I want to thank you... THANK YOU!
I want to congratulate you... CONGRATULATIONS!
I want to commend you on a job well done... BRAVO! WELL DONE!
You see... you've come such a long way to having the opportunity to read these words.
How about we count a few blessings...
Your Mom and Pops started talking...and somehow... out of the 40 million to 1.2 billion sperm cells...YOU my friend were the CHOSEN ONE! CONGRATULATIONS! You did it!
NEXT... YOU LIVE IN AMERICA: We Do What We Want & the worst problem we face is losing our cell phones or having no memory space for our next selfie or IG Post.
Some how some way you have leisure time versus hunting and gathering for survival.
You're surfing the web right now...pretty cool considering ya boi Eisenhower didn't put in orders for ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) until the late 1950's. That's pretty recent in our history I'd say.
Also, if you wanted food, I bet you could walk on over to the fridge or with a few clicks of a button or a tap of an app some kid looking to make ends meat will bring it right to you...like literally right to your face! lol Please Tip Him! #TheStruggle
I mention all these things because its so easy to get so lost in it all. Its so easy to be blind by all the bs; so easy to enlarge our own issues. For some reason we can't keep track of the blessings God sends our way...We or I...excuse me..., have found myself expecting only the good to take place. Its like air...we take it for granted. After each exhale we expect to inhale and inhale abundantly at that. To be real...it sometimes makes me sick to my stomach how our culture has become so entitled! Really!??? Put in some work! Stop crying...stop complaining...stop feeling sorry for yourself. To be quite frank...AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!
I challenge you to see the good in all challenges for the rest of this week. I challenge you to do something nice for someone who wouldn't expect it nor can ever repay you. Be a happy giver this week. Love someone even harder tomorrow. Write someone a hand written letter. Call your folks and tell them thank you for all their sacrifices to allow you to get to this point. Find your favorite teacher and tell them all the life lessons they provided you...they are waiting on your call! Heck, even get in the kitchen and learn that infamous family recipe! #ApronLifestyle
For me...I've been thinking a lot about my lasts breaths on this planet... You see...I've got High Blood Pressure, also known as the silent killer...its the only subject I remember in my High School Health Science Elective. lol Regardless, at the tender age of 16 I've had it. Now at 27 I still have it and sometimes I don't know if its my heart or my chest that aches.
The main questions I have are pretty simple:
Why are we here? What happens after I die? What was life like before I was even here? What was I doing before the 1st blessing mentioned above? Why do we have outer space? Whats really inside of a black hole? Will my name be written in God's Holy Book?
I say these are pretty typical questions...however my faith holds me firm. My focus is to love and encourage people and to make every breath count! My aim is to live on PURPOSE.
I suggest you do the same my friend...no more of these jobs you hate...or deferring of the dreams...for what? You only live once...as far as we know.
There is no "S" on my chest but, a HERO lives within!
Friday, March 20th, 2015
MIAMI- With the 10th Annual Jazz in the Gardens Music
Festival just around the corner, the Miramar Cultural Center played host to the
2015 WOMEN'S IMPACT CONFERENCE & LUNCHEON.
Women from all over the map came
to celebrate life, triumph and sisterhood in fellowship with one another.
These were the women of the world; varied races, creeds and
cultures; all engaged for an unforgettable journey of self-discovery! As the
beautiful aroma of perfume, love and laughter filled the air, you could sense
good vibes were in order.
To kick things off, Dee Thompson, Motivational Speaker, Life
Coach, and Sales Trainer, set the tone with her team members, Bernadette
Clayborne, Angela Pitts, Ray Shipman, and Shawn Saunders for the April 18th
event: Purpose Never Dies!
She explains that in this lifetime.... friendships,
business collaborations, individuals, and relationships will die around you,
however, your purpose never dies...it lives on through you!
For more details
visit: http://www.deethompsonspeaks2.com/
In living color, these ladies experienced beautiful decor laced with essential
activities associated with inspiration and motivation. They learned the beauty
of truly accepting themselves for who they are, where they come from and in turn learned to celebrate just how
far they have come.
Many over lapping themes played an essential role in empowering our Sheros. It was the duty of the 2015 WICL to constantly encourage our mothers, sisters
and daughters to live with purpose while remembering they are BOLD and Beautiful.
These lovely ladies were given tools to help them obtain
success for a lifetime! They learned to live centered and complete lives by
taking advantage of all of life's endless possibilities; by stepping into their
power and authority; by understanding their purpose, gifting and calling and financial duties within such a beautiful world.
Attendees were entertained, engaged and pampered between Super Shero Swag Bags, numerous vendors such as Golden Krust, Nesquik, Pangea Organics, Sporty Mommas, and The Jason Taylor Foundation, to name a few. Amazing food, live music and massages were all on hand in an effort to combating with the trials of life. In team tandem fashion, distinguished experts deliver powerful tips, tools and information on topics that inspired all day long.
With such a great lineup of speakers, this was the place to have your face! I believe some ladies were blessed with super strength upon their exit and flew away in an effort to fight crime. :)
Missed out on the fun?
Don't worry, the City of Miami Gardens is excited to present to
you and welcome you to the Tenth Annual Jazz in the Gardens music festival.
After nine years of unforgettable concert experiences and entertainment, this
event has grown to become one of the most highly regarded and anticipated music
festival events in the country.
The 2015 music festival will be hosted by
Celebrity comedian, author and now radio personality, DL Hughley!
Last year, this event garnered 68,000 guests, attracting both
locals and thousands of out-of-towners to the beautiful City of Miami Gardens.
Patrons enjoyed live performances by Grammy award-winning artists such as
Charlie Wilson, New Edition, Neyo, Earth Wind & Fire, Gladys Knight, Kenny
"Babyface" Edmonds, LL Cool J, Fantasia, Mary J. Blige, Kenny G, and Mary
Mary all while reveling in a
wide variety of ethnically diverse foods and top notch merchandise from all
around the world.
On March 21st &
22nd Jazz in the Gardens will be jazzing the magical tradition at Sun Life
Stadium, hosting an event that will surely surpass last years' experience with
another illustrious lineup that continues to make this festival second to none.
Miami Artist Troy Simmons, Solo Show at Context Art Fair
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Constance Simmons: (305)788-7252
November 24, 2014
MIAMI, FL--Local artist Troy Simmons has immersed himself in his latest artwork, exploring the evolution of urbanism and nature’s persistence to coexist. A consistent theme, which echoes true to his intense fascination with nature and modern Brutalist Architecture.
Under the direction of Jan Kossen Contemporary Art Gallery in Basel, Switzerland, Simmons will
showcase his new concrete work during a solo show at CONTEXT Miami Art Fair December 2nd at booth #E75. He will also have several pieces on display at SCOPE Art Show Miami Beach.
His massive, large-scale concrete canvases are a mix of acrylic paints and raw materials. At first
glance, the magnitude of his work is clearly realized. Most of his pieces weight over 100
pounds. A rough and raw relationship often described as a cataclysmic illustration of urbanism.
Simmons calls his work a “re-incarnation of the Arte Povera genre” where the inclusion of simple natural elements, such as wood and soil takes an integral part in the creation of the art.
His intended goal is to create a playful mix of the hard and soft, expressing the ideological perceptions of binary relationships. Rochi Llaneza, Former Executive Director of Hardcore Contemporary Art, curated his first show in Miami in 2009. She says, “Creating an algorithm of inspired imagery, Simmons’ connection to his ecological charged pieces is clearly reflected in his use of re-purposed materials.”
The inspiration behind his latest collection evolved after a recent trip to Germany. He spent
time with his wife’s family exploring Baden-Württemberg in the southern part of the country.
The postwar architecture is a fragmentation of Germany’s traditional heritage mixed with
simple modern construction.
Simmons currently works as a full-time artist, but his educational background is in Architecture and Environmental Science. He studied at Sam Houston State University and worked as an
Environmental Lab Technician in Houston, Texas. He later went on to Oklahoma State University and earned a degree in Architectural Design.
Simmons is a Resident Artist at the Bakehouse Artist Complex in Miami’s Wynwood Art District.
Samples of his current work at www.TroySimmonsStudio.com.
I have been DIAGNOSED w/ a DISEASE- please please please... Pray for Me!
Friends, I write to you... from a place of great discomfort, depths of weakness, a state of vulnerability, all immersed in a sea full of salt-filled tears and a deadly combination of anguish and sorrow.
My eyes lay heavy... as tears free fall past my cheek...
It is easy for me to sit here and question Why me? Why me? Why not them?
But the real question is... Why not me? Why not me? Why not? For I am no different than them!
You see, for quite some time, I've neglected and ignored the speech my body put forward. Every throb of mental anguish, and every tense moment neglected. Questions... have been drag-racing through my brain along the streets of self-doubt as well as the highways and byways of worry. But, as fate would have it, I kept on driving, missing every turnaround opportunity, every pit stop to safety and security that came my way. I simply had no care in the world to stop... like a midnight trucker late for a delivery, I kept driving. With the windows down, no seat belt, music blaring and my hair flowing in the winds without a care in the world, sign after sign, I ignored them all; until the fumes became apparent, the engine light to my health and sanity was blinking and now my mind was in a midnight-black, cloud of disarray...the time had come to face the music for I was lost... and then... BOOM! Things "Geaux" black. I've totaled myself.
Friend, to me...TRUTH equals LOVE. The truth is love and in that lay Freedom. In all her beauty and honor she sits there like a proud and loving mother. Surrounding yourself with people who constantly tell you what you want to hear isn't helping you...it's not! I for one, am not a "Yes Man." So, in sharing my story with you I hope to accomplish a few things. 1) I want you to understand that sharing these words is out of complete and utter Love, Truth & Compassion. 2) My hope for you is that perhaps a word, phrase or visual, will help save your life in some way! 3) May you share something "Of Good Cheer" with someone you know or even someone you don't. 4) May these words not only challenge you, but encourage you to live a life without fear and FULL of Fearlessness and ultimately help you understand a great deal more about the value of your Self-worth!
My Condition
I suffer from what I call, (OCD) wait...wait...wait...not what you're thinking of, yet its a rare condition better known as "Obsession Comparison Disorder." I'm sure you've never been exposed to this.
If I look back at my life, for years I have been like this and most of the time "Didn't Even Know It!" I believe it started when I was at the age of 2 years old, wanting whatever building blocks my peers had (the ones different from mine of course). From there it escalated to snack time in day care; I was constantly refusing to share animal crackers or PB & J sandwiches while stealing the Oreos and gummy worms from the kids I didn't like or felt inferior to.
In high school, it took on a more serious and chronic phase as what we know as the social norms became the catalyst for my disease. Things like "being liked," popularity and having the coolest clothes became the new obsession. Funny thing is, the older I get...it seems as though I don't, can't and won't rid myself of this plague. And my my my... My God! This disease that has been tormenting me since the "Terrible 2's" has been everything Terrible and nothing Terrific. Within the last 6-8 years its mutated and multiplied!
During my time as a student-athlete at LSU may have been the toughest moments of my sickness. I mean life was tough. I was a nobody (at least in my mind) and I was being thrust into a world I didn't quite understand...filled with drugs, sex, little to no money except what was wired from the parentals here and there but what there was an abundance of was...well...freedom! I went from living a life built on complete structure to having to build a life of complete structure! Are you serious?
Broke, hungry, lost with no friends... yet, there was one thing inside me that kept this plague from eating my flesh and that was my "ambition!" Without my ambition to make the team...I would've fallen to the wayside. However, even though football was my safe haven, it was also a deadly temptation. I seen my teammates go from dead broke to Millionaires. I seen zeros turned into "Hero." Oh, and the magic of the ole' pick-up truck my Grand Daddy used to drive turned into the new Big Body, Black-on-Black Escalade or a yellow and lime green lamborghini I know own. Perhaps it was TV. Or, lets blame it on the music. Pshhhh, how about I blame social media or maybe even the movies. But, why? Why even bother? The truth is, I was trying to by a one-way-ticket on the "Money Train, too!" Yet, they only accepted the Strongest, Fastest and More Talented Currency, while I'd only been given a dollar and a dream!
My worry is that perhaps you or someone you know may suffer from the same barrage of relentless attacks; same agonizing anguish, same manipulative self-doubt and chronic worry.
But yet again...I'm quite sure I am a rare case and you've been spared. Today, I have found myself consumed...consumed by not just wheather I am liked, but rather when I Share, Post, Click or Tweet that millions of you decide to simply CLICK "LIKE." I suffer from Obsessive Comparison Disorder (OCD).
Mirror, mirror on Facebook, tell me how my life should look!
Mirror, mirror on Instagram, tell me who I really am!
"I feel as though I'm no longer pretty, no longer smart and no longer liked. Facebook says I have 2,147 friends and Instagram acknowledges I have 1,787 followers on my page but only 77 pressed "Like." I can't believe this! I feel ugly and unwanted. What am I to do? Is this just me or is it happening to you too?"
Symptoms: In case you were wondering if you suffer from Obsessive Comparison Disorder (OCD), look below to see if you can identify with any of the symptoms below?
One might find it difficult to celebrate the successes of others.
Do you find yourself always complaining? Leading with statements such as, "What about me?" or Why didn't I, or "But Me" or "But I."
Perhaps you find it difficult to give compliments to others.
Maybe you wish harm or misfortune unto others or simply someone else.
Characteristics of Pride (makes you feel superior to others).
Characteristics of Envy (makes you feel inferior to others).
Characteristics of Comparison (The "ER" effect: ER... big-ER, cool-ER, smart-ER, fast-ER, nice-ER)
Are you running to purchase whatever the "Jones'" (Trend Setters) have and you don't even know who the Jones' are?!!!
Are you constantly finding one's self spending money in order to enter in the "Debt Retirement Program" aka buying plenty things you don't and won't need...compulsive shopping or spending.
Your brain only operates on a "I WANT" basis, not I NEED basis.
Note: These are only a few...Join in on the fun and add in your symptoms too!
Oh yeah...this is a good one... how many selfies lay inside that device? You know, pictures of only you or you posing to live the so called "Good Life?" That thing may have you chained and slain like the picture back up top!
"I speak to you from my weakness..." -OG
Is this you?
Can you relate?
What is it that you are constantly chasing? Constantly yearning for? Obsessed with?
Is it him? or Is it her?
Is it a destination? A feeling? A drug or looks? A car? A house? Success? Money? Clothes? Status? Sex?
Whatever your OCD is... realize its eating away at you, your time, and your destiny day in and day out, "You" are losing your Self-worth and more importantly, losing touch with the Gift of Life God gave you! There is no one on this planet, nor that has ever lived that is "Just Like You!" You're unique. You're all that and the bag of chips! The good thing is, if you didn't know, perhaps I went through all this...simply to press "Post This!" So, sit back, take a deep breath and enjoy the show as you click below:
Great News!!! Watch this!
I am Second: Wayne Huizenga
www.iamsecond.com
Here is the Cure!
Understand that comparison is the destroyer of your destiny! So, run your own race! Lets not be concerned with what we are not gifted in or what we don't have.
Remember, OCD will kill your joy, steal your peace, and suffocate your sanity!
OCD is a cancer to contentment!
OCD will consistently cloud the clarity of the "Calling" that God has on your life. Because quite frankly, there is a major difference between a Career and a Calling!
Career- What you are paid to do!
Calling- What you are made to do! Guess what? God's given you everything you need within "You" to fulfill that mission!
The mold was broken when God made you! You are wonderfully and uniquely made!
Realize that "You Sir" or "Ma'am" are a #MASTERPIECE!!!
Say it with me 3 Times, " I AM A MASTERPIECE..." (NOW... go find some velvet rope to drape yourself in while you walk around the office or on campus telling the world that you're a "MASTERPIECE!" lol
The last one is simple...Stay in your lane...and... Run your own race!
It is time you LOVE YOURSELF! OR better yet, "LIKE" YOURSELF!
If and only if...
share it.
; )
Blog inspired by Trinity Church in Miami Gardens, FL and guest speaker Robert Madu
I'm proud I'm happy I'm me I'm moving forward... you push me back.
I'm successful I'm diligent I'm willing I'm climbing the mountain...you step on my fingers.
I'm feeling the pressure I'm moving past it I'm nervous...you assure me that I will fail.
I'm learning I'm growing I'm confident I got accepted... you assure me that I'll never graduate.
I've been hurt I've been lied to I've been burned I've been scammed... you assure me that it all will happen again!
I made it I got the job I live where I had always planned... and you still hating?
Who are you? Why are you this way? Why do you hate me so? Does it pleasure you to see me fail?
You know what...I thank God for perspective. While the rest of the world is still talking about their haters...I understand that you will never stop me! Only I can stop myself.
I understand that deep deep deep down inside you...you're disappointed in yourself! The difference between you and I is that I made a decision. I had a vision. I set goals. I made plans. More importantly, I put action to my words and made things happen. Some of you want to sleep more than you want to be successful. I don't sleep anymore because I realize I have an opportunity of a lifetime!
You see...you don't really hate me. In fact, you hate yourself because I am merely the reflection that you always wanted to be! So...its all good! Feel free to hate on me. By no means am I perfect and I know you know it! But... God will keep using me. I'll pray for you in the meantime.
I write to you in a state of awe and with a humbled heart. I want you to know that if I am not making someone else's life better, I'm wasting my time; wasting my life.
And with that...I speak these brief words to you:
May all the rest of your days shine bright and may you find them pleasing to your heart's delight.
May your passion, wisdom and ambition take you farther than you've ever envisioned.
May you continue to smile; so inviting, so soothing; a gift to the human eye.
May you continue to care, to share and to give back to those who can't give to themselves. For He first gave to us, so we shall pay it forward.
Your beauty lay within the confidence of your soul. The adventure in your eyes allows for all of us to look deep inside you; in essence, challenging us to see ourselves; to question our true being; who we are and where we are going.
You are beautiful Ballerina...from inside-out. The moment I witnessed your dance from the crowed about...
Through the many people, flashing lights and loud music, I saw something different in you. I feel as though through your dance... I truly caught a glimpse of you; truly got to know you.
The shadows of your being is all we can truly see. From a distance, we struggle to find a true understanding of the life it is that you see. But I must say...thank you for letting me in; for even if it were just a moment.
Most of us are snuggled, excited, and patiently awaiting what it is that we've all hoped to see. We don't know your pain, we don't know your struggle. We don't know your trials, hurt or triumph...however all we await is the moment you speak to us; dance for us; to our hearts, to our minds, to our souls. For the moment the curtains rise; the moment the show begins.
Curtains Please! Lights! Action!
You spoke to me. You spoke to us! Regardless of what everyone else heard or what they saw...I to have been in your shoes. I too have performed for the crowd; for the spectator; for my hater. I too have a story to tell and whom a better person than you? I invite you to show me where it hurts so that I may have the opportunity to show my loyalty and care to you. I invite you to show me why you care so that I may share similar stories that I promise will interest you.
Speak to us. Speak to me. Speak to us. Speak to me. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! We all chant.
Speak to us. Thank you for your talent. Thank you for your dance. You've been destined to share with the world; you are no longer just a little, cute ole' girl.
Your strength, your might, your goodness and kind heart; all a reflection for what you've determined to become your self designed art.
May all the rest of your days shine bright and may you find them pleasing to your heart's delight.
May your passion, wisdom and ambition take you farther than you've ever envisioned.
May you continue to smile; so inviting, so soothing; so pleasing to the human eye.
May you continue to care, to share and to give back to those who can't give to themselves.
For He first gave to us, so we shall pay it forward as well.
Its 2:31am on Saturday morning...and I'm hoping to get this to you by your normal "Rise N Grind."
A year ago, I witnessed "How bad do you want it part 1." The clip ignited the fire that lay within me. With Giavanni Ruffin's workout visual in combination with your narration about the Guru; I was consumed and infected all at once... diagnosed with a case of hatred for average; taste buds disgusted by the distaste of being content with "Just getting by." In fact, if I'd been admitted to the ER, I would've been considered suffering with a case of Anaphylaxis: an extreme form of an allergic reaction that can cause loss of consciousness!
With that being said...let me be 100:
From the depths of my heart, I can never THANK YOU enough!
From one black man to another... I thank you for... for so... so ... so much!
Thank you for your passion!
Thank you for your truth!
Thank you for your hustle!
Thank you for your story!
Thank you for setting the example!
Thank you for never ever giving up!
Thank you for allowing God to use you!
In case you awake missing an ounce of your excitement and passion may you remember that you're changing the world one second at a time; one clip at a time; one click at a time; one message at a time!
May you remember that "We" hear you loud and clear! "We" see you and you don't even know it! You're changing our lives one soul at a time and we will in turn share the good news one post at a time!
ET, you're the Diamond that had to but cut the most...for our sake that is! Your beauty, your gift, and your triumph is our light! Your testimony is the catalyst that ignites the lights of your hometown that is Detroit and serves as the lighthouse to the rest of the souls lost at sea. We hear you! We see you!
Thank you for being you! Thank you for representing us! Thank you for not becoming just another statistic. Thank you for the grind! Thank you for the hustle! Thank you for the fight! Thank you for understanding Corporate America! Thank you for being a family man! Thank you for being faithful! Thank you for the push!
I want you to know... I'm using my pain to push me toward GREATNESS!
I'm also a Home Town Hero: Harker Heights, Texas is where I'm from.
Harker Heights High is where I return to speak!
Where I'm from... kids are lost every year to senseless violence, drugs, depression and stupidity. In Texas, a major emphasis is placed on sport and many of these students feel like its the only way out! I go back to tell them that its not but...if they do take this path, I encourage them, coach them and educate them on how to navigate it!
My Pride stems from the following: Being a Black Man in America! Growing up as Texas Boys! Earning a 2007 National Championship as a LSU Tiger! Achieving a second degree though I'm not fond of school! Making it to the NFL!
I focused on the cheese!
I got the 4 year degree when I hated school.
I got the Masters because someone took a chance on me!
I realized the New rules, New codes, New language! while at LSU.
Since I was a kid, making it to the league was my dream!
And, I did feel like I had something to prove to the folks back home; like I was carrying my city on my back.
I now understand that I had to give up to grow up as well as learn from my homeboys mistakes.
I chose wisely, and just as I began to question the outcome of my life...God allowed our paths to cross one more time!
I look forward to meeting you next week! I know you'll be a blessing to my organization and I'm geeked!
ET, you have something great in you! Thank you for the grind! Thank you for pushing me to grow, to learn and for teaching me to maximize my time!
I'm willing to make the changes; to give up what takes away from GREATNESS; I'm willing to get cut like a diamond!
Make me! Shape me! Mold me! I'd rather die like Christ than live unholy!
