As a journalist, the pressure is always on. We are always on deadline, always trying to be up-to-the minute on what's happening around us, always mid-thought ... because news is always happening. Sometimes it can feel as if you're only as good as your next story. That's not true, but it's the press that pushes us to keep producing and producing well.

This week, I've been quite reflective about how much my career as not just a journalist, but more specifically an editor has been the platform that God has used to really refine me as both a spiritual and natural woman. I told my Facebook friends yesterday that  I have seen God transform me through my writing gift — from the way that I engage people, to my manner of communicating and even the doors that he's allowed me to walk through. I have always said that my career opportunity as an editor is a dream come true but I realize now how significant it is because of how much the Lord has worked on me as a spiritual vessel through it. 

When I first started out as a newspaper reporter, I was impatient, easily shaken, stubborn, apt to  overreact, inflexible ... so many things that overshadowed the fact (in so many instances) that I was a hard worker and a quick study. I probably appeared a risk to anyone who was looking at me for promotion. But, as I have matured spiritually, God has matured me on a natural level as well which has been the key to so many open doors for me. Not only am I an even more earnest worker and still a quick study; I have learned (and am still learning) to be forebearing and slow to speak. Instead of being a reactor, I'm measured and take the time to (even sometimes creating the space to) consider the situation so that I can respond properly. I'm increasingly introverted (unrelated lol, but!) so I spend a lot of time doing things by myself but also observing what is happening around me — people, places and things. And more than anything else, I am careful to be mindful of people's feelings. Constantly working at these tenets has caused me to scrutinize my energy; the energy that I have for tasks as well as the energy I bring into a situation. 

Your energy is a choice. We rarely get enough rest or eat the right things enough to notice a change in how we are feeling. It makes a difference. If you're tired, you're not at your best. And if you're not at your best, you won't inspire the best in others. The same goes for the energy we bring into the room, literally and metaphorically. I read in a Harvard Business Review article, recently, "The rituals and behaviors established to better manage energy can transform one's life." It's so true. 

Working out consistently has caused me to clear my mind, which in turn helps me to sleep better, wake up well-rested and feel prepared to handle whatever challenges I face — from momentary events to substantial projects. We all know someone that we avoid because they tend to be pessimistic or just simply have a draining energy. That is a choice they have made. 

The challenge of maintaining and being excellent requires a great deal of energy. But, the energy you put in also produces a propelling energy that can actually empower you. You just have to choose it. 

I was talking with a friend recently who was wearing an immaculately coordinated monochromatic look and told her how good she looked. She responded, "often when I'm getting dressed, I ask myself 'what would Katrice do?'" It was such a wonderful and sweet compliment. And that got me to thinking about how I would describe my approach to style ... 

Three quick tips I'd say determine my look just about every day: 
1. Take a risk (grab something a little unexpected). 
2. Turn around and thoroughly study what you look like from behind in the mirror (that back view can make or break a look). 
3. Have fun (my clothes make me feel a way. If I love the way something made me feel a certain day, I may replay it within days).

- xMVL

photo by Mecca Gamble

Have you ever been in a funk over a change in your life that caught you unaware ... Something that actually shifted your trajectory? That has been me for so many months that I don't even want to tell you how many. But! I'm shaking myself loose. It's been quite a journey for me because on one (very profound) hand I know that God caused the shift. But, on the other, I had my mind so set on the way I was going that — if I'm completely honest — it has been more than a notion to accept the way God has determined best for me. Even admitting it out loud sounds foolish and ungrateful, but it's real. So often, we want what we want so much that we're not able to see or move toward what we need. I'm trying be in both the vein of what I need and what God wants for me. So, this morning, when I woke up, I made a very precise decision to adjust my mindset and really my mood. Today, I chose joy. I'm learning to just handle each day as it comes, and most importantly to have the mind of God who promised me "better!"