Time Back!!!

Published on September 3, 2017August 31, 2017 by Roshonda BLeave a comment

If you don’t know Devon Franklin by name or the fact that he’s an award-winning Hollywood producer, best-selling author, preacher and motivational speaker – Oh and the fact that he’s produced several movie’s such as “Miracles From Heaven”, “Heaven is for Real,” and was named as Beliefnet‘s “Most Influential Christians under 40”

Well, if you’re still clueless – then you might have seen his face with this gorgeous young lady, mega actress Mrs. Meagan Good – in which he married in 2012.

Together they both co-wrote the New York Times bestseller “The Wait.” in which chronicles their story of finding love, remaining celibate until marriage and offers inspiration for couples and/or singles going through the same thing. Their story was one of those whimsical fairy tales that you seem to only hear about in movies; although theirs was the real deal. Now, while I love this couple – this post isn’t about them in particular, but how my life literally changed overnight listening to Devon Franklin’s message of “Reclaiming My Time” in which he spoke about at The Potters house – ONECHURCH LA, where Pastor Toure’ Roberts and first lady/Evangelist Sarah Jakes-Roberts (daughter of mega pastor Bishop T.D. Jakes) are the pastor and co-pastor.

Don’t get me wrong I’m always talking about time and how we should maximize every moment given to us; but the message that I heard on last week from Devon, was like a big rush of wind that went in and out of my body. Because of that message, I am now getting up at 5:45am in exercise and prayer. Can I get a AMEN!!!

Of course, I’m not one that likes to keep good things to herself – so, I had to share this message with my audience and hope that once you hear it and get your burst of wind; that you in turn, turn around and share it with your friends, family, co-workers or anyone that you know whom could use a message such as this. I pray it blesses you to not only look at the time that you are wasting but to get UP!, BE PRO-ACTIVE! & DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!

We’ve all been the slave of giving too much of our time away to unnecessary people and relationships or spending too much time on senseless things; let this be your wake-up call to quit hitting SNOOZE! and do what God has equipped you to do, because……..TIME! IS PRECIOUS & TICKING!!

Enjoy this message – For more information on Devon Franklin, you can click on his name above to find out about and pre-order a copy of his forthcoming new book entitled “The Hollywood Commandments” – A Spiritual Guide to Secular Success. You can also follow him on various social media outlets to check out what he’s doing next and trust me, you’ll want to become an avid follower when you do…

Check out the powerful video below and make it a point after today to “GET YOUR TIME BACK!!”

Roshonda N. Blackmon – Creator of JustsumInspiration, Author, Speaker & Encourager

Let’s Live Well, Laugh Loud & Love Hard!

** ** **

Feel free to comment or email us @ justsuminspiration@gmail.com

For Daily Inspiration, you can follow us on one or all of the social media sites below:

Facebook: JustsumInspiration for the Mind, Body & Soul

Instagram: justsuminspiration2u

Twitter: jus2inspireu

The Tale of Two Journeys – Going Completely NATURAL and Working Hard in Prayer & Exercise…

Published on August 31, 2017August 31, 2017 by Roshonda BLeave a comment

Whew!!! Okay, so the title is a little long; Well, really long….even for me but I have a lot going on and I want to share it with you today, maybe it’ll inspire you to do something out of the ordinary or take a leap of faith and finally do that thing that you keep putting off. So without further ado, let me tell you about the tales of my two journeys.

First, The Backstory:

Mid 2015, I had beautiful hair – noticed I said I had. I remember getting my hair done August of that year and leaving the beauty shop feeling so good about how far my hair had come and being in love with how soft, silky and shiny it felt. I, of course like anyone else who just got their hair did; took care of it, made sure I washed it once a week and gave it a deep condition when needed. All things were good, at that time. By the time October came, I noticed my hair had taken a shift – it no longer looked healthy, as a matter of fact, it began to shed extremely bad. What was I doing wrong?. By December of 2015, the beautiful hair I once had – was now washing down the drain of my shower and clumped in my hand, so much hair came out until it looked like I had a glove on my hand. What happened was STRESS! Without going into details, I had started a new job and the turmoil I went through with that, finding a place to stay and “life happened” moments, caused my hair to come completely out. I was devastated…so, when I went back to work in January of 2016, I went back wearing a wig – A wig that had become my new look, my new signature style, my new me….

Fast forward to July of 2017 – I had worn that wig and a couple of others (because they were now my new mantra) up until about almost two months ago. I no longer wanted to wear the wigs anymore but because they had become such a part of my lifestyle, I was sorely afraid to go without one. My hair up under the wig was in no better shape than it was months and months prior and no matter how much I washed it, it still shed like crazy and continued to come out. So, on July 8, 2017 I woke up that morning (without giving it a second thought) took off my scarf, picked out my hair and CUT IT!

I felt liberated, relieved but scared all at one time. Okay, so I’ve never been that great at doing my hair – I failed miserably at the task. I was the one that by the time I went to the beautician, they would have to cut all my hair off and I would have to start from scratch all over again. After multiple times of this happening, I gave up on trying to style, curl or do anything to my hair. So when I cut it off….I was thinking, okay – so now what do I do. After, I cut it – I washed it and used a couple of products that I had. I could do this, I said to myself as I looked into the mirror….I really could DO THIS!!

Roshonda12 — **After the Big Chop – 7/8/2017**

But that was short lived, I didn’t wear my hair like that to work because I was afraid of what people would say or think. (I have a story about that) so, let’s just say my first BC (BIG CHOP) didn’t go over so well with everyone as I was labeled as liking women…another story, for another time – let’s keep trucking along…

So, that was the stigma that I was facing and because of that – while I felt liberated in the bathroom behind closed doors – I felt trapped by the thoughts of others. And then, from the help of my daughter – while the front of my hair was looking good, I had totally shattered the back (see below), this was another reason for me wanting to keep the wig handy.

Roshonda10 — **Uh-Oh, YIKES!! 07/17/2017**

But, while I was feeling self-conscious – my daughter said “Mama, do you like it?” after I told her Yes, she then proceeded to say “Well, who cares what other people think” Now while I know this for myself and preach it to other people, I had to get that little lesson from my 13yr old daughter whom made me realize, It’s okay to be me. Within 3 weeks of taking the picture above, my hair had began to grow back a little. (see below).

Roshonda11 — **Okay?, I See Progress!! 8/08/17**

Let’s just say YOUTUBE, is the bomb and has helped me with my styling techniques. Some things worked and there were some that didn’t but Hey!, it’s all about experimenting, finding your own niche and making it work for you. Going Natural is hard work because you have to complete styles for your hair that are not “chemically” based. It’s sort of like taking your natural hair on a journey of discovery and finding out what works best. So far, I’ve come up with some pretty nice styles (see below)

I will post every other month “maybe” about how this hair journey is going – It’s definitely a process but this time when it grows out, it’ll be healthy as well as strong.

So, now onto my other journey of exercise and prayer…..

Back in 2015 (seemed like the year of unfortunate events), I was diagnosed as being pre-diabetic. I had developed gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with my son, I was told by doctors that because of that; my chances of developing type 2 diabetes in the future was very likely. So when I was told that I was pre-diabetic at a check-up, it didn’t come as a surprise. However; I still continued to eat what I wanted. This year, I was still diagnosed with pre-diabetes (Short Lesson: this means you’re not diabetic yet but a cupcake or a cookie from becoming a full blown one – okay, back to the story) and while I had the goal to exercise and do great things – I completely feel off the horse….BUT! for the past month, or well almost month (he he he, wink) I have been eating good things and have decided to do what I call the “Treadmill Chronicles” – This is where I get up at 5:45am in the morning and walk on the treadmill (that I literally begged God to give me, but really never used it) along with prayer. So while I’m walking it out for 30min, I’m also talking to God and praying for others in the process. Well, that’s my other journey….to get in good health and put the right things in this almost (clearing my throat) 30-something yr old body. PRAY FOR ME PLEASE!!! LOL!

Now that’s the tale of my two journeys – What new journeys are you on? Have you tried anything new? Are you currently thinking about doing something? Well, whatever it is and wherever your journey takes you too – Just remember, it’s your journey. You can’t do it for anyone but yourself and WHO CARES what people think or say. We only have one shot at life, so why aren’t we living like it.

#TakeAChance

#BeBold

#YourLifeIsCalling

Roshonda N. Blackmon – Creator of JustsumInspiration, Author, Speaker & Encourager

Let’s Live Well, Laugh Loud & Love Hard!

A Comfortable PAST = A Dim Future…

Published on August 24, 2017November 20, 2017 by Roshonda BLeave a comment

Crossing out Lies and writing Truth on a blackboard. — Quote taken from frankiejohn.blogspot.com

I have to be honest with you; I’m a failure at leaving the PAST alone. For some reason and I’ll explain why shortly, I always find myself going backwards instead of forwards. I mean, my mind says go forward all day long, but my body definitely has its own agenda and mindset. What is it about our past that keeps us stuck in the same place? I tell you what it is, it’s Comfortable. Sort of like that good ole’ soul food mama used to cook every Sunday. It’s a comfort that just feels good to your mind, body and soul.

But there are quite a few things from our past that aren’t good for the mind, body nor soul and that’s when the ghosts of times past haunt you down, grab you and don’t let go…but, you have control over this; control that I had never exercised until this past Sunday. It’s a shame how certain circumstances present themselves as “Wake up Calls” – in your life. Me and my Past were the best of friends and I always felt comfortable because it felt so good; I knew my way around every corner and nothing ever came as a surprise because I knew what was going on: I was in control of that destiny and to be honest? I liked it that way, having control of what would and would not happen.

When it came to relationships – whether friendships or personal ones; if they ended really badly, I would be sad about it, but I would move forward. Months or even a year or two after the air cleared, the door to that relationship would open up again and guess who always went back through the door…..ME! During this time, things would always seem good at first; but then it’s like old patterns would start to take shape again and I found myself getting frustrated by the whole scenario. Sometimes when things are over, they are meant to be over…FOR GOOD!

My “PAST” downfalls were always falling prey to old “boyfriend” relationships – It’s funny because when you’re in a relationship with someone it seems like they never understand or see how great you are or how much they need you until you’re gone. It seemed as though when they weren’t satisfied with “the woman” they were with, then I would get the call, the text, the email or the social media message of “Hey, I miss you” usually this always happens when I’ve come to grips with being single and satisfied. But instead of shewing them off, I entertain their conversations of “I miss you” and “You know you were the one that got away” or “I would do anything for you” and this was my favorite one, “Hey, you remember when we did?” They would always bring up things from the past, things that I could relate to and suddenly I would find myself thinking “Did God make a mistake?” That’s what happened to me this past Sunday, I realized that I had let my past come back to haunt me and I became all caught up in the game. The thing about this game was that it had been in half-time mode and there was no clock that ticked down to make it start again. It was just stuck in the same place…this game is known as “The Past”

The thing about the past is this, it never talks about the present nor the future; the only thing it knows and always speak of are past things, past situations, past occurrences, past mistakes, past hurts, past memories, past fun, past good times, past sorrows…get my drift? No matter how much they mention the present or the future; it’s short lived because the only conversation that’s in their vocabulary is…..THE PAST. It wasn’t until one of those past relationships went seriously wrong on Sunday that I realized, that’s why they call the past the past. Once I went into my contacts to delete them permanently, I suddenly realized that I had every person from my PAST in there. Every guy that hurt me, whether the relationship ended in chaos or even without a proper good-bye I still had contact with them and talked with them on occasion. Why was I doing this?

No wonder I couldn’t move on to the future because I had stopped by the wayside of Times Past Highway to pick up old weeds and shrubs along the way; loosing focus on someone or something that doesn’t have the power to push you forward is a total loss and shame to you and your beautiful destiny. Let me tell you, if that person or thing was a part of God’s will to be in your life or on your path, do you actually think they wouldn’t have been? God is not the type of person that says “Oops! You know – I was actually meaning for you to get with that person or the one to say; Aww!! Man; my bad. I didn’t mean for them to get married to that person but to you.” As funny as this might sound, we have to trust that when God removes someone out of our lives; it doesn’t mean that, that person is bad – it just means their time in your life is up. But if we keep allowing them to feed us the past, we will never get a chance to see who we really are, what the future really holds for us or the wonderful person we’re really supposed to be with.

Sunday, I got rid of all the Ghosts of Times Past, their numbers – email addresses, text messages and social media feeds, I even went as far as changing my number. Because when you’re done with the past, you need to make the necessary changes to get rid of it; while this was a hard thing to do, I knew within my heart of hearts, it had to happen. I now realize that I was the one keeping me back from true happiness and a destiny filled with unknown surprises and I want to experience and see what the future has in store. I can’t change the past, nor the mistakes, pitfalls, slip-ups or regrets that I made concerning it, but I can forgive myself and move forward and not invite anything from the past into my future.

Dealing with my past relationships, made me also realize that I never really gave myself a chance to be wonderful, I was so used to going backwards and giving myself up to has beens, until I felt like that was all I had to offer. Now I’ve chosen the path of love, self-care and reflection. Who am I? And What am I? – Well, I’m still really unsure, but I’ve packed my bags and boarding the flight to self-discovery to hunt for who I’ve not yet become and I’m going to make it happen. I don’t know what you’re holding on to today in your past but I say LET IT GO! Your future desires your full attention and if you give it a shot – you’ll be surprised at some of the amazing things it has in store for you; but only after you let GO of the Ghost of times PAST first.