WE'RE MOVING THE PARTY OVER HERE, Y'ALL!

🎉 🎊 🎈 🎂

Same Concept, New Focus.

Join Mahlena and her quippy witticisms over here at WRITE YOUR FIRST BOOK with MAHLENA:

Facebook Page: Facebook.com/WriteYourFirstBookWithMahlena

website: Write Your First Book with Mahlena

email: WriteYourFirstBookWithMahlena@gmail.com

The 5 Best Ways to Start Writing. Now. #1: Who?

Hi Dreamers! 🙋🏾

It's my first Facebook Live series: The 5 Best Ways to Start Writing. Now.

Mompreneurs: How to Grow Your Business When You Don’t Have Time to Wash Your Hair!

Dreamers, we have our first guest post that is not written by me, Mahlena. 😀

Please welcome Sara Millis from My Indie Life Blog!

Below, Sara explains to us Mompreneurs, How to Grow Your Business When You Don’t Have Time to Wash Your Hair!

"No time!"

‘Time’

It’s the one truly elusive thing we always need more of.

Let’s face it some days no matter how hard you work you barely seem to have time to cover the basics; like washing your hair, let alone planning for world domination with your killer business idea!

What if I told you that business growth is possible even at your busiest?

Time for Me? Time for You!

image: Shield Sisters Initiative

More guest posts from me for you Dreamers to read. 😀

Ready to Find Time to actually Run Your Business?

Yes, I'm talking to you! 😯

For the month of September 2017, I'm offering a limited number of FREE...

Confessions of an Overachiever: I feel the fear, and I do it anyway.

"The ideal person for me to date would be blind, so that they wouldn't be scared away by the way I look." 

- Mahlena-Rae Johnson to herself for most of her life

I know what I want, and I go after it. Hard.

That often requires imagination, because I want a lot of big things and big ideas that don't get much representation in reality.

For instance, on my Dream Board, I created an image that says, "Billionaire Mum."

C'est moi!

Ou, ce sera moi.

There aren't that many mothers who are billionaires out there, and only one woman billionaire I know of who is black.

"It's meee!"

Where is your Safe Space?

"For black people, it has become very hard to find a place where you can just chill out... You need a place where you can come to to deal with it... Safe spaces give you the energy you need to deal with the world's bull(bleep)." - Amber Ruffin


Dreamers, where is your safe space?

Ready to Write Your First Book?

For the month of August 2017, I'm offering a limited number of FREE Write Your First Book 30-minute Laser Coaching calls. 😊

This is for you Lady Bosses and Mompreneurs struggling to make that jump from “wish-I-could-be-an-author” to actual Book Writer.📚

Maybe you've got an idea for a story, but you have spent way too many hours thinking about writing a book, hoping and praying for inspiration to strike, or for time to free up in your schedule.

Or maybe you know what you're meant to do, but you are struggling with how to turn that story into an actual book people are begging you to read.

Either way, you need some clarity, and fast.

If you're so ready to:

* Finally have a step-by-step action plan to get that story inside of you out to the world, instead of spending your time doing everything for everyone else in your life

* Get clarity on how to create a time to write in your schedule so quickly, the words start flying out of your head and onto the screen

* Be confident that you've GOT what it takes to become an author (and a good one at that!)

Then let's talk! 🙋🏾

Email me at iHaveADreamBoard@gmail.com.

Let's make some magic ✨ (aka writing your unique story) happen for you!

Offer ends August 31, 2017.

I wrote this. Over here. Look!

image: Totally Mommed It!

Kanani B., the Blogging Momtrepreneur and Work at Home Mastermind, featured me on her blog, Totally Mommed It!!

Click over and read "Write Your First Book in 3 Easy Steps" over here!

Keep swimming.

"If you say so, Dory."

“What’s a time things didn’t go your way, but you laughed and kept going forward anyway?”
 - Ramit Sethi

"Well..."

Earlier in 2017, I launched a online course called Write Your GRE Essay in 30 minutes or less on my Increase Your GRE Verbal Score website. It failed. No one purchased the course.

"It is not easy for any of us."

For the moms (and mompreneurs!) who are doing the best they can with what they have, despite the false lessons we have been taught. ✊🏾

Who I am, and What I do

It's a video of me!

Mostly it's stuff you Dreamers already know. But I'm doing a business challenge, and this is one of the tasks.

You wouldn't guess this, but I'm surprised when...

"Oh?"

... other people say I'm successful.

Yes. Really.

In Case You Missed It: Look y'all, I'm famous!

image: thisisHERmovement.com

(within a particular sphere of black women and black entrepreneurship)

Kyshira Moffett, creator of the lifestyle brand, #HERmovement, featured me on her blog.

Click over and read it here!

#TimeManagement: Make a Plan, and Do the Work.

"Oh, we're supposed to invest our extra income?

What did Mahlena say about how to make more money?"

In the words of a fallen member of the black community, "If you fail to plan, then you are planning to fail."

It's okay to deviate from your plan, but if you have no plan in the first place, where are you going?

Toonces does not know.

Let me tell you a story.

It was senior year of high school.

I got accepted to my first-choice university.

I also decided to attend this institution, because it was where I needed to be.

Soon after I made this decision, two of my classmates told me that they didn't get into this school because I applied.

Save Time and Save Money: The Top 5 Ways your Dream Board will help.

"What would you do if I gave you this Tubman, Girlfriend?"

Save Time.

Save Money.

First of all, I like to spend my time doing things I enjoy and invest my money in ways to enrich my life. Those are the images I put on my Dream Boards to inspire me to greatness

However, the phrases "save time" and "save money" rank higher in Google search terms.

So here we are.

These are the top 5 ways Dream Boards will help you Save Time and Save Money!

FIND TIME for ME: How to Write a Book edition

"I always wanted to write a book."

How do you write a book?

Start writing.

"And when you come to the end, stop."

For you Dreamers saying, "I have no time to do anything, much less write a book!", start over here for a Quick Fix.

"Off to get my Quick Fix!"

For the rest of you Dreamers who have some time, but don't know where to start, let me spin you a yarn about my book writing journey.

I will, Sir Idris Elba!

Selfish Mommy

"I did it all, including giving birth to Sondra at 21 and Denise at 25,

while graduating from Hillman College and going to law school, 

then becoming a successful attorney, raising three more children, 

dancing with Debbie Allen, and loving my husband 

who performs medical examinations in the basement."

Part of me wants to burn down all of the projects I'm working on and start a new one called Selfish Mommy, where I tell mothers via audio, video, blog, book, online, and in person that I give you permission to make time for yourself.

That's essentially what I'm doing here on I Have A Dream Board, but the message is for busy women in general, whether you have decided to raise children or not.

Women in general need to shut out all the noise and think about what is right for them.

Mothers in particular have crazy nonsense hurled at them all the time.

I thought it would stop by the time I became a mother. It is 2017, after all. But now it's worse.

The last straw on the camel's back came for me last week.

How to Be the Best: You need to Be Specific

"We're the best Laurie and Jackie doing stand-up comedy."

So you think you can Be the Best. (I see you, Aubrey/Drake.)

Let me tell you a tale.

You're Right. You Don't Have Time for everything. Here's a Quick Fix.

C'est tout.

You don't have to do it all.

How can you move forward?

How can you get more done?

"Well, I'll tell you, Nicki."

"How does she do it all?" I don't. You shouldn't either.

"For real, tho?"

Yes, for real.

Let me spin you a tale. A Mother's Day tale.

How was this a movie?

For this Mother's Day, I had quite a morning planned for myself that would start with celebratory public outing with hundreds of other families, and commence with lunch and a nap in the afternoon. I had been organizing this for weeks, sending emails, making multiple calls, arranging printouts and pick-ups and drop-offs, because I knew it would be something my family would enjoy.

Note that I had orchestrated much of this myself, even though I have capable people in my family that could have made some plans on their own for me, the Mother in question.

On the Saturday night before Mother's Day, as I was going to bed, I realized I was feeling ill. But maybe my malady would go away by the morning.

It did not go away by morning.

I felt worse.

Now what?

#TimeManagement: How your Dream Board can help you "make time for me"

"Can't stop, won't stop... Help."

You're a lady (or a gentleman?) with a lot on your plate.

You're always doing everything for everyone else.

Yes, but...

You need some "me time".

Some time for you.

Right now, Nathan Fillion!

First, if you don't have a Dream Board, or you'd like to make a new one, here's How to Build Your First Dream Board.

Second, if you do have a Dream Board, Congratulations!

You're welcome, Beyoncé.

Here are three ways your Dream Board can help you with time management, so you can make time for yourself (instead of everyone else):

You've made Your Dream Board! Now what?

"Uh...You tell me!"

Congratulations! You've learned How to Build Your First Dream Board. You did the work. And your Dream Board is complete.

"We did it!"

So, what's your next step?

Here are the three best things to do once you've made your Dream Board:

How to Get Anything You Want: the You Better Ask Somebody edition

"But whom should I ask?"

The first Somebody is You.

Yes, you, Xo.

Before you ask someone else for help with your goal, you need to put that goal on your Dream Board.

Next, you need to ask yourself these questions:

Diversity does not mean 'Black', and Family does not mean 'Children'.

"The situation is a lot more nuanced than that."

A couple years ago, I was attending yet another diversity in entertainment panel, this one hosted by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, a pioneer in the field of actually studying issues like why children's television shows have only 1 female character for every 2 male characters.

One of the panelists, veteran diversity executive Tiffany Smith-Anoa'i, stated that when addressing the lack of accurate representation on U.S. television, "Diversity does not mean 'Black.'" Meaning, you can't simply add a black character to an otherwise all-white show and declare your program "diverse." That's not how diversity works. Literally. It's insulting to black people, dismissive of all other forms of inclusion, and bad for your bottom line.

"Don't forget about us hapas of Indonesian descent!"

Similarly, when I say "family", or,  "If you want to build your family, put it on your Dream Board", I don't mean "put a baby on your Dream Board."

How to Get Your Daughter into College: Preschool Prep edition

(Originally posted on We're Going to College!. Reposted here for you Dreamers who also happen to be--or want to be--Smart Moms!)


Do you have children?

Are they in preschool?

Do you want them to go to college?


It's never to early to BE PREPARED.

For an unpredictable earthquake, you have a flashlight, batteries, bottled water in your safety kit.

For parents of 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, and 5-year-olds, college is an earthquake you know is coming in about 13 years. Prepare now so you don't have to worry later.

Most families start thinking about college near the end of high school. So, let's work backwards.

How to Find Your Soulmate (with a Dream Board) in 3 Easy Steps

"Is this my soulmate? Maybe.

Either way, he's got to be better that Tyrese."

Hello! So you think you want a soulmate. A human companion and partner in love. Someone who doesn't complete you but compliments you.

If you want a soulmate, then you deserve a soulmate.

Here are three easy steps to Find Your Soulmate with a Dream Board.


The first two steps are questions you must answer. The third step is an action you must take.


1. What?

Take out your list.

You know the one.

How to Build Your First Dream Board

I made a new video! As you can tell from the title of this post, and the thumbnail, it's called How to Build Your First Dream Board.

The only tools you need to build your first Dream Board are

How to Get Your Daughter into College (for Smart Moms)

(Originally posted on We're Going to College!. Reposted here for you Dreamers who also happen to be--or want to be--Smart Moms!)


1. Are you a Mom?

2. Do you have a daughter?

3. Do you want her to go to college?


Then we need to talk.

If you’re a mother or an auntie or a grandma or a tia or an abuelita raising a young lady who wants to go to college, you are in the right place.

If you’re wondering, “What’s the secret to getting into college?”, you’re in the right place.

I’m going to tell you the Secret to Getting into College.

Are you ready?

How to Get Anything You Want: the Be Specific edition

"We did it (despite the patriarchy excoriating our every move)!"

How do you get anything you want?

Put it on your Dream Board.

"But I did that already, Mahlena." 

 Has it worked?

"Not yet."

Then let's do something different.

Who's in Your Head?

Is it Rose's grandmother?

I recently watched Get Out, the best motion picture of 2017 until I see The Fate of the Furious.

Since the release of the movie's trailer in 2016, countless (meaning I don't want to Google them and count) thinkpieces and pontifications have been written, recorded, and distributed about multifaceted meaning of Jordan Peele's masterpiece.

Now you get to read my take, specifically as Get Out relates to Dream Boards.

"Oh, I see what you're doing."

If you haven't seen Get Out, please schedule a time to see the movie, purchase your ticket, then continue reading my post.

If you have seen Get Out, let's talk about it! Tell me your thoughts in the comments!

Back to you and your Dream Board and how it relates to the movie.

 "This better be good."

Why I don't use magazines to make Dream Boards

To build their Dream Boards, many people use magazines to cut and paste pictures and bring their visions to life.

I no longer do that.

Here's why:

1. Magazine pages are mostly ads.

2. Most magazine ads feature women who are "young, thin, white, beautiful, carefully groomed, and polished."

3. I am not a young, thin, white woman.


"But, Mahlena; what if I am a young, thin, white woman?"

Build a bridge, and get over yourself (i.e. myself).

"You have not truthed with yourselves." - Shazza Zulu

How am I qualified to tell anyone what to do?

Welcome to I Have A Dream Board!

Here's the latest video from I Have A Dream Board, explaining what we do and whom we would like to help.

Thanks for watching!

How to Build a Dream Board that will Help You Make More Money

"Do you want to make more money? Sure, we all do."

As I write this post, I have been watching O.J.: Made in America for over seven hours this "Presidents' Day" weekend. It's a compelling film. It's also very long.

How does this relate to making money through your Dream Board?

Well, in the documentary, Mr. Simpson decides to make money from his jail cell by writing autographs and having his management team sell his signed products to fans. He made over $3 million signing football cards while incarcerated so that he could fund his $50,000 per day defense team for his murder trial.

Then, after the civil case against him was ruled, Mr. Simpson had his family and associates hide his assets so that the court could not sell them to pay off his debt.

Most of you Dreamers (I hope) are not currently in the same situation as Mr. Simpson. Yet, we can draw lessons from his actions:

The "I" in "I Have A Dream Board" also means "You".

"Me?" Yes, you.

Over the past few weeks, I have been connecting with family members, friends, colleagues, associates, acquaintances, and strangers asking them if they would be interested in the topic of this website: Teaching people how to achieve their personal and professional goals through creating Dream Boards.

Most of the people who I have emailed haven't responded.

And some people replied to my email with, "No, thank you."

But...

I cut my hair.

It was kind of like this.

I didn't cut my own hair. Someone else did it. A professional in a salon.

For the black women, and other knowledgeable Dreamers, reading this, I did a Big Chop. I got my straightened hair cut off, leaving my natural hair the way it grows out of my head.

I want to address the elephant in the room.

"You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me?"

Fear.

Fear of failure.

Fear of success.

Fear of things you can't control.

Here's another story about me to illustrate an issue.

"Okay..."

I don't know what I'm doing.

I've got lots of questions.

For the past few years/most of my adult life, I have endeavored to present a picture of myself to the world as an exceptionally qualified professional person.

I wanted my brand to say, "Mahlena is a kind, collaborative team player who brings excellence and a quiet curiosity to what role she find herself in."

I spent much of my education and my career being told--often by accomplished black professionals--that if I showed up, worked hard and played hard, was the first one to arrive and the last one to leave, double-checked and triple-checked my projects, did twice as much to get half as far, and a bunch of other platitudes from The Book of Respectability Politics, verses 1 through infinity, then I would find success in my chosen field.

That did not happen.

How I created my family from scratch: Mahlena's Dream Board story

What is the ONE thing you would put on a Dream Board, 

if you knew it would DEFINITELY come true in 2 years?

(Tell me HERE.)

This is not a story about how to find a husband.

I want to make that clear, because

1. Not everybody needs a husband. Most people don't.

2. This story is about much more than that.

3. I don't want to write a story telling you how to find a husband! There are already plenty of relationship coaches and matchmakers and weird old men out there telling women (and men) how to find a husband. That's not what this is about.

Steve Harvey, I'm looking at you. 

bt-dubs, Asian men are just as delightful as men from any other continent.

Back to my story.

In January of 2010, I was broken up with. Okay, calling it a break up would be generous. I was swiftly rejected by someone whom I thought I was going to have a relationship with. I was devastated. And I still had to get through my final semester of business school, an experience that also did not live up to my expectations.