Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Lately...
Not too many posts these last couple of weeks and for that, I apologize. I'm working on a few things and I will share as soon as I can. No lateral moves.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Keep It 100 (Part 2)
To continue with this "Keep it 100," I would like to start with a question: Are you on the come-up or still making lateral moves? So many of us confuse the concepts unconsciously. But if you take them as literal; situation-by-situation, you will find that you may do both. If we are to continually evolve as a species, then it is apparent that being on "the come-up" is a constant goal that is never-ending. Why then, do we hinder our evolution with making lateral moves? And do those lateral moves serve a true purpose, or simply show us the error of our ways in relation to our path?
To quote Gary Zukav again "...A nonphysical Teacher brings you closer to your soul. It draws your attention to the vertical path, and to the difference between the vertical path and the horizontal path..." Well that certainly sounds like the difference between "coming-up and lateral movement!" He continues forward to also illustrate the depth of relationships, which is the point I will share. Think hard about the times of your life that seemed to be the most inactive, dull, or non-fulfilling. It seemed like you kept meeting the same bad friends over and over again... You dated the same guy/girl a dozen times... You keep going through the same shit at work, regardless of where you are employed. It's the same thing over and over and over and over...
When we typically break such a cycle, it is ususally marked by a sudden change in either our environment, ourselves, or both. When we elevate from that rudiment, we are usually cool. Until what? We get complacent again. I personally feel that complacency is the devil! (in my Bobby Boucher's mama voice) We not only serve ourselves a disservice, but also those around us. We are still organic beings that require movement (circulation, if you will) variety of experiences, and challenges to keep us growing. When we halt that process for whatever reason, we are simply cutting off our oxygen.
Now getting back to the original question/point of it all, what are you doing? If you are engaged in the lateral right now, why do you think that is? In my opinion, it all lies with our intentions... Our selfish intentions. Of course if you are only looking for one or two self-serving things in a relationship, you will continue to date the same person. Not only has your personality not changed at all, but neither have your wishes. The Universe will always give you what you ask for, let's never forget that. The point to much of our makeup is having intentions and desires that are outside of ourselves. We don't live our lives for our own gratification. When we attempt to, we only end up disappointed, confused, complacent, lateral.
I personally know a young lady who has a several children by different brothas and now complains that she can't meet "good" guys. Really? I mean, really? Did you just say that with your mouth? You ARE meeting good guys... the guys good enough for you! And until she wants to have more than her simple, physical desires met, she will continue to be greeted by the same brotha: the only one who recognizes her. You see, we present ourselves to the World every single day and that presentation is indicative of our purpose, intentions, emotions, goals, etc. That presentation embodies who we are and it never lies. We only lie to ourselves.
Now, that same sister also said of her children "I'm tired of these kids all around here! Why can't I get 'me' time? I never get a chance to do anything for me!" Well, didn't you do a lot for YOU when YOU got knocked up six times? Wasn't that for you? Wasn't that "me" time? I may be confused... Now, as I read these words and remember her expressions, I can't help but feel bad for how sincere she was. You see, we disillusion ourselves to feel like we deserve anything in the World. We can trick ourselves into thinking we are "doing our best, or maximizing our potential," but at the end of the day... We produce what we plant and we have to eat it; good or bad.
I am keeping my commitment to not allow lateral moves in my life in any area: work, love, friendships, etc. "Move up or move out" should be the ethos for today's people. No more straddling the fence. No more lateral moves.
To quote Gary Zukav again "...A nonphysical Teacher brings you closer to your soul. It draws your attention to the vertical path, and to the difference between the vertical path and the horizontal path..." Well that certainly sounds like the difference between "coming-up and lateral movement!" He continues forward to also illustrate the depth of relationships, which is the point I will share. Think hard about the times of your life that seemed to be the most inactive, dull, or non-fulfilling. It seemed like you kept meeting the same bad friends over and over again... You dated the same guy/girl a dozen times... You keep going through the same shit at work, regardless of where you are employed. It's the same thing over and over and over and over...
When we typically break such a cycle, it is ususally marked by a sudden change in either our environment, ourselves, or both. When we elevate from that rudiment, we are usually cool. Until what? We get complacent again. I personally feel that complacency is the devil! (in my Bobby Boucher's mama voice) We not only serve ourselves a disservice, but also those around us. We are still organic beings that require movement (circulation, if you will) variety of experiences, and challenges to keep us growing. When we halt that process for whatever reason, we are simply cutting off our oxygen.
Now getting back to the original question/point of it all, what are you doing? If you are engaged in the lateral right now, why do you think that is? In my opinion, it all lies with our intentions... Our selfish intentions. Of course if you are only looking for one or two self-serving things in a relationship, you will continue to date the same person. Not only has your personality not changed at all, but neither have your wishes. The Universe will always give you what you ask for, let's never forget that. The point to much of our makeup is having intentions and desires that are outside of ourselves. We don't live our lives for our own gratification. When we attempt to, we only end up disappointed, confused, complacent, lateral.
I personally know a young lady who has a several children by different brothas and now complains that she can't meet "good" guys. Really? I mean, really? Did you just say that with your mouth? You ARE meeting good guys... the guys good enough for you! And until she wants to have more than her simple, physical desires met, she will continue to be greeted by the same brotha: the only one who recognizes her. You see, we present ourselves to the World every single day and that presentation is indicative of our purpose, intentions, emotions, goals, etc. That presentation embodies who we are and it never lies. We only lie to ourselves.
Now, that same sister also said of her children "I'm tired of these kids all around here! Why can't I get 'me' time? I never get a chance to do anything for me!" Well, didn't you do a lot for YOU when YOU got knocked up six times? Wasn't that for you? Wasn't that "me" time? I may be confused... Now, as I read these words and remember her expressions, I can't help but feel bad for how sincere she was. You see, we disillusion ourselves to feel like we deserve anything in the World. We can trick ourselves into thinking we are "doing our best, or maximizing our potential," but at the end of the day... We produce what we plant and we have to eat it; good or bad.
I am keeping my commitment to not allow lateral moves in my life in any area: work, love, friendships, etc. "Move up or move out" should be the ethos for today's people. No more straddling the fence. No more lateral moves.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Build or Destroy (Part 1)
People, we only build or destroy. It's that simple. We unfortunately categorize our experiences, dealings with others, and conclusions by the emotional effect they had on us. However, that is a moot point, at best. Let's start by asking ourselves "did I build or destroy" in situations. You see, we can fool ourselves into thinking that we can live this life that is only surface, but any intelligent mind cannot rest with that assumption. We know "for every action, there is a reaction;" we also know "you reap what you sow;" among many other idioms. I believe they all stem from a general principle: you either build or destroy.
To share an experience, I recently discussed this concept with a sister about the same age as me. She has a tendency to allow her work environment, her children, and her own insecurities to take precedence over reason (which I am guilty of as well, at times.) So I explained to her that there are only two things that we can produce (destruction and life, for this example,) and the acknowledgment of how we are performing is representative of how well we manage those two. So she asks me, "what does 'building' have to do with my bad ass kid? I want to 'destroy' bad behavior!" Good question/point. We would have to go back to the beginning to tackle that...
As parents, grandparents, uncles/aunts, etc, the proverbial rod-of-correction is one that is wielded without much regard. But as you seek to destroy bad behavior, what do you build up in it's place? I get it, you want your lil man/girl to make better grades. But is whupping them for failing an adequate response? What does that instill? Does it teach them that the world beats down someone who makes mistakes? Would that encourage them to try ANYTHING again? Probably not. So we continued the discussion on what can you do to build them up? Get a tutor? Maybe. I think it's deeper than that. I suggested providing another outlet altogether. Where one struggles in academia, they will succeed elsewhere. Let's face it, school and the routine is a skill within itself. It's a skill that not everyone is proficient in. So why not find out what someone's strength is? I summed it up by asking what else is the child interested in and why can't they do more of that?
I am not that old or too young. What I have learned so far is only because I listened to those around me kind enough to put a lil nigga up on game. For every "C" student, there is an entrepreneur, dancer, actor, broker, musician, philanthropist, etc, inside. What I urged my friend and anyone else for that matter, is to focus on "building" as a lifestyle. No one is good at everything. Even more so, a lot of people aren't good at what you THINK they should be good at. Look at me... I'm 6'6", Black, athletic build, and can't play basketball for shit. This country says I'm supposed to be good at it though. Matter of fact, people ONLY ask me if I play basketball! LOL!
I am going to continue this discussion and hopefully I am going in a direction that you dig. If not, then "build" up a wall to keep the swag out. Chuurch.
To share an experience, I recently discussed this concept with a sister about the same age as me. She has a tendency to allow her work environment, her children, and her own insecurities to take precedence over reason (which I am guilty of as well, at times.) So I explained to her that there are only two things that we can produce (destruction and life, for this example,) and the acknowledgment of how we are performing is representative of how well we manage those two. So she asks me, "what does 'building' have to do with my bad ass kid? I want to 'destroy' bad behavior!" Good question/point. We would have to go back to the beginning to tackle that...
As parents, grandparents, uncles/aunts, etc, the proverbial rod-of-correction is one that is wielded without much regard. But as you seek to destroy bad behavior, what do you build up in it's place? I get it, you want your lil man/girl to make better grades. But is whupping them for failing an adequate response? What does that instill? Does it teach them that the world beats down someone who makes mistakes? Would that encourage them to try ANYTHING again? Probably not. So we continued the discussion on what can you do to build them up? Get a tutor? Maybe. I think it's deeper than that. I suggested providing another outlet altogether. Where one struggles in academia, they will succeed elsewhere. Let's face it, school and the routine is a skill within itself. It's a skill that not everyone is proficient in. So why not find out what someone's strength is? I summed it up by asking what else is the child interested in and why can't they do more of that?
I am not that old or too young. What I have learned so far is only because I listened to those around me kind enough to put a lil nigga up on game. For every "C" student, there is an entrepreneur, dancer, actor, broker, musician, philanthropist, etc, inside. What I urged my friend and anyone else for that matter, is to focus on "building" as a lifestyle. No one is good at everything. Even more so, a lot of people aren't good at what you THINK they should be good at. Look at me... I'm 6'6", Black, athletic build, and can't play basketball for shit. This country says I'm supposed to be good at it though. Matter of fact, people ONLY ask me if I play basketball! LOL!
I am going to continue this discussion and hopefully I am going in a direction that you dig. If not, then "build" up a wall to keep the swag out. Chuurch.
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