“A joy shared is a joy doubled.”
-Anonymous
Spread the love, people. Touch someone’s life today and put a smile on their face. Lets not be stingy with the joy and peace life has granted us today. We should make it our mission to implant that same happiness into someone else’s life. For we all know how daunting and stressful life can be at times, if we have something of levity to cheer others up, lets explore all avenues to dispense that and let it pervade.
Have a wonderful Saturday, folks!
As I found myself heavily entrenched in the tribulation of trying to get through a Friday at work and commence the weekend, a pronounced pang of weariness overtook me. The sort of fatigue that surfaces when feelings of insignificance plague us. It was comparable to the feeling we have when we are “spinning our wheels”, aren’t quite making any headway, or have any momentum. Being the optimist that I am and trying to see the bright side, I let the emotion flow and take its place until the stronger, more motivated and inspired part of me took its stance. I came to the conclusion that the highs and lows we encounter in our careers are a lot more tolerable the more we understand our purpose. There’s a peace, a comfortable calm we can embrace the more we understand our purpose. We have to have an understanding that our efforts and talents serve a purpose greater than ourselves.
Personally, adopting this mindset helped to settle my mind. I began to realize that my efforts and journey are blazing a trail for my younger siblings, and loved ones who don’t quite understand what it takes to be successful in corporate America. I’m willing to learn the hard way and experience the hardships of learning by experience. When we can detach ourselves from the being the victim of our circumstance and understand that our resiliency and devotion serves others, we’ll be better equipped to handle the fluctuations in our sojourn to success.
I hope this blesses someone and you find peace in your purpose!
“Whatever you do, do it with intelligence, and keep the end in view.”
– Thomas A Kempis
How many times have we set New Years Resolutions that we were adamant about fulfilling and sticking to, just to revert back to our undisciplined, impulsive forms of living by February? Attacking our goals requires a steadfastness, and a dialed-in focus which acts as a combatant to derailment. We are consistently overwhelmed with a barrage of temptations, which distracts us from our end result. If we maintain our love, affection, and maniacal-esque drive towards the attainment of this end result, the probability of that attainment is a lot higher. When we keep our minds and eyes on the “promise land” and the original reason as to why we began a certain mission, task, or journey, we allow that original fervor and vehemence to guide us through the turbulence of the process. Because it will get tough, and you will be tempted to quit and give up. However, when these feelings arise, ask yourself “what is my why?” Why did I want to do this in the first place? What did I envision for myself, my family, and my friends when this idea crystallized in my mind? Reminding ourselves of that “why” should re-galvanize us to stay the course and achieve that goal.
Have a blessed Sunday!
Change begins when we attack the internal inhibitors of our ascension. We can disguise our faults for as long as we please by decorating our exterior, but that’s more damaging in the long run. I’ve never understood this approach. I mean, I can understand our natural affinity to be accepted, fit in, and appeal to society. However, life is an individualistic venture which empowers us to single-handedly dictate our lives. So why would we waste that power by lying to others and ourselves about our status quo. I guess I’ve developed a brutal honesty policy with myself, permitting me to critique and evaluate myself with a “pull-no-punches” sort of candor, if you will. This also dissuades me from trying to lie to others about who or where I am. If I’m in a sad or in painful state, I’m not going to alter my countenance or emotion to try to bamboozle those whom I’m around. When we do this, our lack of authenticity is immensely perceptible. Furthermore, we simply fiddle while Rome burns because we aren’t directly trying to address that which is currently plaguing us. Woe to the individual who creates a personal system allowing he/she to lie to themselves. I believe if you can lie to yourself, you can lie to others more swiftly and remorselessly.
Just expressing myself tonight. Take it as you please. I think my ultimate message tonight is, be true to who you are and where you are. Proceed forward with avowed intent to evaluate yourself with honesty. Once we honestly acknowledge how we feel, where we are in our careers, or how we personally induce the happiness or sadness in our relationships, that opens the door for change and betterment. As long as we continue to disguise whats really transpiring, the longer the process will take to reconcile relationships with others and better ourselves.
Be blessed, folks!
“Indeed, this life is a test. It is a test of many things – of our convictions and priorities, our faith and our faithfulness, our patience and our resilience, and in the end, our ultimate desires.”
– Sheri L. Dew
Life is an eerie roller coaster at times. We truly cannot predict the difficulties which may ensnared us. As I recently started a new business venture, I’ve come to this realization. Running a business requires flexibility, frequent change, and thick skin. We need be aware that our plans may not materialize the way we originally envision them. Over 90% of businesses fail because they throw in the towel too quickly before realizing the final adjustment needed to bring the idea to a success.
Whether you’re thinking about running a business or trying to handle the inevitable emotional turbulence that life in and of itself will bring, be prepared to make changes constantly. Outline your life in pencil, not pen. Rigidity is the enemy of prosperity. Don’t become a stubborn, immutable person.
Life is like surfing. Ride with me on this analogy. Surfers can’t predict or control the waves they surf. However, they can contort their bodies and accommodate themselves to the type of wave they’re on to attain the desired outcome. Similarly, in everyday life, we have no control over the hands that we’re dealt, the parents we’re born with, the financial circumstance we have- be it affluent or impoverished. Overall, we have no foresight to what tomorrow will bring or how it may transpire. Tomorrow you can meet the biggest endorser of your dream or your biggest naysayer. Your company could downsize and fire you, your position could be replaced by an app, or what have you. Though I digress, life demands that we ride the ups and downs accordingly to achieve our desired end result. Surf gracefully, folks.
“Limits are for speed signs. Not Leaders. Not Us.”
-Anonymous
As leaders, we have no restrictions. The only limit is our own self-doubt. If we can imagine an idea, life, or dream that we’d like to bring about or attain, we then possess the power to bring that into fruition. Start to develop a distinguished mindset. As long as you think like your peers, you’ll remain where they are in life. Everyday, we can choose contentment or challenge. We grow and evolve when we deliberately challenge our minds, beliefs, and ideas everyday. The sooner you ascertain that you are your biggest limitation and impediment, the sooner you can begin the process of positive self-alteration, from a psychological, intellectual, spiritual, and physical standpoint. Let us remember to choose growth over security. Every. Single. Day!
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Have a great day.
As I listened to one of my favorite host, Colin Cowherd, this morning go on his usual blunt, unrestrained, yet heavily enlightening rants today, I couldn’t help but to concur with a similarity he underscored pertaining to success and failure in sports and our professional careers. Colin is notorious for “keeping it real” and voicing his “against-the-grain” opinions on life, sports, and any other topic for that matter. He connected the similarity based on an interview that Steven Keim, General Manager of the Arizona Cardinals, partook in discussing the four main reasons rookies are unsuccessful in the NFL. These were the four reasons:
The same way athletes get in trouble with recreational drugs and the litany list of other negative circumstances our young athletes find themselves in, professionals are often distracted from their work tasks due to overwhelming complications outside of work. Issues could be trouble at home, spousal issues, financial troubles, and much more.
The NFL has garnered the nickname the “not for long” league for good reason. The highly combative sport that has 250 pound speed demons clashing at speeds of over 20 miles per hour in some instances, definitely results in a multitude of injuries. Similarly, in our careers we become sick; we have abrupt physical limitations rendering us unable to fulfill our job duties.
There’s a large list of NFL retirees who were never quite able to see their careers blossom because of their inability to adjust to the rapidity of the game and complex schematics of the game. Whether they were egotistical and thought their talents would carry them or lacked a capacity for the intricacy, a lot of young players have found themselves watching NFL games from their couches like you and I because they just couldn’t learn the game. How does this compare to our professional lives? Well think about the incompetent employee. No matter how hard they work, they just can’t seem to get up to speed. I’m never one to devalue hard work and I wholeheartedly believe that we can learn whatever we apply our intense focus and attention to. However, I thinks it’s safe to say that at some point in our careers we’ve found ourselves or have noticed how others, at that particular time, just weren’t mentally fit for their position and had a hard time adjusting to the new work environment.
This principle applies to sports, music, and our professional careers. There’s no shortage of ego wherever there’s a promotion or elevation in position. To the football theme, a lot of young players get to the NFL, cash out on a huge pay day and lose their love for the sport that got them there. That’s not to say they ever loved the game at all; some players just have an unmatched talent that carries them very far. However, you’ll seldom see a successful player in the National Football Association who doesn’t absolutely love the game. Our talents can only take us so far. If we are dispassionate about the work we’re doing, it will eventually be exhibited in our performance.
So now that we have highlighted the correlation, let’s discuss some solutions to make sure we aren’t plagued by these factors. Firstly, you have to learn how to balance your work life and personal life. Letting work overflow into your personal life, or vice versa, is a recipe for disaster. You’ll either find your relationships crumbling outside of work or your performance at work greatly diminishing. Secondly, we must invest in our physical wellness. Engaging in regular exercise helps release endorphins and elicit feelings of euphoria which will certainly help our work. Furthermore, it’s a solid preventive measure as our bodies are machines it will certainly start to break down and need maintenance. Thirdly, we must be willing to go the extra mile to acquire the knowledge necessary to succeed in our respective positions. Stay later, ask more questions, and do more research. You’ll unequivocally find yourself in an underqualified position at some point; combat this with a heightened curiosity to learn and an unrelenting pursuit towards mastering your craft. Lastly, try to steer clear of work that doesn’t interest you. You’ll do that corporation and yourself a disservice. High performance will be in the neighborhood when you’re engaged in things that stimulate your passion and emotions.
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Have a great day!
“There can be an emanating love that comes from us regardless of another’s intent or behavior. We can release a magnificent spiritual power through our eyes and gestures toward everyone, while expecting no return whatsoever.”
– Brendon Burchard
Oh the power of unconditional love. What a challenge, what a gift, what a virtue. If we could truly cultivate the gift of loving others without an expectation of reciprocity. Despite what someone else says or does that we deem as noxious or injurious to our emotions, psyche, or, dare I say, physical state, we still exude an unrequited love for them. I can’t quite say that I’m there yet. This is certainly a skill I aspire to attain nonetheless. Simply ponder a world where all intentions, all ambitions, all ventures were conceived and launched with love. I’ll tell ya, our businesses would seem less capitalistic in a dog-eats-dog, profit-driven economy. Our relationships would have more substance and longevity, as we look to give more than receive. Our world would be more connected and less violent as we’d see other nations, cultures, races, and people as one unified entity of human-beings. Let our aim be to love others despite what they give us this week. Focus your mind on the troubled and unstable relationships in your life; deliberately exude qualities and deeds of love and consideration, and watch how those relationships reconcile and re-develop. Of all the assets we possess as individuals, nothing is more worthy than the love and appreciation we can provide our associates, family members, colleagues, and friends. For in serving others, we enrich ourselves.
One of the biggest detriments to ourselves and society, is our swift inclination and propensity to conform and deviate from our beliefs, dispositions, and uniqueness. I often ponder where the world would be today if we were stern believers in choosing our own paths in life. Individuality- that which distinguishes one person or thing from another- is a lost virtue, that has limited and suffocated our existence as human beings. When you think about the billions of people who’ve walked this earth, how many of them truly got to express who they were? Whether it was a culture that molded them, a tradition that confined them, or a wave in fashion or vernacular that they succumbed to, it’s safe to assume that billions of ideas, passions, and aspirations were never executed due to our conformity to a certain entity. That entity could have been people, a religion, a group of friends, parents, media, or whatever.
Social psychology proclaims that familiarity breeds liking. The mere-exposure effect is another reference to this principle explaining that people tend to develop preferences for things simply because they are familiar with them. So despite our initial feeling of disharmony and oddness about compromising who we are to fit into someone else’s convention and preference, over time who we are can slowly deteriorate as we adopt new belief systems and affinities. Woe to the person who familiarizes him/herself with someone else’s vision and preference to the point of appeal so much that he/she disconnects from their own.
Whether you believe in divinity or not, I can’t help but to believe that this wasn’t the vision of our ultimate creator. Scientifically, your genetic makeup will never again be replicated (naturally), the dimensions of your brain and body can never be duplicated (naturally), and who you truly are internally and psychologically should never be emulated. We’re too complex, we all have different experiences and upbringings that shape the way we perceive the world.
From this day forward, we need to be cognizant of our uniqueness. Understand too that the people we follow, are often following others. Don’t be another follower lost in the cycle of conformity. Not many have the temerity and courage to walk their own journey, create their own lane, and be their own person. Don’t give others dominion over who you are and what you prefer in life. The moment you do that, you’ll plateau and stop progressing as an individual. Don’t subject yourself to the vulnerability of adopting erroneous sentiments and opinions of others.
I’d venture to say that you have a societal duty to express your uniqueness and individuality. The world is calling for it. You can distinguish yourself from the masses and be special, or be another one of the 7 billion human beings restrained and enslaved to a mindset of someone else. Express your individuality. You may discover that the reason you feel so pedestrian and average is because you haven’t tapped into your inner strengths and passions. I urge you to engage yourself with introspection and rediscover who you truly are so that you and the rest of the world may benefit from your special traits, gifts, and talents.
So life hasn’t been smooth lately
Or perhaps for a long time now
Success looks like a dream lost
In infinite horizons of uncertainty
But listen carefully to your voice
You aren’t meant to accept defeat
The world is no longer confined to
Your imagination, it’s real and brutal
Throwing you off balance completely
You spend days questioning yourself
Stop looking over the closed doors
You have the courage to face life
One day in the future you will look
Back wishing to tell yourself to not
Be scared for you will not just survive
You will be rise above adversaries
This is who you were meant to be
A strong human being with a soul
In the world where individuality dies
A little every day in the rat race
You stand out for you’re more human
Believe in yourself against all odds
Many will tell you to accept failures
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