What you think means more than anything else in your life.  More than what you earn, more than where you live, more than anything that you might have or lost, and certainly more than what anyone else may think of you…simply because what you think will determine them all.

How do you determine the difference between what is a fact versus what is an opinion?

…and America’s Politics has embraced a change, the only question now is…what now?

First let me say that I’m not blown away, in a state of shock or surprised about Obama’s victory. And this is in no way an attempt to take away from Obama’s moment. It is just for me that I would’ve been in a more state of disbelief if he didn’t win.  I’ve always held a sincere belief that the thinking man will always prevail.

With an understanding that any success is a process and not a step, I was overwhelmed as I reflected on everything that has taken place for me to even have the luxury of having that thought.  I have such a greater appreciation for my mother who always seem to take part of any movement of change in her day.  Although we didn’t always agree in the moment, I can’t help but to believe that her efforts have been some what validated and I’m proud to celebrate this moment in her honor.

The one facet that I’m looking forward to seeing the most in the next 3-5 years is how will the masses respond, especially in the urban communities, now that the excuse of “what can’t be done” has totally been annihilated.  Hopefully there will never again be a time where there is such a wide acceptance of lowered expectations.

I would like to end with the following words by Rickey Bobby that best sums up the moment…”what does that do, does it blow your mind…THAT JUST HAPPEN!“

Since Obama’s candidacy, African-American professionals once invisible in mainstream America, are moving from prime-time fiction to everyday fact.

By Gloria Goodale | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
from the October 31, 2008 edition

Whittier, Calif. – These tidy streets of well-manicured lawns and hedges gracing modest, but well-appointed California-style bungalow homes are Richard Nixon country, home to his alma mater and next door to his birth and burial place, Yorba Linda.

This has long been a bastion of conservative, white American Republicanism, says resident Lonnie Jordan, an African-American musician who lives in the Friendly Hills district of town. Married to a mixed-race wife whose mother was white and father black, Mr. Jordan says this was not always a comfortable place for a mixed-race couple. But, that has begun to change, he adds. The reason? The presidential aspirations of candidate Barack Obama.

“He’s put the image of black families on the national dialogue,” says Jordan. “Now I walk around and I don’t feel odd or out of place. It’s come out of the shadows and into the everyday light.” (more…)

My thoughts on the Obama’s 30 minute presentation.

Submitted by…

DG135I |October 23rd, 2008 at 7:29 pm

Sakiyah,

I am asking a very honest question here, as a fan of course.  Do you ever think that you are letting life pass you by, minutes at a time for over thinking?  Do you think that by over analyzing your life and life in general, you are missing out on reality?

Granted, your writing is amazing but in order to create amazing work you are required to invest plenty of time and energy on a constant basis. So, what is your response? Thanks!

from the TTM post “a day of reflection“

I don’t ever think my life is passing me by simply because I’m too involved in it.

Now I would be wasting my time ifI was just sitting around just thinking about stuff without putting anything into action.  You see my writing is the execution of my thoughts that adds to my life as well as to all those who are seeking to create a positive change in their life.  So all the time that’s spent searching for that perfect thought always gives more than it takes.

As far as me missing out on reality, uhmm…I really think that’s all relative.  I’m pretty sure that I’m missing out on some aspects of someone else’s reality…just not mine!!!

I leave you with an excerpt from “Thank You and You’re Welcome”…”People who say what they think and then do what they say normally get what they want out of life.”

The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake – you can’t learn anything from being perfect.

I’ve spent most of today reflecting on the last 24 hours of my life.  It felt as if I had just walked through a portal to a different reality.  What I found to be the most strange was my extreme comfortableness in this new realm.  And then it hit me, my outside world was starting to resemble my inside world. (more…)

I know this might not be the politically correct thing to say, but…LIFE ISN’T FAIR AND IT’S BEST TO GET OVER IT!!!

It is impossible for all things to be equal.  I think it’s quite unfair for one to even think life is suppose to be equally fair.  In order to have winners, you must have losers.  You can’t have pretty unless there is ugly.  There can’t be a “Mr. All That” without a “Mr. All Wack”.

So I ask you (in all fairness), are the lazy equally as deserving as the ambitious?  Should the ignorant have the same as the intelligent?  Are the least selling entitled to be compensated the same as the top selling?

Be sure to keep this thought in mind, defining yourself allows you to determine what’s fair to you.

I believe that what is right is totally relative to perspective. The human mind can, will and does justify anything that it wants! There is no absolute right or wrong, a real scary thought for those who have a need to believe in absolutes.

The beautiful part of this way of thinking is (more…)

Positive thinking is simply reacting positively to a negative situation.  Life at any time can become easy or difficult.  It all depends upon how you adjust yourself to it.

Although you cannot always control your circumstances, you can always control your own thoughts.  Things always seem to turn out best for those people who can make the best out of any situation.

So remember this…there is nothing either good or bad until your thinking makes it so!

With a question like that, your mind should be flooded with all types of possibilities.  But before you get totally lost in the land of infinite possibilities, keep in mind this little life lesson that I’ve come to know in a very big way…if there’s no possibility of failure, then the victory is meaningless!!!

Many scientists and philosophers are convinced that free will doesn’t exist at all.  They believe everything that happens is determined by what happened before, so our actions are inevitable consequences of the events leading up to the action…and this fact makes it impossible for anyone to do anything that is truly free.

This kind of anti-free will stance stretches back to 18th century philosophy, but the idea has recently been getting much more exposure through popular science books and magazine articles.

So should we worry?

If people come to believe that they don’t have free will, what will the consequences be for moral responsibility?  And if our actions are determined by prior events, then do we have a choice about anything or any responsibility for what we do?

There was a time when I really feared sharing my ideas because I wasn’t confident enough that I could produce more.  This is why this quote by Howard Aiken really hits home with me.

“Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas.  If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.”

Good thing I got passed that…and trust, the more you have to fight for it, the more likely it will end up being worth it!!!

Recently I was giving a good friend of mine some advice who seemed to have lost his focus in life.  That conversation (as most do that I’m in) produced yet another “genius in the moment” moment that I would like to share…

You have to stop getting caught up with what other people are doing and stay focused on your lane in life.  Just look at life as if it’s a bowling alley.  It’s better to roll a gutter ball in your lane than a strike in someone else’s!

This is really how I talk in everyday conversations!!!

As I was getting caught up in the pure joy of my new iPod touch, this thought came to me…

In a world of what seems to have daily technological advancements, what do you think has been the greatest breakthrough that has impacted your life for the better and now you just can’t imagine life without it?  Equally, which breakthrough do you think is a total waste of time?

(more…)

I recently found myself thinking about what I considered the most invaluable possession in my world…and to no surprise I concluded that it’s me!!!

Of course I had to ponder what is it about myself that I couldn’t (or should I say wouldn’t want to) live without.  For whatever reason, the five senses came to mind and I know for sure that I wouldn’t want to (or should I say couldn’t) live without sight or hearing.

So I ask you all the same, out of the five senses, which one couldn’t or wouldn’t you want to live without???

This question was sparked from a recent conversation with some friends about the TTM blog…

Is society in a whole ready and/or capable of embracing a revelation that would have them question everything that they currently believe in?

This is a great quote that I recently came across that rings true for those who choose the entrepreneurial road in life…

“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.”

Warren G. Tracey
Founder – Busted Knuckle Garage

And of course it’s one I wish that I would’ve come up with myself!!!

When you think you have exhausted all possibilities…you haven’t!!!

I just happen to be deleting some old files when I came across this oldie but goodie…

You may ask yourself what makes people exceptional?
Exceptional people have an understanding of how the world works and the universal laws that govern mankind.  They know that they will not be denied greatness if they continue moving forward towards their goal regardless of obstacles!

One thing that will always be true about time is that it waits for no man.  It’s the only thing that we all have the same amount of everyday.  The only difference is what we individually choose to do with it.  Those who achieve any type of success always know the true value of their time.

So remember this little thought nugget my fellow thinkers…the longest job to finish is the job never started!

Worry looks around, sorry looks back, belief looks forward.

I’ve come to learn that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

This past Sunday, I took my daughters to Hot 97’s Summer Jam 08.  As I sit here in a moment of reflection, the quote by Sigmund Freud pretty much sums up my experience…”I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection”.

One of the many things that this journey of mine has taught me is when you really want to do something, you’ll find a way…if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.

I always embrace my moments of doubts (and trust me, I have many) because it often produces something greater.

Instead of allowing doubt to stop you, look at it more as a sign that you have more to discover.

A quote by Francis Ford Coppola to ponder…

“I don’t think there’s any artist of any value who doesn’t doubt what they’re doing.”

…that I wished I would’ve come up with by Charles Haanel.

We must ‘be’ before we can ‘do’
and we can ‘do’ only to the extent which we ‘are’
and what we ‘are’ depends upon what we ‘think.

I mistakenly deleted the comments from April 24th to today.

Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.

(Inspired from me being on the Glow In Dark Tour.)

I wish I would’ve come up with that quote by John C. Maxwell.  It made me think how I’m never satisfied when told something is good.  I believe good is the enemy of great.

…simply applying what you know to what another genius has already done.  Brillant, isn’t it?!

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.

This was a response to a recent statement I made that “Great minds don’t think alike, they think for themselves.”

“It’s true that people, generally, do not think alike, but if you are trained logically, there is tendency that you will think alike because you are faced with facts. Oh!  The other philosophy; “They think for themselves”.  This is obnoxious.  Anyone who thinks for his or herself alone is selfish, and has nothing positive to contribute to human race.”

Wow!  First let me say that most “facts” have the common flaw of being limited to the person’s perspective who’s presenting them.  So, please get as much information possible in order to make the best decision for yourself.  I’m sure no one would take issue with that…right?

And secondly, I wonder why anyone would think it’s defined as obnoxious when you’re not necessarily influenced by others…and because of so, you’re not capable of making a positive contribution to the human race?

I feel it’s my strong independent thinking which has created mutiple opportunities for me to help others.  I’m quite confident with a cookie cutter mindset, I wouldn’t have been able to have a positive impact when speaking to Bronx High School students (especially when I’m not an athlete or entertainer) or even have the gull to write a book that inspired a reader to reconnect with their father.

Regardless of how wrong or right, I love when what I think sparks others to think…so keep the feedback coming!!!

It’s the age old question, is a person more a product of their nature or their nurturing?  I’ve come to the conclusion that people are more a product of their nature.

I believe this to be true because who we are begins with our nature and it’s the individual’s nature that dictates the response to the nurturing.

For most of my life, I have always had to defend my process of doing things.  I’m a person who thrives in doing things my way and has never set out to do things just like everyone else.  Fortunately for me, I never bought into not doing something just because no one else was doing it.  I find this is a great way to continually challenge myself to become better at any and everything I do.

I say that to say…don’t get side tracked by focusing on the WHAT of an action.

The real power is found in the WHY of an action.  So many situations in life could or would be avoided if you were to begin to seek out the true intent of actions instead of merely focusing on the content.

Although this perspective may not always be the easiest to grasp, it has the greatest potential of being the most worthwhile.

If you can stlil udnesrtnad waht you are raednig rgiht now, deos is tkae aawy from the msesgae taht one shuold seacrh for intnet oevr contnet in actoins?

I’ve learned the best advice is given when the person asks what you’re attempting to do BEFORE they give it. It has never made sense to me when someone would just give advice without first inquiring about your wants. That makes about as much sense as someone giving you directions without them knowing where you’re heading.

In the constant pursuit of obtaining your destiny, you’ll find that the line between persistence and harassment becomes extremely blurred.

This is in response to Hillary Clinton claim of “misspeaking” regarding her trip to Bosnia.  I’ve come to realize there is confusion on the difference between misspeaking versus making stuff up.

Misspeaking is calling your wife by your mistress’ name.  Making stuff up is telling your wife that you didn’t have sexual relations with her.

Get the difference?

Some of my most doubtful moments are when I strive for excellence because I know mediocrity is only needed.