My Road to Freedom

When I think back on my life's journey, it has been littered with blessings, the one that has given me my highest ROI (return on investment) has undoubtedly been therapy. Now this may not be the case for everyone, but it most certainly is for me, and I would like to tell you my "Why". What led me to therapy may have been somewhat of a dark spot on my life, but it allowed me to create a space filled with light and hope.

Therapy helped show me the importance of understanding self and had been the best way for me to scratch the itching need for emotional release in a way that was the most helpful and healing to me. I recently read "That consciousness of self and freedom go together is shown in the fact that the less self-awareness a person has, the more he is unfree. That is to say, the more he is controlled by inhibitions, repressions, childhood conditionings which he has consciously "forgotten" but which still drive him unconsciously, the more he is pushed by forces over which he has no control." - Mans Search for Himself by Rollo May.

You may or not agree with that statement, but I'd challenged any human to disagree with our desire for control over our lives, it's as if it was programmed into us, and it is a doubled edged sword. There is a freedom in gaining control over self, just as there is a freedom in letting go of that self so that a new one can be born. I see freedom as the opportunity to realize ever greater human values, the freedom to evolve, to change. We or maybe it's just me, have a fear of change, of uncertainty, of failure, and I've had to learn to let that go and am still learning. This desire for freedom is what kept me coming backing to therapy as a medium for healing and understanding of self. I used it first to gain understanding of my feelings which took many years, and my newfound understanding birthed new goals. I then began to learn to let go of those feelings, and am currently learning how to better manage the new ones and even change some of the old as well.

My road has not been easy, there were years where I did not go to therapy whether it was because I was determined to "fix things" on my own, I was paralyzed by my own fears, or I just couldn't afford it, but as I've changed so have my priorities. I chose to make this road to freedom through therapy my top priority, and I have always encouraged my village to do the same. This new freedom gave me peace, the peace allowed me to experience new forms of joy, the kind I had not allowed my self to feel before. Im not be the best human, Im a human pursing constant growth, a growth with no clear ending. What has become clear to me is this, over the years my journey with and through therapy has made me happier, and I truly believe that if you have never done so, that you should give it a try and see what you discover.

We are not our parents, those of you reading this who were born in the 90's like me have been a part of a shift in consciousness and our understanding of it, one that will be written about for years to come. But for today, I hope I have left you with something, a new perspective on what Freedom is, and hopefully shined even the tiniest bit of light on your path towards peace.

Thoughts of an Overthinker

Im feeling a little strange at the moment, I went against the grain. I’m doing something I wouldn’t normally do and can’t tell if I’m being foolish or just enjoying life. The voice in my head said no, but this feeling just wouldn’t go away, it wasn’t a gut feeling, felt more like intuition. Those moments when you remember the promises you’ve made to yourself, the silent whispers from your future self. I often think best the path towards a desired self is to start incrementally doing the things that version of you would do. I’m an over thinker so I have to come up with systems to “trick” my mind into the doing, that mixed with a willingness to listen to the voice in my heart has allowed me to find new worlds in rooms I’d never would have found avoiding the unknown. I’m hoping that this is a sign of things to come, of me taking more leaps of faith, and stoking the blaze of self belief that leads headfirst into new possibilities.

Love and Gratitude

Love the thing that I most wished had not happened, "What punishments of God are not gifts" - Stephen Colbert

When I first heard this time stopped, for how long I'm not exactly sure. I was taken back to the traumatic moments in my life, the ones that changed the very fabric of my being, the ones that left scars both physical and mental, and some from which I have yet to heal. There is joy in gratitude, but I had yet to think of the punishments as gifts, I think that is a powerful message that I wanted to take the time to reiterate. For a while I had decided to take back control of self by doing my best to happen to things and not let them happen to me, to have full accountability in every sense, because in my past I had been so deeply hurt while waiting for something, someone. But there are so many gifts that come from the "punishments" of life, the lessons we learn and the changes that come with it are a blessing. There can be no better gift than growth, there can be no surer thing than change. As we all deal with the tumultuousness of being alive and the complexity of living, let us find love and gratitude and share it with others as often as possible.

Love

The Black Waldo

An Old Moment of Clarity I found...

I woke up today with a deep deep sense of peace, I was up all night filled with an almost limitless energy. I'm not sure of it's source but I know now that it’s there, it is wide and it is deep. I feel like its a well that was always there, I’ve just never tapped into it before. I could feel the words that my instructor imparted to me come up through my gut and out of my mouth “Your dreams are not what you see while you’re sleeping, Dreams are what keep you up at night", I truly felt those words.

I was surfing on a high from all of the positive feedback I was getting from my latest post on my new blog, a blog that was 2 years in the making. I tried and failed to start my website many times, I even had one completely done on another web builder, but I never let it see the light of day. As most people like to say, I just didn't feel right, but this, right now, feels right.

As I sit here in my favorite tea shop in India, the only things open are it and the fruit and vegetable vendors on the streets of the market, I'm still trying to figure out why I'm up right now since I did not go to sleep until 4 am and it’s now 8:47, but I feel full of life as if I got a full nights rest.

I'm thankful for this feeling, I woke up and told myself I was going to have some "me" time, I woke up and said my prayers, I woke up and thanked God, I woke up.

Just being alive and in this place and space both mentally and physically is a beautiful gift from God. I know now more than ever that I have a purpose, that I have a calling, and that I have found a passion.

I'm currently reading a book called The Daily Stoic, and it gifted me with some words that feel so aligned with my path that I must rewrite them just to make sure they are ingrained in my being and consciousness, "Be in control of your passions, rather than being controlled by them". I asked God countless times to help me to find mine, and have been presented with them many many times, but it feels like it hasn't been until now, right now, that I truly understand what I must do.

I finally feel like I am in the right frame of mind to write like a used to years ago, I am filled with words, they pour out of me like water out of a fountain, words that I know will fill others up with life's water.

These words are my water and the people whom come to my page are vessels, I feel it is my duty to fill them with something positive, because that is my gift. I wake up almost every single morning happy, but not happy because of what I have or what Ive done, but because of who I am, I am me, and that has been and always will be enough.

I am me when things are going good, I am me when things are going bad, and through every magnitude of measurement in and between those two states of being I am thankful.

Gratitude is a powerful word, and as I wrote yesterday, words are powerful. I spent an entire year focused on my understanding of this one word gratitude, I meditated on it, I wrote about it and now I have gathered the information, studied the knowledge, and attained the wisdom to truly understand its meaning.

The very wise GZA wrote in his book The Tao of Wu "knowledge is knowing, but wisdom is doing" and that’s what I plan to manifest.

The mantra on my page before yesterday was "I am not my thoughts, I am what I do", but I was wrong, this revelation was given to me by my cousin not by blood, but my cousin all the same. If I may, I would like to think of him more like a big brother, in the two weeks I spent in Nairobi, Kenya he poured so much knowledge into me. We stayed up almost every night talking about the origins of man, stoicism, philosophy, manifestation, and what wisdom truly means, we talked of religion, spirituality, and science. We talked of business, family and friends, we talked of life and we talked of love.

God will give you the same message countless times, he will put you through things over and over again, and bring you around the same type of person or situation until you finally get "it". The message I received from all our talks is the same message my father has always given to me , the same message I see in the friends I admire and look up to, the same message I will leave you with here.

"BE INTENTIONAL"

If you are intentional with your words and your actions, there is nothing that you cannot manifest. Time is just a construct, it will move whether you do a lot or a little, but the purpose and vigor with which you do things is what gives time its true value. Be intentional, and watch how "fast" things change.

IMPOSTER

Being you is beautiful, if you don't agree with my first statement then take action to create the change you seek and find the love for yourself that we all crave. That is the most powerful thing about being a person of this world, we are beings that can eternally evolve and create change. All it takes is a thought, which turns into an intention, and the intention is what births an action, that is the magic of the mind. If you are like me and feel like you make no impact or have no magic at times, please believe me when I say that's Imposter Syndrome at work. My form of this syndrome is always looking at what and where I lack and how I am not living up to my fullest potential when just living at all is magic in its own right.

We are all connected and our actions or inactions have a ripple effect on the cosmos of our universes. There are degrees of separation between people across the world but it has been my experience that the connections within our universes are gravely understated. You, me, and everyone on this planet are blessing beings powerful beyond our own imagination and there does not exist a tool to measure these powers because in truth they have no limit.

Our minds and hearts drive us to do and be the things, but our soul is where the belief truly lies and is first realized, if you believe it with the essence of your being you will eventually manifest that belief into reality with action, intention, and determination.

Whether you set out to do something at the beginning of this year, at some point last year or just now, keep going. If you have not set any goals, it's NEVER too late and if you don't have or even want any right now there is still beauty in being in lieu of doing. Time is just some measurement humans came up with, when we are all dead and gone the universe will still move on and will not bother with measuring how long it takes for it to do anything, it just does, and that is what we should all strive for, a balance and appreciation of actions and rest, it also wouldn't hurt to sprinkle in a little bit of grace.

Human beings are strong and weak at the same time, we have to nurture both of those aspects of self, strong muscles without flexibility become stiff and muscles that we don't use will atrophy, find your own happy medium and enjoy the process. People often do not enjoy change, they fear it in a way because it forces them to face something they don’t understand, or they let failure stop them from even starting. I deal with this often, I'm not sure if you are the same but if you are, I beg you to stop doing this to yourself, run towards the fear, run towards the uncertainty, run towards the potential that lies within you. Be your biggest fan first and your biggest critic last and always find a way to end the journey with love.

"Unhappiness is best defined as the difference between our talents and our expectations"

I Never Said It Was Easy

These words apply to the simple things in life, the ones that make the biggest impact, here is the story that inspired this blog piece…

I was riding the train back from Seoul and was looking for a place to sit, usually I try and make sure I reserve a seat on the train but this one was sold out, all that was left were standing tickets. I had just finished getting lost on purpose for that last few hours and taking photos of things that caught my attention all over the city.  Hungry and tired, I decided on coffee instead of food because to be honest I had no idea what I wanted, and everything was in Korean. While waiting in line I hear a voice "you order yet" I look to my right and see a young brotha, he looked to be in his early 20's and just as confused as I was feeling. I told him that I had and pointed to the lady hidden behind the counter.

Time passed and the hour to board approached, I had learned from my previous adventures around Korea to get on early if you have a standing ticket. I thought I might get lucky and find space behind the last seats on the train where I could sit, it was less comfortable to flying on a budget airplane, but it beat standing and sweating in the parts of the train with no A/C. As I hastily walked through each car looking for a spot, I began to come to terms with the possibility to having to stand for the ride. Luckily there was a car on the train for people with standing tickets on this train, the car has limited space for sitting and usually fills up very quickly. As I approach the door I peek through the oval window in it, I see that there are still spots open, I walk in and immediately see a bench spot to my left. I ask the two men sitting there If they could make space for me in the middle and they quietly oblige.

As I sit down the train begins to move, I pull out my iPad as I had plans to read and edit some photos on the 1-hour train ride back home. The whistle blows as the train leaves the station and a beam of sunlight blast through the window and straight onto all of our faces, the young man to my right immediately pulls down the shade, I assume the one to my left would want the same and begin to pull on the shade.  I look over for a sign of confirmation and realize this is the same young man I saw earlier, so I decide to speak and asked if he minds. He smiles softly while looking out the window and says that he actually enjoys the sun, I smile on the inside as I secretly do too, the familiar urge to connect with a stranger began to fill me with wonder.

I greet the young man and strike up a conversation, we speak on why we are here now and where we are from, and of the fun things to do in Seoul. I ask his age and he quietly said he is 20 years old. Now I am by no means old, but my spirit is a smooth 47 years or better, I was keen to pass on knowledge to this young man. It's a feeling more than anything else, but at this stage in my life, I've learned to trust those feelings.

I dig a little deeper with my questions, I ask his "why" for moving, what his plans are for the future, and what his favorite thing about living abroad are, from his answers I could infer that he had a spirit of adventure.

I share my journey of cultivating my own spirit of adventure and how I had quit my job at 25 so that I could focus on travel and self-development. As I spoke his level of interest was clear as his pupils dilated and his posture shifted towards me, I had his full attention. He asked me how I was able to live the way that I do and how I ended up in Korea, so I took a deep breath and began to give him a summary of the last 5 years of my life. I started by telling him about my 10 months in India studying a new coding language, my move to St. Louis to begin my new career in tech, my reason for moving back to DC to be closer to family, and my final move to Korea. He seemed surprised when I told him that this had all in a way been a part of a bigger plan I had always had to live abroad. As I was finishing up my story, he seemed a bit puzzled, and said " you make it sound so easy". I furrowed my brow and look him in the eyes as I said "when did I ever say any of it was easy". This was not the first time this happened to me, my emphatic and joyous way of storytelling can be misconstrued as a pleasant journey filled with ease and comfort, but my journey was everything but easy. It made me question my "self" and my "why" countless times, I found new lows in life countless time during my journey, but I also found new peaks as well.

This is why I stress to you and to everyone to take the time to self-reflect, to rest, to heal, so that you may grow. Figure out which small actions serve you best and do them constantly until they become second nature. Don't complain about what you allow, your life is your responsibility. Worry less about what has happened you and put more energy and thought into how you will react to and will grow from it, we cannot change what has happened, but we have plenty control over what will. I recently read The Slight Edge there is quote from it that I would like to leave you with "For things to change, you've got to change. For things to get better, you've got to get better. It's easy to do.  But then, it's just as easy not to do". The ease of choice is a difficult one, it a weird paradox because the easy path and the difficult one, require the same amount of energy to start. The part that we feel is hard is the mental one, the "choice". 

I thank you for taking the time to read, and I pray that you have taken something from my story. Remember that "greatness is always in the moment of the decision" and that greatness lies within us all.

Alone

What is that feeling, that gnawing at the heart, the sense of fear that envelops the mind when we think that this could last forever? To me, it sometimes feels like building a puzzle and thinking you have lost a piece unable to find any that fits the hole you are trying to fill. This feeling I’m trying to describe and better understand so that I may befriend it is loneliness.

A dear friend asked me a very interesting question, "What does it mean to be alone when at any given time you are infinitely connected to all that exists?".

I was a bit surprised when they asked because this is the exact same question I have been pondering for years now. I actually think she worded this experience even better than I could have. This question is exactly how I feel at times while on the journey I have chosen, to be honest when she asked I had a sense of relief that I wasn’t the only one wondering about this feeling.

I can say wholeheartedly that we are all connected infinitely to all that exist, once we all understand that and I mean truly understand it, a new world will have dawned. The awareness of our connectedness is a gift, a sight that can never be unseen, but like alchemy, it’s science being called magic only because we have yet to embrace it fully.

Many forces are working together to allow us all to exist, making it very difficult to be alone, to be truly alone is not impossible, it is a choice as is loneliness. In any relationships we have in life, the potential for a deficit is a conscious one. To be lonely from the psychological standpoint is described as a distressing feeling that accompanies the perception that one's social needs are not being met by the quantity or especially the quality of one's social relationships. A relationship must be cultivated, tended to, and given the space to grow and grace to allow mistakes. There is no workaround to putting in the work, especially with relationships.

While you may or may not have found your “village” yet, people are cheering for you, praying for you, and watching you, even when you don't know it. The age of social media has brought us closer together yet farther apart, while it created this paradox it also strengthened the awareness that we exist all over the world. There is no doubt that there are billions of us on this planet, and I would be hard-pressed to believe that there is not a soul that exists who wouldn't want to have a relationship with you, there are many out there yearning for a relationship of sorts.

To be clear this relationship I speak of does not have to be defined by limiters, where there is a reciprocal exchange of energies, and an openness to the connection from both ends a relationship is born.

So now I have a question for you, what does loneliness mean to you? What are we choosing when we chose to be "alone", how does that feel? It took me going through some challenging situations to realize the levels of connectedness, and I still don't fully understand yet, I can sense it though. This sense is so strong now that even when I'm halfway across the world I can feel the connection to my village and humanity as a whole.

I see it in the long eye contact with a stranger, I smell it when I walk through the streets of a new city, and I taste it as I dine on unique cuisines in cities worlds apart, finding distinct similarities among the countless differences. There is no greater joy to me than to be loved, love is the opposite of being alone, and while allowing that love in can be difficult, I believe we are all infinitely connected to love.

I wish you the will to pursue the desires of your heart, thanks for reading - The Black Waldo

Do Good Recklessly

You must do good recklessly, at least that’s what society has made doing good feel like to me. Ordinary good is undervalued, we overlook it, as is our tendency as human beings. We don’t have the ability to perceive all things at once so our mind “helps” us by ignoring certain things. This is not always our fault, it's not always intentional, but sometimes it is, learning how to use intention moving forward will help us to become more aware of the ordinary good.

But back to the reckless good, what does it look like? To some, my life has been seen as reckless and my actions seen as good, so I guess something like that would be what I would think, and the best way I could sum my life thus far is as a series of happy accidents mixed with intentional decisions and trained openness to life. This trained openness to life is something I didn’t even know I had, one of the earliest life lessons my parents ever taught me is that “there is no such thing as can't” this allowed me to plant the voice that said “You can do anything you put your mind to”, those two mantra ring all on their own in my mind daily. It wasn't until much later in life that I understood the importance of these voices and how they would guide me to many places near and far. Belief is like the soil of life, it is the flower bed where possibilities bloom you just have to water those possibilities with intention.

A mindset of openness will allow for life to happen for you, please make note that I did not say "to you". There are times in your life when something will present itself, this something could come in the form of a person, place, thing, etc. but it will come and if you’re not open to it, it will pass you by. There are many chances to live recklessly given to us so don’t worry if you miss a few, just make sure you’re living in a good way, a way that allows you to feel fulfilled. This feeling of fulfillment will fuel you along the journey, some parts will be long, some parts will be short, some parts you will feel lost and others you will feel assured of your place, I have yet to find a rhyme or reason for this but I embrace it all and am grateful for the chance to live.

Doing good recklessly is honestly just my way of trying to say to you to live the life that YOU want to live, that is the most reckless good you could ever do, and I say that its reckless because that’s how people make me feel when I tell them that’s what I’m doing, sometimes I’m made to feel as if it's more of an opportunity than a choice, I honestly feel like its both. The more intentional you become with your choices the more your opportunities will become your choice. In other words, you are creating life’s opportunities with your intentional choices, and by remaining open when the opportunity comes, you will be ready and willing to experience it fully. Enjoy the journey, I hope I see you along the way.

“We’re all in the process of creating the reality we think we deserve, and each of us had defined the central character”

— Don Miguel Ruiz

Create Your Own Luck

There are two kinds of people in this world. The first looks at others who have accomplished things and thinks: Why them? Why not me? The other looks at those same people and thinks: If they can do it, why can’t I?
I've always believed that there's a bit of luck involved in most people's success; especially my own, but that's because I believe luck can be created. Everything in life is precious and the most precious things in life are usually earned through countless trials of both success and failure. These trials allow us to gain a better understanding of our own resolve and what we can create with it. We all have the power to change things, these changes we desire can be physical, mental, or spiritual and will require some form of work on our part.

Diligence is the mother of good luck, accept responsibility for your own life and self-respect is bound to spring from within.

The discipline to execute the necessary steps to manifest our reality is a chore, it will test what we believe to be our limits. These limits just like all other things in life can and will change, the increase or decrease is totally up to you.

While living in a 3rd world country to learn a new skill, my discipline and ability to execute were constantly challenged. Thankfully my desire fueled my diligence which led me to overcome the many obstacles that lied ahead of me. Like many of my peers, I faced some common obstacles, procrastination, fear, laziness, distractions, basically life in general.

The 3rd world had much more to show me though, never before had I dealt with things like unreliable power, WiFi, and even heating and cooling; for the first time in my life, the things that were once basic necessities were now luxuries, and I had to learn to work with what room was left. By that I mean even in the most uncomfortable situations I had to be actionable, I had to relinquish the victim mentality and just start where I was. My environment was not going to accommodate me the way I was accustomed to. It might not seem like it makes a big difference to see life as something you have to do versus get to do, but there is a huge, magnificent difference. I became a man of action instead of reaction holding myself accountable for making the most of my time and life.

There is success all around us, and if that is not the case for you, change your surroundings or better yet change your mindset. We see those who do and wonder why they are so lucky, I'm here to tell you that they aren't. This thing we see as luck is a manifestation of an individual's decision to stop passively discovering who they are, and instead actively creating who they want to be. Often this will not happen overnight, it may take thousands of days to know who you are, but it only takes one day to quit asking, never let that day come. Your expectations are a bigger enemy to your happiness than your circumstances, start where you need to and don't stop until you get where you want to be.

Sustained execution, bears more fruit than shapeless epiphanies

It’s far better that we become pragmatic and adaptable— able to do what we need to do anywhere, anytime. The place to do your work, to live a good life, is here.

Is my Anxiety doing me any good?

Today when you find yourself getting anxious, ask yourself: Why are my insides all twisted up? Am I in control right now or have I given over control to my anxiety? Most importantly ask: Is my anxiety doing me any good? 

I would love to say that I'm always calm, cool, and collected but that would be a bold-faced lie, I am as anxious about my life as the next person, maybe even more so. It was not until recently that I decided to make a more conscious effort, to stop giving anxiety control. The mind is extremely powerful, it's power can at times overwhelm us with thoughts, fears, doubts, and a multitude of other things, but we must always remember that we can regain control if we choose to. 

There are many different responses to anxiety but not all of them are necessary, and most of them can be re-purposed for our benefit.

"The next time you find yourself in the middle of a freakout, or moaning and groaning with flu-like symptoms, or crying tears of regret, just ask: Is this actually making me feel better? Is this actually relieving any of the symptoms I wish were gone?" - The Daily Stoic 

My most memorable moment of anxiety happened as I pulled into the driveway of my parent's house. I had come to visit them after a very rough semester of pharmacy school, the entire 2.5-hour ride up a small battle had been going on within my mind. Once I had reached the end of the driveway and put my car into park, something within me snapped, I was having a panic attack. I had curled into a ball and cried like a baby, calling my mother for help, I was so afraid of disappointing my family, so afraid of how they would react to my realization that I did not want to be a pharmacist. Once the tears had been wiped from my face and some time passed, I had the talk with my parents that I had been dreading. That talk had taught me that my parents were already proud of me and that the one putting the most pressure on me was my self.

After that moment of what had felt like helplessness, I had decided I needed to come up with some strategies to deal with this anxiety, and so I began to read. I read about mindfulness, yoga, breathing exercises, and one of my favorites The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. This journey I had embarked on led me down many different paths, I began to meditate for 5 mins a day, I began to go on walks, and most importantly I began to write my feelings down and speak them aloud as well. These small actions allowed me the time and space, to relinquish the tunneled vision I had at the time, and understand more deeply the significance of my conscious choices. 

We are all aware that life is full of choices, but it wasn't until 2019 that I had heard the term "reasoned choice". With this reasoned choice, we have the power to hold no opinion about a thing and not let it upset our state of mind, it is possible to not have an opinion about a negative thing. I have said before that "Life is an illusion created by your perception" and this is yet another example of these words being put into action. 

Getting upset is like continuing the dream while you’re awake. The thing that provoked you wasn’t real— but your reaction was. And so from the fake comes real consequences. This is why I suggest you do whatever is necessary to wake up right now and be as present as possible, life can be a lucid dream or a horrible nightmare, it's totally up to you. 

There is no singular way to do this, but there is one unavoidable requirement, your awareness. It requires you to stop and evaluate yourself honestly. When was the last time you did that?

 For a long time, I was not honest with myself, I was extremely critical of myself and would rarely allow joy to sit with me for more than a moment, constantly worried about what was next. Somewhere along my life's path, I realized that it does me no good to allow people or circumstances to arouse anger or discontent within me, because more often than not they cared less than I did, and most time they did not care at all. 

This is not me saying that you should not care at all, instead I would suggest that you not give any possible outcome more power or preference than is reasonably appropriate. To do this you must accept that when you see yourself as more than you are, you have failed yourself. How could you really be considered self-aware if you refuse to consider your weaknesses? I would be silly to forget to mention that it is equally damaging to “value yourself at less than your true worth.” - Goethe. 

To let your anxiety run rampant is slavery, and no slavery is more disgraceful than one which is self-imposed. 

“If a person gave away your body to some passerby, you’d be furious. Yet you hand over your mind to anyone who comes along, so they may abuse you, leaving it disturbed and troubled— have you no shame in that?” —EPICTETUS, ENCHIRIDION, 28 

This life we live is one of consistent inconsistency, and never-ending learning so when you fail or make a mistake be more tolerant, understanding, and try to see your actions as attempts to do the right thing. It is better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all. Whether you agree or not, how radically would this lens change your perspective on otherwise offensive or belligerent actions?

We’d be crazy to want to face difficulty in life. But we’d be equally crazy to pretend that it isn’t going to happen. The good things in life cost what they cost. The unnecessary things are not worth it at any price. The key is being aware of the difference.

So the next time you feel anxious, take a few extra seconds of focus. I choose to focus on my breath but your point of focus can be whatever you choose. Do what is necessary to allow yourself the time to make that reasoned choice about how your feelings of anxiety will affect your state of mind.

Where You Are

The best way to find what you are looking for, is to first find yourself. If you are looking for a healthy body, mind, spirit you must put yourself in a position to find it. If you are not in the same space mentally,physically, or spiritually as what you are looking for, how do you expect it to find you? Why are you looking for it, and if you were to find it at the very moment would you be prepared? If you were to find that person, that place, that thing, would you even know that you have? 

As a child I would often have eyes bigger than my stomach, I would ask for more food than I could consume and would end up wasting the precious nutritional meal my mother prepared. Our youthful spirit wants the world, while our aging mind begins to realize the concept of time and timing, it helps us see that getting everything at once isn’t always what we need or even want. The journey of a thousand steps begins with one, one thing, one place, one person, one conversation, one.  

I have a bunch of things I want to do, see, create, and enjoy, but I’m not ready yet. I’m not ashamed to say I’m not ready anymore, I’d much rather prepare my mind and body for my new journey, keeping my youthful spirit busy is as easy as calming a child's tantrums of discontent, give it something to do.  I stopped writing for a while because I had lost sight of this, I had become blinded by fear and doubt, when all I really needed to do was continue to prepare and push forward so that what I'm looking for can find me. We don't all need to adopt the same mindset about life, but we should all learn to love who we are and where we are.  

Continue the pursuit of loving yourself and learning to love the world. Self-love is a love of the god that lies within all of us and lets us be connected to all that surrounds us. The earth, the wind, the water, the sun, they are all connected and work together to provide us with strength, energy, and LOVE. The self is just a piece of the earth, a borrowed vessel made up of dust and water. Your soul, your “true self” is eternal and can be a center where love is manifested, transferred, and shared with others. When you love yourself, you eventually love who you are, and where you are regardless of the circumstances you may be in. 

There is nothing wrong with where you are in life, because even if you feel dissatisfied you can change the situation with your mind body and spirit.  Today, try writing down 1-3 things you are thankful for and really take the time to discover why you are grateful for these things. I've said this many time before and will ultimately say it again, gratitude is the keystone of life, it allows you to see things for what they are, love them for what they are, and yet still change them if they do not fulfill you. Once you are done discovering this gratitude, never let go of it, and continue to pursue what new things you desire, those things that you are grateful for now will not leave you, and will help carry you through your new journey. 

A Silent Mind

I often wondered why the saying "silence is golden" has become such a moniker of success.

 Maybe by being silent, you don't let people know what you're planning, thus preventing unnecessary obstacles from manifesting. Maybe silence is what will allow those around you, to value the words you do choose to speak more, since rare things are often given a higher value. While I believe that within both these statements lies a truth, I also believe that there lies an even greater value in silence.

 Being quite creates the opportunity and space for God to relay the message that was specially made for you. Divine messages are not always going to come to us in grandiose ways, sometimes the message you seek comes from a place or person whom you would never expect it to.

No matter what religion you identify with, the Gods, God, Creator, Almighty all are jealous, they want your praise and they demand your attention, at times they may even require a stage to be created for them to perform these miracles both big and small. That is what silence does, it creates the stage for magnificent things to happen.

 There is more than one type of silence, we all are familiar with the silence of not speaking, but there is another that I have only just discovered and am attempting to master, the silencing of the mind. Silence of the mind is something that I believe to be of value to us all, we are constantly being triggered by the things around us, our minds running, sprinting, never finding time for rest, time for peace.

 Peace of mind is elusive, it's kind of like trying to catch a fly in your hand, as soon as you think you've got it, it flies away before you can grasp it, as if reading your thoughts. If it had no thoughts to read, then you could slowly close your hand, and grasp it easily, that is the power of silencing the mind, and the secret to grasping peace of mind.

Take a moment today, even if for 30 seconds, sit in silence and try to quiet your mind, focus on your breathing, focus on the marvel that is your body, from head to toe. When you have mastered that, make it a full 60 seconds and keep adding time until you reach 5-10 minutes. That's all it takes, 5-10 minutes of peace of mind a day can drastically change the way we think, feel, and act.

 I'm going to get a little nerdy on you for a second but bear with me, there is this stuff called gray matter in the brain, its involved in muscle control, and sensory perception such as seeing, hearing, memory, emotions, speech, decision making, and self-control. Science has shown that by training your mind to be silent, you not only train your mind and body to become more powerful by expanding your neural network, you also heighten your control of that power.

 Training your brain requires a bit more finesse, but it is worth the journey, and meditating is a proven tool to increase the grey matter rolling around in our skulls. This is like putting a bigger engine in your car but instead of going faster, your more powerful brain will let you have better emotional control, be more relaxed, and handle adversity more swiftly. You can literally give your brain an upgrade by sitting in silence for a few minutes a day.  

If silence is golden, then silence of the mind is love, it has been invaluable for me, it has brought light to darkness in my life, by quieting my mind I’ve strengthened my soul. The mind wants to run wild like a 2-year-old, but you must train it to sit still, so you can learn the lessons that life so badly wants to teach you.

"The quieter you become, the more you can hear" -Ram Dass

The Most Powerful Force in Existence

Everybody wants love, but I wonder if everybody is truly ready to be loved, it sounds easy, but love, is well… love. Love isn’t complicated, but love also isn’t simple, so I decided to come up with my own made up term, complicated simplicity. The great thing about making things up is that you set all the rules, you can decide what is and what isn’t, what was and what will be. Love is the same way, love is whatever you make it, it's not what you saw growing up, its not what you see while walking down the street, and it most definitely isn't what you see on TV or social media. Love is special, and what makes it special is that it’s a creation, a living breathing thing, it's never finished, and every time you look at it, think about it, taste it, touch it, hold it, you admire it for the unfinished masterpiece that it is.

I am not as master or a guru of love, I am a work in progress, as a matter of fact, I am in the midst of trying to understand why in my past I was so afraid to fall in love. It's at times an overwhelming feeling, to be loved by someone, the first people to ever show us love are usually our parents, guardians or whatever title you want to give the beautiful souls that looked after you in your youth. The first person to truly be my shinning example of what unconditional love is, was, and will always be is my mother.

So I can say with the confidence of a titan that I know what love feels like, but I still don’t know love like I should. It took me a long time to come to terms with that, I was ashamed to admit it, because I’m secretly a hopeless romantic. I hopelessly wanted to have someone else to love, for the longest time I was aloof to this fact or maybe I just didn't want to admit it, but I’m grateful that I know now. I so desperately wanted to love another because I wanted to show others what that feels and looks like, I wanted to do this so badly, because I received so much “fake love” during my adolescence, I was bullied, I was different, and I knew it. Beyond any of those things, the most damaging result of all of this, was that it made me afraid to love myself, I felt I didn't deserve that kind of love. We all deserve to be loved, but it starts with loving ourselves.

Loving yourself can be hard, maybe now more than ever, we have so many expectations thrust upon us and so many readily available examples of all the things we are not. There are far too many messages out there that leave us with feelings of wanting, these feeling of incompleteness. Its gotten to the point that we truly believe that if we have this, and do that, and go there, then finally we will be perfect. I’m here to plead to you to not think that way, love, “perfection”, it is all subjective.

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. – Antione De Saint-Exupery

So if this message is unclear, then let me be plain, love is the most powerful force in existence. Love is a gift that can be given to oneself as well as given to others. Love has no magical blueprint or map, or guide. Love is complicated simplicity, and it’s the most precious things there is to find in the world. Love yourself, and I mean truly love yourself, not because you want it, but because you deserve it.

If you’re reading this right now and have already found love for yourself, or the love of your life, then I congratulate you. Please pass this message along to someone who is still on their journey. As I said before I'm no guru, and I don’t believe I know love like I should, but I'll be damned if I don’t find out and try my best to help others along the way.

Just Say No

There is nothing wrong with saying no, as the saying goes, the truth shall set you free. This freedom has many forms, but the one that is most important to me is the freedom to not disappoint myself. For a long time I was what you could call a “yes man”, I had this fear of disappointing people, so I overextended myself to help others. It took me a while to realize where this habit stemmed from and even longer to become comfortable with the act of saying no. There is not good reason to lie to others, and that goes doubly so for your self, it’s a destructive habit that can waste the most valuable thing there is, time.

People will take up all of your time if you let them, so don't, you must set aside time to develop as an individual. You may not be able to set aside huge chunks of time, but small bits of time each day if utilized the right way can be invaluable. It’s illogical to think that there is no work involved in our own personal evolution, it took millions of years for our species to get here, and yet we think that we can just go to sleep wake up, and poof, we are all of a sudden mature members of the societies that exist today.

That’s a foolish notion, that I once believed myself, I thought that all it would take was turning 25 for me to finally be an adult. I was wrong, I was very wrong, it takes effort, it takes intention, but most of all it takes time. You will never be the person you want to be, or have the opportunity to become the person you are meant to be, if you don’t say no to things, people, events, etc.

"We are born not all at once, but by bits" - Mary Antin

You are important, and when I say you, I also mean your self-development, and self-discovery. To be all of the things, we claim we want to be, we must put in the work. If we care about ourselves, we must set aside the time, and if they people who are in our lives love us the way they say they do, they will not be a hindrance, but a helping hand. Those who complain about you not being there, not spending time with them, or about you changing are potential threats. They either don’t have the wherewithal to see what you are trying to do, aren’t listening when you tell them what you are trying to accomplish, or worst of all, see you growing and are afraid of "losing you" because they are choosing to remain stagnant.

"We’d be crazy to want to face difficulty in life, But we’d be equally crazy to pretend that it isn't going to happen" - The Daily Stoic

Say what you mean, hold yourself accountable for the words that leave your mouth, when you begin to say no, the value your yes will mean more to people, and mean the most to you. When you begin to say no to things and people question you, that’s when you know you have begun to value your time, your peace, and your growth differently. Those who know the value of time, will be thankful for your yes, and you, having decided to offer your time, will make sure to follow through on your word.

You can do anything, but doing everything sometimes means saying no for right now.

Love is Free

If you are reading this, you have been given another opportunity to be a blessing to the world. We each are a gift, we each have a purpose, and we all matter, that is the message for today, you are loved. Take time today to sit in silence and be thankful for this reality, for there are many who overlook this blessing, today is a present given to us all, be thankful for it.

Once you have said your thanks, put a smile on your face, its time to pay it forward. If you don’t know what I mean, that’s fine, its very easy to do. Once you have put that smile on your face, you have already done enough, that smile alone can put one on someone else’s face and instill in their spirit a sense of joy.

Smiles are contagious

But if you want to go a step further, I first must ask you a question, who do you love?  Other than yourself I’m sure there are many whose existence brings you joy, peace, understanding, and at times pain, but most of all joy. For me there are many people who have made an impact on my life, this has happened both directly and indirectly, either way I am thankful.

It took effort and intention for me to get to the point where I can easily recognize this, but most of all it required me to remove my ego from the equation. Gratitude is an action, the more you practice it, the easier it will get.

We must all know, believe, and understand how great we are as individuals, that we are all miracles. Its not crazy to think this, its actually healthy, it allows joy and light to dwell within us, but to think that this joy and light is of solely our own making, is absurd. We are the product of our environment, firstly our mother and our father, secondly, whoever we spend the most time with. Who you become is a byproduct of whom you choose to spend time with, and if you’re a choosing wisely then I give you kudos, but realize that those people are also choosing you.

Don’t miss an opportunity to be thankful, don’t miss an opportunity to impart love, it feels just as good to give love as it does to receive it. Love is a strong word, it’s a word that maybe you feel is too strong for this context, but love, to me, is energy.

This energy is a spark, this spark could be just what a friend, loved one, or even a stranger needs to lift them out of a funk. We are all made this mysterious stuff called matter, we are all connected, we can all share this energy, and this is why, we all matter.

Whether it’s a kind word, a gesture, a laugh, or just a smile, that energy is felt by those around you, that energy is never wasted and can never be destroyed. When you feel those around you are trying to condemn your light, don’t let them, shine even brighter and drive out the darkness.

I hope you make the choice to spread love, and light, the world is dark enough already. If you can just instill love, and in turn light, in just one person, then I personally thank you, you have made the world that much brighter.

It takes more energy to frown, than it does to smile,

Spread love, even if the recipient will not always say thank you, they will remember you for it. Take solace in this fact, and never forget that you’re loved.

I’m going to do all I can to spread Love and Light because we need it now more than ever. RIH to a King #TheMarathonContinues

Break Through The Noise

We live in a very noisy world, it’s the Information Age also known as the Computer Age, Digital Age, or New Media Age, a truly historic period. We have begun a rapid shift to an economy based on information technology, where everyone’s thoughts are given a value. Many people are going to tell you what you should be doing, whether it be friend, family, or just some random person you happen to start a conversation with. So instead of me telling you, I’m asking you, what do you want to do? What action, sets your soul on fire, makes you feel alive, and brings a smile to you face?

I have always found it amusing that so many people " know" what others should do with their lives, yet have less than half a clue about what they want to do with their own. If you try to listen to everyone's voice, they will all eventually overlap and become nothing but noise. This noise is nothing but a distraction, an obstacle that we unknowingly welcome into our lives. Everybody is going to have an opinion if you ask for it, and even when you don’t, but the one that matters most, at all really, is yours.

There is nothing wrong with taking advice from others, its free information that can at times hold truth and even wisdom.  But make sure that when you're sifting through the myriad of information, that your guide is your own voice. Let me say that one more time, and be very clear, make sure that voice is your own voice, not your moms, not your dads, not your best friends, not your significant others, yours. 

You must be able to pick out your inner voice in a sea of noise, just as you did when you were a child and got separated from you mother or father, no matter how much noise there was, their voice rang clear. This is what you must be able to do with your own inner voice, give it the power, give it the priority, give it the time to grow, so that you can hear it clearly. 

Break through the doubt, uncertainty, and fear, and let the first and last voice you hear be your own. Because contrary to popular belief this is the voice that has your best intentions at heart.

To get to this point in my life, I had to cut off everything that I thought mattered to me, people, things, statuses, habits, I realized that none of these things defined me. When I first began this journey, I was extremely lonely, I was afraid that I would lose all of these people, things, statuses if I stopped interacting with them for a while. But one day while sitting in silence I remembered something, if you love something let it go, if it’s meant for you, it will come back.

For those of you who know me, I’m a people person, and being secluded, being to myself at times felt like I was in the dark. It felt as if I was locked away in a room and nobody could hear me, as if I was completely disconnected from the world, from my own reality. But I wasn’t alone, I was just in an unfamiliar environment, panicked, and had not yet taken the time to look around. Its so easy to ask people what they think, it’s a common practice to look for validation and assurance in others, but this is not one of those times, and I was not happy about it. I struggled at times to come to terms with this choice I had made to be alone, I even went back on my decision a few times, but once I really gave a try, amazing changes began to happen. I found many things once I took a few deep breaths and looked around and within, but most of all I found myself, I found my voice, and you can too.

Some time later I realized that it wasn’t my fear of losing those people, things, status that really held me back, it was a fear of discovering my potential, being accountable to myself and having nothing and no one to blame for not becoming everything that I had always known I could be. You will continue to learn about yourself and as you do, you will begin to trust your voice more and more. Don’t be afraid to be afraid, change can be scary, growth can hurt sometimes, but most things worth doing aren’t easy.

When life gets scary and difficult, we tend to look for solutions in places where it is easy or at least familiar to do so, and not in the dark, uncomfortable places where real solutions might lie. – Robert Maurer

Worry less about what, where, and when other people are doing things, their journey is out of your control. Your journey is very important, so give it the focus it deserves and take control of it. Find the mental space or better yet a territory that is your own, where your inner voice is alpha and omega. If that space does not exist, then create it, you deserve it, and once you create it, nobody can ever take it from you.

Break through the noise, find your peace, find your prosperity, find your voice.

23

This piece is inspired by my little brother and his 23rd birthday, it’s about perspective and perseverance. I remember this time as one where I really felt like I need to get my stuff together, I was filled with anxiety and excitement about the future, while my friends and peers were advancing their lives, I felt stuck in a rut haphazardly trying to find my way out. It wasn’t until I finally gathered the courage to sit down and talk with those individuals who’s lives I had envied, that I discovered they were just as lost. 

I was stuck in the rat race unhappy with my current status and hungry for a new one, more worried about what I had than who I was. 

Fall down twice get up thrice, just in case you were wondering, most people don’t have it all figure out, and that’s okay. There is a sense of solace you expect when you make a plan, a sense of security, in truth its just a prayer in different form. I too am a planner, I pontificate every extrapolation of every scenario I can possibly think of, for a long time, this wonderful skill gave me the worst anxiety.

Now it fills me with a sense of excitement for all the possibilities, waiting to be taken a hold of. Get lost in the possibilities but find yourself in the present. As Gucci man said so eloquently, “If a man does not have sauce, then he is lost. But the same man can get lost in the sauce”. This sauce is your perspective, this sauce is the possibilities, this sauce is your desire for greatness, this sauce is your successes, and it is also your failures. As we grow, life gradually gives us more of these sauces, while giving us more to eat, and we either consume, digest, and move on from it, or become inundated by it. I implore you to do the former, and don’t beat yourself up when the latter happens, we are all human after all.

Our minds are legendary battlefields, others may not know of their renown, but regardless we must suit up and prepare for this battle daily, hoping to one day win our own personal wars. My battle for a long time was a battle of attrition, I was slowly trying to weaken my mind, doing things I had no business doing, thinking that I would overcome its torment by handicapping it, but that only seemed to make it stronger. The plasticity of the mind is something that I am awed by and ever thankful for. No matter the battle that lies before it, the mind never gives up the fight, even when the body might really want to.

We are builders, we are breakers, we are survivors! Build up your perspective so that you may see the world and yourself for what they are, beautiful. Break down the barriers that are preventing you from pursing whatever passion you have, the perspective is key, but you must break your spirit of doubt so that perseverance can prevail even when all seems lost. Survive the battles of life and never give up, even though some of them you will have to face alone, you can come out victorious if you believe, and work hard too, belief is half the battle the other part is blood sweat and tear-jerking hard work.

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it. Begin it now” -Goethe

To all who read this, and especially to my brother, I believe in you! My journey thus far has given me confidence and has shown me just how many people all over the world are trying to create a better life for themselves. This journey has allowed me to see that even though we must work hard, really hard, we must also take the time to enjoy our life and our loved ones, because tomorrow is never promised, and the present is a gift that we all must take the time to enjoy.

Let today be the start of something amazing, let the choice be your own, and let the results of that hard work be your gift. Whether other people notice your growth or not is insignificant, their acknowledgement does not make your progress any more or less beautiful.

“It’s not how things appear, but what effort, activity, and choices they are the result of.”

Happy Birthday Jordan, Love you Bro!

Truth From A Place of Love

Me and my brother like most siblings, were not always on the best of terms. When we were younger we spent a lot of time being jealous of one another, fighting over toys and our parents attention. It wasn’t until high school, maybe even more like college that we were able to actually sit and have real conversations with each other about things, our likes, dislikes, or the dreaded topic of all males, our feelings. My mother would get furious when we fought, she would always scold us about not just what we said to each other, but how we said it. The weight of your words is heavy, they can move a conversation or a person much more than most care to consider.

Thankfully we have now both graduated from college and become men with vigour, ambition, and very different views of the world. When we sit across from each other now, we can have a dialogue full of honesty, harsh truths, and even a little bit of laughter. This wonderful dialogue does not have to be reserved for just siblings and friends but can be accomplished with strangers as well.  Today I want to share with you, a product of one of these amazing talks, my new found understanding of the words my mother used to say to us

“ It’s not about what you say, It’s about how you say it”.

 Speak your truth, from a place of love, to do it any other way is a disservice to your message, to the intended recipient(s), and most importantly a disservice to yourself. To speak from a place of love is not always an easy task, at least it isn’t for me, it takes courage, patience, and energy. But what life has taught me, is that when you speak from a place of love, more often than not the energy you put out is given right back to you. Love begets love, truth begets truth, these are the nutrients that allow the beauty that is understanding to blossom.

I love to be an optimist but reality is also very appealing to me, I’m a black man in a world dominated by people who don’t look much like me. That has caused me, and many who look like me to be guarded, with our thoughts, with our emotions, with our truth, even with each other.

There has been a subtle shift in the culture, we finally are starting to acknowledge that mental health is important. Mental health is not just about going to see a therapist, which I have done, and highly recommend, mental health is about knowing who, what, where, and why you are. When you speak your truth, you get to hear it too, so like I said before speak it from a place of love, because when you don’t, it’s a disservice to your self.

Lastly I want to touch on speaking your truth with strangers, since it has been one of the great joys of my life. People seem to be either intrigued, insulted, or inspired when you do so, it’s not always easy to know when someone is telling the truth, but when it comes from a place of love, you can most definitely feel it. Even when I have conversations with individuals whom on the outside I would assume to be an “enemy”, I chose to speak my truth in love, and have had some of my most intrepid discussion. That old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” , holds true, the contents of an ugly book can sometimes be extremely poignant, almost beautiful if read slowly, and with care.

Treat others, speak to others, and listen to others as you would have them to do you, from a place of love.

Thank you for taking the time to read my writing and visit my page, may peace and prosperity follow you wherever you may go

Walking Instead of Running

There comes a time in everyone’s life, when you must learn to walk and not run. It’s a whole tortoise and hare scenario, but this time its your life and not a cartoon. Surprisingly this is not an easy task, but everyone must endure it and anyone can do it.  At some point in life, you begin to ask yourself what your purpose is, I still ask myself the same question. There is no shame in struggling with this question, its one of the blessings of being human. To struggle is a blessing just as much as success, each a sign of progress.  

Our ability to have thoughts about our thoughts is the keystone to our deepest levels of understanding and yearning for knowledge. Allowing our minds to slow so that we may think critically about our lives, is an invaluable skill that must be purposefully honed.  

Many of us waste so much time resenting this ability, complaining that we have such an amazing ability, as if this agonizing task that life has so graciously bestowed upon you isn’t what makes you, well…. you.  

You are what you think, your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions, you are both the slave and the master. You literally create your purpose and how you feel about it with your thoughts. I hope one day we can all learn to be thankful for this fact, I at times still struggle, but day by day I’m getting better.  

A major shift in my journey of thought was learning to slow down, not just my thoughts, but my actions as well. Taking the time to walk instead of run will allow you to see the world a little differently.  

The next time you have a conversation with someone, listen to their every word with the intent to understand and make a real connection during that conversation. When you eat your next meal, savor every single bite and allow you whole body to feel nourished by the meal. Walk outside close your eyes and listen to the earth and hear all the life that is around you. Walk through the streets and feel the love that surrounds you. This love for life and a love for each other is everywhere, even if you don’t feel it in your surroundings, its lies within you, it lies within all of us .  

I cannot definitively tell you if it’s better to walk instead of run through life, but I can tell you I am enjoying mine much more now that I am, all it takes is a few extras seconds to be in the moment and really appreciate all that is happening around you.  

Never forget that this life you live is a gift, if the circumstances of your life are not to your liking, then use the power within you to change them. This may mean giving up some things, time, or energy, but the universe will reward you with what you seek. Don’t let the worlds idea of immediate gratification lead you astray from your path, good things take time, and great things take longer.  

There is an abundance of positivity around the world, you may not always be surrounded by it, but trust me when I tell you it is there, waiting to be utilized. Those moments will still arise when you’re going to have to be your own source for a pick me up, but it’s a skill that will come easier to you the more you practice.

Learn to think in terms of gratitude for the little things because the big things are usually out of our control. This can be difficult, but it is possible for you, for me, for anyone, try it today; think of one small thing you are grateful for. Have gratitude, and not just for the good things, but for all facets of your life, when you wake up, look in the mirror and just be thankful that you have more life to live. 

Make the most of your time and your energy, surround yourself with others who will push you to do better, and go make it happen. No matter how much money or success you acquire, you will never have enough of it to turn back time. Go out into the world and make each moment count. These moments are what make you who you are, and what make life such an amazing and precious gift.

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present”

A Little Discipline and A Lot of Love

As I continue to grow and progress through life, I have come to see the truth in some of the things my parents told me as a child. One lesson in particular has proved itself true time and time again, “life is all about angles”, as my father constantly told me. Now when I hear him say those words In my head, I put my own little twist on it and say “life is all about how you see and understand things”.

People always love to say “It’s about working smart, not hard” but I believe that this popular saying needs to be re-explained, or at least given a deeper level of clarity. You don’t have to be smart to work smart, because the context in which this word is being used has next to nothing to do with your wittiness or IQ. To work “smart”, what you truly need, is discipline and to have discipline, you need is an unrelenting grit not wit.

I even went as far as to look up the definition of smart which is having or showing a quick-witted intelligence. This is not the necessary context to use when pertaining to success. For most people success is almost never quick, and there are a lot of “intelligent” people who aren’t successful. So again I’ll say, you don’t have to be “smart” to be successful.

Small amounts of discipline applied at the right time, go much further than you would think. You will not always need a huge amount, rather a small amount applied each day can compound into a mountain of accomplishments and accountability.

I just recently finished a 30 day fast from the things I enjoy. I fasted to practice exactly what I prayed for before even starting this fast, discipline. It has a profound effect on your choices, which in turn have a profound effect on your life. The more discipline, or more specifically, control you have over your choices, the more power you have over your own life and the path it takes.

The power of choice is one that should be cherished, and rarely given away willingly. During my travels around the world, I have learned that sometimes it is better to get lost, than to take direction. There is something about making your own choices, sticking to them and working your way out of a difficult situation, it builds a sense of trust in self. People will always try to tell you what you should do and where you should go, but until you decide what it is that YOU want to do and dedicate yourself to that goal, that success and sense of accomplishment that we all yearn for, will elude you.

Never forget that true success is self-defined, success is not when everyone else acknowledges your accomplishments. True success in when that feeling of fulfillment wells up inside you and you can look yourself in the mirror and be proud.

You may use others as a catalyst to give you the drive to push through the hard times. But at the end of it all when the sun goes down and the lights go out, it is just you and God. God will always love you, just make sure that you love yourself. Love yourself through the good ideas and the bad, the triumphs and the tribulations, and do everything you can to take a lesson from them all. A little discipline and a whole lot of love, that’s all you need to succeed.

“You can become successful with less discipline than you think, for one simple reason: success is about doing the right thing, not about doing everything right” - Gary Keller, The One Thing