In our lives we will be faced with many different situations that we have to address. With each situation we a choice to make as to how we deal with it. Some things are easy and can be dealt with pretty easily. Other things are not as easy and it may take some time to address. With those situations, we tend to put them off and give ourselves justification as to why we did or didn't do something. It comes up again, another excuse. And again and another excuse and you keep

Don't let self doubt stop you from reaching your goal. You have all you need and more to be successful you just have to believe it. I do.

Be fully present where you are and push those distractions a way. Those around you deserve your full attention .

I truly saw this scripture personified today at an event I attended called "Huddle Up". It was the brain child and vision of a great friend of mine and brother Pastor Michael Pearl (I don't normally give names but I wanted to recognize him for what he has allowed God to do through him). This event was specifically focused on men and becoming a better name in all aspects. We have some great speakers and great small group discussions based on those topics. The event was AWE

You are such an important part of this world that it deserves to see who you really are. We all need to see who you really are.

Congratulations on what you were able to do. What's next?

In my last blog I mentioned not taking those around you for granted and spending time with family. This was before the tragic helicopter crash that killed the following (9) people: Kobe Bryant (41), Gianna Bryant (13), Alyssa Altobelli (13), John Altobelli (56), Kerry Altobelli (46), Christina Mauser (38), Sarah Chester (45), Payton Chester (13) and Ara Zobayan (50). I wanted to mention all the names because unfortunately we loose focus of the other ones that were on killed

I dare you!! That was all it took for you to do something when you were a kid. Although we were scared and didn't really want to do it, if you were dared you found the strength and courage to do it. Most of the time when you did it, it ended up not being that hard or scary. As we got older it became the game of Truth or Dare. Either way, you were going to do something that you were uncomfortable doing but just like when you were a kid, you found the strength and courage

When we are making plans for what it is that we want to do most of us create a backup plan or a "Plan B". This type of planning can undermine our efforts to really accomplishing our main goal or our "Plan A". This is because we have the mind set that we have something to fall back on just in case "Plan A" doesn't work. We actually start focusing on "Plan B" more than "Plan A" because it is a safer path and it is something that we are pretty confident we can do. We don't mak

Your circle of friends are very important when you are trying to move your life forward. These are people that will either support you in your effort or hinder you. It is very important to analyze those around you because your future depends on it. You have to be willing remove people who don't fit in your vision. I tell the youth that I talk to that as you go and grow through life your friends are going to change. As you mature the things that you use to do don't intere

You were on purpose so you have a purpose. I am not talking about on purpose from your parents, I am talking about on purpose from the Creator. Everyone created has a purpose. There is something that is inside of you that is needed to make this world a better place for someone. This writing is not about finding your purpose, that one will come later, this one is to tell you that you have purpose. You were not an accident or unplanned by the Creator. You are here at this

I know in life we are on a mission to get things done, to reach a goal, to do it, whatever it may be. That is great and I know you are going to make it but in doing that don't forget to take time and enjoy your life. Enjoy your family, enjoy your hobbies, enjoy nature or whatever it is that makes you happy. We miss out on soooo much by always being in a hurry and taking time to notice the things or people around us. Remember time is the most important thing that we have a

Repetition may seem boring and sometimes unnecessary but it is just the opposite. The act of doing things over and over again is what makes us better. Whether we are practicing for sports or working on an event or even earning the trust of someone, that continued action is what gets the break through. When we look at a sports figure, what makes them better? It's the continuous practice of the same thing over and over again. To shoot better 3 pointers, you don't shoot unti

I know that a lot of times we do focus on the things in our lives to get to the next level in whatever we do. We push ourselves to the limits and beyond to try and get to where we feel we are supposed to be. I have and will continue to encourage you to do that because we all want that next level success. What I am also going to emphasize is that you take some time and enjoy yourself. This could be taking some quality time and spend it with your family, it could be taking s

As we take time to celebrate the life of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, let's not just get caught in the music that she sang but think about the POWERFUL messages that she put to music. Of course one of her most popular was R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Then we have some like, "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man", "Think", "I Knew You Were Waiting", "Freeway of Love", "Precious Lord", "A Rose Still a Rose" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" just to name a very few of the songs she has sang du

Simply put, be true to who you are. Your authentic self. The you that you were created to be. There are too many of us that are trying to be the next <insert name here> when you were created to be you and not like or almost like someone else. It's ok to look at someone to see how they may have done or not done something but that is not necessarily your way. When I talk to people and they tell me "this person tried it and it didn't work" or "someone told me this person tr

It is funny to me when I look at different people/organizations that want to connect with me on the different social media platforms. I see their names and their pictures and they are showing stacks of money, awesome looking vacation spots, great cars, big houses and anything else that makes it look like they have something. They want to give you advice on how to get the things that you see but they don't even have the things that you see. They want you to buy their servic

I know as soon as you looked at the title of this blog it made you feel a certain way, especially if you have seen this happen around you. For those that don't know Webster defines Gentrification as "the process of repairing and rebuilding homes and businesses in a deteriorating area (such as an urban neighborhood) accompanied by an influx of middle-class or affluent people and that often results in the displacement of earlier, usually poorer residents". To put it simply, ou

Life is great, why aren't you enjoying it? I know that we are busy trying to accomplish our dreams and goals and that is great but I don't want us to get so caught up in doing that that we don't take some time and enjoy life. I know that a lot of us are doing things to try to make a better life for our family and for the future but in all that don't forget to be present. There needs to be a day that you, an evening, a few hours whatever is necessary that you put everything

With all the things that are going on in the world that get us bothered I am confident when I say that Life Is Great! When I look at my life and the many Blessings that I have in my life I cannot sit here and complain about the things that I don't like or agree with without recognizing all the positive. When I make the comparison there is no comparison. My Life Is Great! I look at where God has brought me to and I smile. I look who God has Blessed me to be a part of my l