Motivation Monday: Bike to work and inspire others

Burgess "BJ" Jeffries. Photo by Gregory B. Huber.

Burgess “BJ” Jeffries. Photo by J.C. Bravo.

By Chanda Temple

Huffman High School math teacher Burgess “BJ” Jeffries is used to dealing in matters that add up.

So when he researched the benefits of how riding a bicycle to work would increase his fitness levels and decrease his carbon foot print, he knew there was only one thing to do. He bought a bicycle in February 2014 and started riding it to work in March 2014. He’s maintained the routine every week, when weather permits.

Does he have a car? Sure. But he says that riding his bicycle increased his energy levels and allows him to help the environment. His ride to work is 3.2 miles, one way, on Roebuck Parkway in eastern Birmingham. He hopes his efforts will encourage others to ride work.

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Condoleezza Rice: Find something you are passionate about

Dr. Condi with students at Regions

Dr. Condoleeza Rice speaks to students in Birmingham, Ala. at Regions bank. Photo by Chanda Temple.

By Chanda Temple

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice always thought she’d be a concert pianist.

She could play the piano and read music before she could read. But by the end of her sophomore year in college, she attended a prestigious music festival and school where music prodigies at the age of 12 had put her piano playing skills to shame.

Hmm, she thought, maybe piano is not for me.

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Remembering mom this Mother’s Day

NOTE: This tribute to my mother appears in the May 2015 issue of Birmingham Magazine. Happy Mother’s Day!

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Chanda Temple holding a photo of her late mother, Ann Temple. Chanda Temple is a former journalist now working as the executive assistant to the superintendent and school board for Birmingham City Schools. (Photo by Major Colbert)

 

By Chanda Temple 

Sitting on my desk is one of my favorite photos of my mother.

In it, she’s wearing a pressed dress suit, perfectly coiffed hair and a high-wattage smile — some of my favorite things about her.

My younger sister and I are standing by her side after the two of us appeared in a children’s fashion show  —  a norm in our young lives during the 1970s in Huntsville. As we walked out of the venue, my mother slipped off her heels, took hold of our little hands and started to escort us down a pair of concrete stairs.

Something about that image must have struck my father because he snapped the photo.

“Cheese!”

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Will your tomorrow be better than your today?

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By Chanda Temple 

When the sun goes down today, will you weep or will you run?

Weird question, huh? But it’s pretty easy to answer.

Will you weep because you still haven’t done what you’ve been meaning to do to get ahead in life? Or will you run, run to your next destiny because you’ve started to implement a plan of improvement for yourself? It doesn’t matter if you’ve stalled or soared in your plan. The main point is that you’ve started.

No matter your answer in this little quiz, the meaning behind all of it comes down to you. You are the one with the power to decide what will happen when the sun goes down on your dreams. Will you be stumbling around in the dark or will you have vision to see light at the end of the tunnel?

Chanda Temple is a former reporter now working in public relations. She blogs at  http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. Follow her on Twitter at @chandatemple.

Jameis Winston tells Birmingham students: ‘You are smart.’

No.1 NFL draft pick Jameis Winston made a surprise stop at Birmingham's Ossie Ware Middle School today. (Photo: Chanda Temple)

No.1 NFL draft pick Jameis Winston made a surprise stop at Birmingham’s Ossie Ware Middle School today. (Photo: Chanda Temple)

By Chanda Temple

The gym at Birmingham’s Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School erupted into cheers this afternoon as No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Jameis Winston entered.

Winston, newly recruited to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, first joked about how the students could thank him for getting them out of class. He smiled. So did the students. But then things turned serious as he told students he was there to discuss three things: good grades, the way they carry themselves and confidence.

He asked students how many of them have good grades. Some laughed. He saw it as a teaching moment, encouraging students not to laugh at students making good grades because those students may be president one day.

“Don’t be ashamed about making good grades now,” he said, adding that good grades will lead to scholarships. The Hueytown, Ala. native received a scholarship to play at Florida State University, where he helped the school win a national championship and he was named a Heisman Trophy winner.

“I went to school for free, man!” he said.

Jameis Winston talks to students about the importance of having confidence, staying in school and making good grades. (Photo by: Chanda Temple)

Jameis Winston talks to students about the importance of having confidence, staying in school and making good grades. (Photo by: Chanda Temple)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Put down the promises and pick up the payoffs

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By Chanda Temple

I was watching TV late one night and saw an interview with NBC’s Hoda Kotb. Her comments on  The Nate Berkus Show had me reaching for my notepad.

She said: “Someone once said the way you spend your days is the way you spend your life. So if you are dissatisfied with your life, just change Monday. And then you change Tuesday, Wednesday and a week.”

If that’s too tall of an order right now, think of how doing just those simple things will change you.

Still not convinced to change? Think of this: If you continue to drag into work on Monday, for example, that’s how you’ll live your life, she said.

So pick up the broken pieces at your feet and get ready to create another great masterpiece. Your future is waiting on you.

Note: This post is part of my #MakeMovesInMay series, a challenge to do things that will improve myself and others in May.

Chanda Temple is a former reporter now working in public relations. She blogs at  http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. Follow her on Twitter at @chandatemple.

#MakeMovesInMay means cleaning out the clutter

On this Motivation Monday, take time to clear out the clutter. (Image via Flickr)

On this Motivation Monday, take time to clear out the clutter. (Image via Flickr by Sean MacEntee.)

By Chanda Temple

In sticking with my challenge to #MakeMovesInMay toward better living, I finally tackled the stacks of papers piled up in my home office because clutter can stunt creativity.

Scribbled on notepads were quotes I’d collected from interviews, TV programs or social media. As I started to read them, I thought they’d be perfect to share today for Motivation Monday. May they help you on your journey of self improvement.

A comeback is not a go back

Once you make it, don’t try to go back and show others what you have done to prove you are worthy, says life coach Tim Storey on Oprah Winfrey’s “Super Soul Sunday.” Stay focused on the present and not the past.

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Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4-8

And this is why teachers rock. Assistant Principal Tronci Southall-Mason makes a little boy's day after giving him an unsolicited push on the swing in Birmingham, Ala. Photos by: Chanda Temple

Assistant Principal Tronci Southall-Mason makes a little boy’s day after giving him an unsolicited push on the swing in Birmingham, Ala. Photos by: Chanda Temple

By Chanda Temple

I work for Birmingham City Schools in Birmingham, Ala., where the smallest things yield big changes.

Take the other day on a school playground where a little boy sat in a swing with a sad face. The play area was full of children’s laughter and conversation. But there sat the little boy, sort of slumped down in his swing with a solemn face.

His assistant principal was giving a tour to visitors and noticed the little boy’s face. She asked him if anything was wrong. He said no. She asked if he needed a push. He still said nothing.

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