30 Apr. 2009 ... Today's Thought.

Definition of God's sense of humor:

It was once said that a black man would be president of the United States "when pigs fly." Indeed 100 days into Obama's presidency ... Swine Flu!

29 Apr. 2009 ... Today's Thought.

"Take a perfectly good flashlight & 2 new batteries, but keep them apart & they're pretty much worthless, but if you put them together you can find your way out of the darkness. In order to succeed you have to have valuable teammates, & you must put them together!" ~ HSRjr.

27 Apr. 2009 ... Today's Thought.

"It is well to respect the leader. Learn from him. Observe him. Study him. But don't worship him. Believe you can surpass. Believe you can go beyond. Those who harbor the second-best attitude are invaribly second-best doers." ~ David J. Schwartz, Ph.D.

26 Apr. 2009 ... Today's Thought.

People in a dispute will never find common ground if neither party is as willing to accept their faults as they are committed to proving themselves right & the other party wrong. The person who is always right in his mind is often not so in the world.
~HSRjr.

25 Apr. 2009 ... Today's Thought.

A child should feel comfortable enough to know he or she can play with their parents - when the time calls for it. There were times when my parents would say, "I'm not one of your little running partners out in the street," and other times when they would say, "I'm the best friend you'll ever have." My 6 year old son & I goof around all the time, but he also knows when the heat is coming too. Fear grows into respect. Discipline instilled by parents becomes discipline maintained by self in their absence.

~HSRjr.

24 Apr. 2009 ... Today's Thought.

"One of the reasons why there are more unsuccessful people than there are successful people is because successful people realize that success is not a birth-right. They realize that success is not something you are entitled to because of where you were born or who you are. They realize that success is something that is rewarded based upon what you do and where you take take yourself while doing it."

~HSRjr.

23 Apr. 2009 ... Today's Thought.

"In life, no one can do everything alone; least of all become truly successful. People will encourage you & others will betray you. Both have been put into your life to help you. Those who betray you serve a valuable purpose. They bring balance to your journey for surely you can't reach the top of the peaks if you don't spend time down in the valleys. Just stay grinding & leave the rest in God's Hands. You'll be fine!"

~HSRjr

OOOOOOO-Klaaaaa-Homaaaa!

On Monday I'm going to Oklahoma for 3 days to record the audiobook version of "FIND A WAY." I don't know if I'll be able to go online at my hotel, so in my absence remember that the fulfillment of your dreams does not come in a sudden explosion. It's the result small concentrated blasts of successful endeavors & the painful 'poof' of the duds when things don't quite go right.

Expect the BOOM ... Prepare for the POOF!

Who Do You Choose? How How Do You Choose?

A young man on a chat forum I frequent posed the following question:

You meet someone who meets all your requirements for a mate except financially. Then you meet someone who only meets the financial requirement . They both ask you out. Which one do you go with?

Even though I tend to stay away from relationship advice (Lord knows I'm a handful) I felt moved to share my response with you my response to him.

My initial thought was to say date both, but after reading the other responses another question popped up in my head ... what are your other requirements & how important are they to you? What ranking do things like humor, fidelity, attractiveness ... even hygiene, have on your list of requirements - including your financial requirement?

What good is being with someone who can help you pay the bills, but turns your stomach everywhere else? What good is having a beautiful mate who helps in making you LOOK good, but does nothing to help you BE good?

People need to begin thinking and living for the future and must start attracting like minded people into their circle. Eddie Murphy once said, "there are no perfect people - you just have to find someone who's as F**k'd up as you are and make a go!" To some degree, this is brutally true.

However ... This is NOT an end-all/be-all strategy. Personally, in this context, I believe there are 3 types of relationships:

1. The relationship where you motivate your mate to improve him/herself.
2. The relationship where your mate motivates you to step your game up.
3. The relationship where you are both on a level playing field.

There is work involved in pulling someone up. There is work involved in taking the intiative to step your game up, and there is work involved in building together from the same starting point.

In the end ... how much work are you willing to put in for your overall well-being?

FOCUS - Follow One Course Until Successful

Just three years ago, I decided to become focused on my financial future. I took action by reading. The two most prolific books that put me on the right track were "Rich Dad/Poor Dad" & "The Richest Man in Babylon."

I became focused when I decided to become a motivational speaker. I became even more focused when I began writing what I was saying, then becoming an author.I self-published my first book, "FIND A WAY TO MAKE A WAY! You're Either Part of the Problem or You're Part of the Solution!" two years ago. I was able to sell enough books on my own to make my initial invetment back and buy a new personal stock of copies to sell ... Then I sold those copies and had a little bit of "extra change" in my pocket.

But see ... My speaking and my writing are not about making money - not now. No, right now I'm planting seeds and laying down the foundation. Right now, I'm getting my message out. Right now, I am walking the talk and living my life in such a way that proves my beliefs - especially the belief that you can succeed & have whatever you want as long as you put in the work for it & earn it!


With that said, the grind continues. Last year in 2008, all while self-selling my book, the people on my team were looking for different avenues for us to continue reaching new heights. We met with a publishing house & signed to a deal to have "FIND A WAY" re-released as a 2nd edition (see right). In fact, this coming Monday I will be going to Oklahoma to record the CD/Audiobook version.

THIS YEAR, I committed myself to stepping my game up. I have gone about putting myself out into the world to meet new people and have met SO MANY more people than I ever expected.

Even though the title of this post says "Follow ONE Course Until Successful," those who are truly successful realize that there will always be smaller twists and turns on the path to becoming successful.

Les Brown once said that achieving your goals is like an airplane taking off. You don't just go from the runway straight to cruising altitude. Before it reaches the smooth flying of its cruising altitude, it burns a great deal of fuel overcoming the turbulence that exists between the runway and that desired altitude. Even after having achieved cruising altitude, that plane doesn't fly in a straight line to its destination. The plane goes off course dozens of times before it locks into its coordinates for a smooth landing.

In life, as you strive to achieve your goals there will be all kinds of factors that will cause you to go off course. How many kids actually grow up and become what they said they wanted to be when they were five or six years old? In achieving your goals you have to be able to roll with the punches, overcome your obstacles, and maneuver through the misty fog of doubt.

When thinking of focus, think of this, if you take a flashlight and shine it at a wall, the beam hits it and spreads. If you take a laser pointer and point it at a wall, the beam hits and remains the same size of its lense. Although the source is the same - light - the difference behind what happens when the light hits the wall is ... focus. The flashlight lense is not as concentrated, or focused, as the laser pointer. If you apply more power to that beam and intensify its focus; it will go through that wall, the wall behind it, and depending on the level of power, endlessly onward.

If your focus is strong enough you can overcome any obstacle. Me ... I'm so focused I can see the future as though it were yesterday!

Embracing the Entrepreneurial Spirit - Walking the Walk