To Whom It May Concern....

Paying it forward, the beauty of giving back

To Whom It May Concern:

So this summer I was once again lucky enough to have a smart, ambitious and amazing young lady as an intern. I pride myself in selecting great interns each year and I haven’t been disappointed yet. I believe it is so important to mentor the younger generation, especially minority women and show them the ropes of what “real life” is like in business.

Naturally, I often take an extra liking in my interns and school them on life in general while encouraging them to enjoy their time as twenty-something year old young women. If anyone of you STAMPS know me personally, you know I’m a huge proponent of mentoring and paying it forward. My motto has and will always be “To whom much is given, much is required”. In my eyes, the beauty of giving back is to help someone else move forward.

That is why I was pleasantly surprised when my intern shared her thoughts on a conversation we had surrounding marriage and children on her blog “On the train to bleecker street”-- (cut and paste the link below)
http://onthetraintobleeckerst.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/im-no-carrie-bradshaw-but/

Even though I was flattered that she deemed me fabulous and someone who she aspires to be, I was proud that she not only took a page from my book, but she paid it forward and decided to live her life just as a twenty-something year old should – mission accomplished!

Live your best life Taylor!

Fabulously yours,

Rashana A. Hooks

Success is Sweet as HONEY

To Whom It May Concern:

Hola STAMPS!

Your girl has been working super hard on tons of projects and has not forgotten about you! I promise you that I will work diligently to write you more letters on a regular basis (pinky swear). Nonetheless I thank you for being loyal and always fabulous!

A big shout out goes to my girl Ally and the entire Honey Magazine family for highlighting my contribution to the new book Souls of My Young Sisters now available in all bookstores. I’m a contributing author and my story is titled “Goal Digger” on page 241. The book is amazing and I’m honored to have shared this amazing experience with such talented and amazing women.

Check out the interview here!
http://www.honeymag.com/2010/lifestyle/wonder-woman-wednesdays-rashana-hooks/

If you are not following me on twitter yet, do so. I’ve been sharing a lot of what’s going on there and I don’t want you to be left out!

And last but not least Happy Birthday to my fellow Gemini’s!

Fabulously yours,

Rashana A. Hooks.

A New Lease on Life...(Preview)

To Whom It May Concern:

Hello my fabulous STAMPS! I've been crazed lately with a move and some amazing projects coming down the pipe. But I will give you a sneak peek into my next letter...I have a new lease on life and I will be sharing that with you soon..so stay tuned..but most importantly stay fabulous!!!

Fabulously yours,

Rashana A. Hooks

A push for presents…

To Whom It May Concern:

Even though I'm not pregnant yet I've become very much intrigued by the whole "Push Gift" ideology. For those of you who don't know what Push Gift's are they are gifts and presents you receive from your husband/man as a "thank you" for carrying and enduring that unforgettable pain and pushing his beautiful child into the world. Push Gifts can range from tennis bracelets to a brand new car. There is no limit to what you can request and or suggest as a peace offering for being uncomfortable for the last ten months.

Now even though giving birth to a beautiful and healthy baby is a gift of its own, I do believe in pampering the woman that made it all possible. So since I'm also a woman who enjoys any occasion that involves gift giving I've already begun making my Push Gift list secretly in my head. So far I've listed a tummy tuck (yes mama's old and after the second baby I'm most likely going to need it); the Lexus I250; or maybe a year membership to a fabulous spa.

I'm curious to know what other Push Gift ideas are out there, so shoot me some ideas in the comment box below.

P.S. Push Gifts apply to C-Section's as well...just an FYI

Fabulously yours,

Rashana A. Hooks

Never judge a woman by her lover...

To Whom It May Concern:

If I have learned two lessons in life, it would be to never judge a book by its cover and never judge a woman by her lover.

The first lesson is pretty obvious, we shouldn’t judge people, places or things by their outer appearance but the latter lesson is a bit tricky. You see whether we want to admit it or not we ladies have a bad habit of presuming what kind of man a woman has or should have. For example, when we meet a well together woman (note – educated, beautiful, all around successful) we automatically equate her mate to be the same. Rightfully so it’s normal to assume a woman of that caliber would have a partner who mirrors her image and status, but don’t be fooled into believing that this is the case all the time because surprisingly so it’s not.

I can be the first to admit that I once assumed what kind of man a woman would have. While I’m sure I’ve been presumed by other women as well. Heck I’ve even been told that I look like someone that should be married to a basketball or football player – really? I still wonder what gives that impression. Is it my clothes, car, shoes?? Anyway, this all just proves that when you assume you make a you know what out of yourself. Because when it comes to matters of the heart image goes out of the window. Women love who they love and that’s that. She may be corporate and he is a bit on the thuggish side, she may be black and he is white, she may be tall and he may be short, or she may be what the world deems average and her man is a GQ model. It doesn’t matter what the outward appearance dictates, all that matters is the love and respect that is shared between a man and woman. So the next time you find yourself “imagining” the mate of woman, be sure not to judge her in the process.

Fabulously yours,

Rashana A. Hooks

No Regrets

To Whom It May Concern:

Last night as a perused through the book store I came across a book titled: No Regrets: 101 Fabulous Things to Do Before You’re Too Old, Married, or Pregnant! By Sarah Ivens.

I was so intrigued by the title I had to take a moment to shift through it and make sure I’ve done at least 99 of those things! Lo and behold I was pleasantly surprised that most of them I’ve never thought of doing but will now consider. But there were a few things I thought were right on point and should be mandatory for all women. And since I’ve done every last one of them I thought I should share it with my fellow STAMPS and encourage you to do the same.

Life is about living so even if you are not getting old, getting married or getting pregnant, you should be enjoying life every step of the way. Embrace your fabulousness and live with no regrets!! Enjoy!

Learn to love champagne
Eat French fries without guilt
Let an unsuitable man spoil you rotten!
Throw yourself a party
Buy your own jewelry
Learn to cook something exceptional
Compete with your self – not your girlfriends
Finish unfinished business (whatever that may be)
Love your family – conventional or not
Express Gratitude
Keep close friends close
Ditch toxic friends
Be the first to apologize
Hear your mom out (the older you get the better you will understand)
Wear your Sunday’s best for all occasions
Love your body
Buy sexy lingerie (even if you don’t have “reason”)
Learn to pack well
Learn to walk in three inch stilettos
Find the perfect pair of jeans (and don’t be afraid to pay the price for them)
Spanx it up!
Shop till you drop
Get a vibrator
Spend the whole weekend in bed (without feeling bad about it)
Learn to speak the truth, even if it’s painful
Quit the job you hate
Acknowledge your our achievements
Laugh at your self
Date outside your “type”
Find a mentor
Be a mentor
Learn a foreign language
Embrace your naughty side

P.S. Feel free to share your " fabulous things" a woman must do in the comment box below.

Fabulously yours,

Rashana A. Hooks