What's in a name?

Okay, okay so lately I’ve been spending most of my time working on my website and setting up my blog. It’s the most wicked self-indulgence imaginable. It’s all about me. How fabulous, and pretty, and talented I am. Okay, enough already.

I was reading the Wall Street Journal at work. Relax, it’s actually a part of my job and I came across an article on Chinese businesspeople who had changed their birth names or something that had more meaning for success. The article used the example of a man whose given name was Jun, which meant handsome in Mandarin. Not so bad a name to give your kid, I thought. Except that this man wanted to create more energy of success in his business, and while handsome may take you some of the way, it will only take you so far. So, after seeking the advice of a Feng Shui master, he changed his name to Jianming, which means “establishing a bright future.”

At first read I thought the article was cute and interesting, but then it got me thinking—what if you could actually shape your future by having the right name? After all, I did name my son Isaiah (meaning “salvation of God”), because I wanted him to have a powerful name that would anoint his life with greatness. So I immediately went online to look up the meaning of my own name, thinking that that may shed some light on my weird life that has led me (and some other people) to wonder if I was in fact plagued with bad luck. Kisha means “rainfall” in Slavic. That explains everything.

What’s in a name? Hmmm…apparently not my writing career. After doing further research I discovered that there is another writer, published author to be exact, with my name--Kisha Green. I didn’t know what to make of it at first except to hate on her skills as a writer (okay I have a mean streak) and to curse my parents for giving me such a boring and common name. Couldn’t they look into my eyes and see the soul of an artist? I should have a fly name like Asha Bandele or Ntozake Shange or dream hampton (who spells hers in all lower case). Actually I wonder if this little discovery was the universe’s way of telling me to move my ass and finish my novel or my opportunities would be given to someone else.