Entertainment

Memphis’ future is ‘All Over Town’

I am Nyah Nile and I am "All Over Town." In 2013, I am going to give the readers of The New Tri-State Defender everything I live in Memphis.

I am going to try new things, push out of my comfort zone and maybe even make you a little uncomfortable. I am going to let you see Memphis through my lens and filter. I'll share myriad things that move and interest me and ignite the creative fire.

Put it like this: I will be the person who tests the bungee cord to make sure it is safe. Hold on tight!

It is the season for making resolutions and setting new goals and there are so many articles and news stories cautioning us about the need to set realistic goals. Maybe it's just these writers' ways of saying life is just not that easy and that even if you want something, you may not get it.

But what is the flip side to that?

Maybe it's that when you truly want something, life has a way of sending you what you need to make anything happen.

However, we often just miss the signs. We overlook the signals to never give up on ourselves. We miss our opportunities by backing down and shying away. We are so stubborn that we don't want to give up bad habits. We continue to ignore the voice inside of us that guides the path to right and wrong. For each one of us it is a different secret language, but it's there for us all.

Lately, my answers to life questions seem to be rolling like Mack Trucks, slamming my conscious and sub-conscious. I began to awaken to some of my life changes about three months ago, prior to the New Year's resolution season. I started saving more money, eating better, exercising, and trying to use Twitter and Facebook more. I started working a part-time job and putting plans in motion to start back doing more of the things that I love!

For example, I bought a new workout DVD three weeks ago by Julian Michaels called "Ripped in 30 days" (don't judge me). Last Thursday night (Jan. 3), I made it to week two. Amid sweating and wanting to throw a weight at my flat screen TV, I heard Michaels say something that made me look at the whole workout process differently.

"...I want you to be uncomfortable," Michaels yelled.

"I want you to get deep into that squat until it hurts...The place where it hurts is the place where we will see results. Like the old saying goes, no pain no gain. It is not just a saying, it is true."

Well, I got deeper into that squat, pushed through and made it the most uncomfortable workout I'd ever had.

The next day, I had lunch at Evelyn & Olive's Restaurant on Madison Ave. with my mentor, Dr. Karanja A. Ajanaku, executive editor at The New Tri-State Defender. He shared some of his resolutions and apprehensions and I shared some of my goals and fears for 2013. After hearing some common language between the two of us, he said, "....I may have to push past my comfort zone."

The next morning it hit me. He was basically saying the same thing that Julian Michaels declared on the DVD, just in a different way.

So, this year I am back. After a rollercoaster hiatus that included more time than I anticipated to grieve the death of my brother, I have pushed beyond the "comfort zone" that encompassed the fears and doubts that crept in about successfully traveling the path toward my goals.

In the days, weeks and months ahead, I will be "All Over Town" noting Memphis experiences and chronicling many of you as you believe in yourself, trust yourself and take leaps of faith towards greatness.

And trust me, when you start to truly live like that, a greater more positive life is sure to find you.

(For questions, or if you would like Nyah Nile and "All Over Town" at your next big event, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .)