There’s an African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.” 2009 is the year for launching out into our God-given purpose. One way to do this is by increasing the quality of our relationships! I’m here to help by offering personal experience and insights about the opportunities that are all around us. Be encouraged and keep pressing forward. Together we can grow towards the purpose God created us to fulfill!
Some people are already tired of hearing about the death of Michael Jackson and the subsequent drama to determine what happened, who gets what, the state of his kids, etc… I don’t follow the news on Michael, every waking moment, but this is the price we pay when someone who’s rich and extremely famous suddenly dies. After all, Michael is one of the greatest - if not the greatest musical entertainer of this generation - who affected the lives of millions of people, with his music and life, across the globe. He wasn’t called the “King of Pop” just because he needed a title. He was undeniably the “King of Pop” (now people are asking who’ll be the next), so why would some think the news coverage to be too heavy? Anyway, I do want to share my point of view about Michael - now that things have simmered down just a bit.
I’ll be 35 years old next month - if I live to see July 27th. I’m amazed at the fact that I’ve been around on this planet for over three decades. What amazes me most is that over 15 years ago - fresh out of high school - I attempted suicide - feeling that there was no future worth me waiting for. But God is merciful, because I’m still be here when so many others have succeeded in taking their own lives. So I can’t take any credit for that. I’m so grateful for the life I’m living. It’s not free from problems, but it is fulfilling and beyond my limited dreams.
A friend of mine emailed to check and see if I was doing alright. They had stopped by this blog and saw I hadn’t written in a while. I’m glad she did. It has been a while since my last post.
How do you determine if somthing is a coincidence or not? Here’s an interesting story. I’ve been carrying two briefcases to work for the past few days, because of the amount of work I’ve needed to get done. However, this morning, after getting dressed, I had this strong desire to only take one with me. After thinking about it, I consolidated things and left.
When I got to the train station (I take two trains to get to work) there was a huge crowd on the platform. It turned out one of the trains coming from another station had broken down. So everyone had to crowd onto this one - which also happened to be short on the number of passenger cars.
A friend sent me this Michael Jordan video yesterday… It’s about failure. The general consensus of the masses is that MJ is one of the greatest basketball players of all time - and has the record to prove it. So it’s amazing to think about how many times he’s failed in the game.
We often equate our failures in life with BEING A FAILURE IN LIFE. But this is so far from the truth. But, because of our fear of failure, many of us don’t fully commit to the tasks that live in our hearts.
It doesn’t take a genius to mess up punctuation and grammar. But you can look like a genius by using them correctly…
It’s Wednesday April 15, 2009 and I’m sitting on a plane flying from New York to Texas: four months before Speedsuit Powers, my new book, is slated to be released (August 2009). And right now, I’m reading through a book my wife gave me on punctuation and grammar (she’s a reading and language arts teacher).
I had the opportunity to meet a young black male over the weekend while I was in California at the 168 Hour Film Festival . His name was LaMar and he was 15 years old. What struck me immediately was that when his grandmother introduced us to one another, he looked me straight in the eyes, gave me a firm handshake and called me ‘Sir’. "Did he just call me, Sir?" When he did these things, I immediately thought to myself, "Now this young man has been given some real training."
I recently met Dr. Sharnnia Artis , author of Moving From Ordinary to Extraordinary: The Teen’s Guide to High School Success . Dr. Artis holds a Ph.D in Industrial and Systems Engineering. She is a wonderfully gifted woman who is involved in her community on a local and national level. Since I work with youth, I’ve added her book to my reading list and look forward to digesting what she has to say.
If you work with youth or have children of your own who are getting ready for high school or are already in high school, then Dr. Artis’ book will definitely help them to rise up and reach their full potential - and help you with influencing them towards greatness.
