3 Lessons from Rihanna's Music Video "Man Down"

Rumb bumb bumb bumb rump bumb bumb bum, Man Down.

I've been hearing the negative reaction to Rihanna's "Man Down" video, so I decided to check it out.

After watching the video, I could see what the hype is about. Although I don't agree that the video is negative, I do think that we can learn something from it.

With that being said, in the video, Rihanna was sending some slightly sexual signals to the guy at the party. Obviously the guy was drunk and horny.

While there is NO excuse and I stress NO excuse for rape, we as women can make a few smarter decisions to help protect ourselves.

A Couple of My Rules For Us Girls Include: 

• Never go or leave alone. Especially leaving. Never leave, walk to your car, go to the bathroom, etc alone. Take atleast one friend. Most of the time, me and all my girls go together. Either way, take one of your girlfriends with you wherever you go. 
• Be careful when dancing with/"grinding on" a guy. Some guys take that as an open invitation for sex. Drunk or sober, be careful. When people are drunk, they let go of their inhibitions and sometimes don't take no for an answer. Watch out for a guy who's too touchy-feely or even stares too much. 

Mindset is Everything...Are you stuck?

Nothing is so constant as change. But if something's always changing, shouldn't we be constantly growing, achieving, and moving?

A lot of people are stuck. Stuck in the same mindset that they were years ago. The only thing that has changed, is their age.

Its pretty sad. As people, we need to continue to expand our minds. If we don't, we will keep complaining about the downs of life because they are the only things that are different from our day to day. They get stuck in a routine and once something is unusual or unfamiliar, they don't know what to do but try to get things back to "normal."

We can't stay stuck. How can we keep saying that we're moving forward, when the only things moving forward are the days, months, and years?

"An object that is at rest will stay at rest unless an unbalanced force acts upon it."-Isaac Newton

Tips to Get Going

• We all have days when we don't feel like doing anything. That's fine. Everyone needs a break. So take one! Schedule some alone time or break time.

Does Facebook Really Kill Relationships?

A lot of people believe that Facebook kills relationships. I don't. I honestly don't think that it does.

The main excuse I hear when it comes to Facebook and Relationships is:

"My partner is spying on me on my Facebook page."

First off, when you put something online, you are signing off your rights to privacy. A comment, picture, status whatever is ALWAYS saved online. Always. Even if you delete it. Even if you call Mark Zuckerberg himself and he deletes a status for you, once its out there its out there. (Think twice about what you post)

Secondly, everyone looks at their significant other's page. Get over it. If you let strangers look at your page, why have a problem when your significant other looks? 


Now ask yourself, are they looking or snooping? That's where the problem lays.
 
For the Snooper:

• When it comes to looking at your partners page, the one thing you need to remember is: If you go looking for something, your going to find it. Even if there's nothing there, you'll always find something.
• Now, that's not to say don't look at your partners page. Look, go right ahead. But don't go looking for what they're doing wrong.
• Everyone has a split second thought, but let it be just that. A SPLIT second THOUGHT.

For the Snoopie:

• Know your limit. If your partner constantly snoops and brings up all your conversations, ask yourself if you can continue to deal with that.
• Take a look at your page. Are people being inappropriate? Are you saying inappropriate things?
• Did you do something to make them lose trust in you? 

So what's the real reason people break up and blame Facebook? I have a theory. 

Fake It Til You Make It!

We've all heard the saying but what does it really mean?

As women, we always fake something. We fake love, fake feelings, fake power, money, status; a lot of things. But is that all bad? I mean can we possibly use this in a good way?

Faking Love:
Faking love can be one of the easiest things to do. Just pretend that you love yourself. It's that simple.
Do we always love ourselves? No. But can we always fake it? Yes.

How though Stacy? How can I fake love? Easy.

• When you walk, hold your head up.
• When you look in the mirror, don't see the flaw, see what makes you different. (After all, who wants to 'pretend' to be someone else).
• When you see a cute guy, go talk to him!  
• When you talk about your self, don't down yourself. Boast a little chica!

Soon you'll start believing how great you are. Once it becomes a habit, it will become a mind set.

When you fake the love, the 'fake' happy feelings won't become so fake anymore. When you actually feel happy, you'll want to chase your dreams and the money, power and status won't be so fake.

If you feel like you are wrong for faking your confidence, DON'T! Everybody fakes something.

How many guys do you know that fake what they have? About how much money, shoes, girls, etc? But they're using it to pull themselves above other people.(Not what you want to do)

Tips to Faking it Right:

• Don't ever try to put yourself above other people. You are your own person. Fake your confidence to prove it to yourself, not other people.
• Be humble!