I must have written about 50 emails to Bright this past week entailing information about obtaining success. On our mighty quest to find the ingredients for success aka THE BLUEPRINT for dreamers; I've found that one particular flavor overpowers the entire gumbo. I've been consciously researching success for at least the past 4 years. In fact it is the main reason for this site. We wanted to discover, and share with all, the blueprint to finding one's dreams. We thought, hell if we could learn how to grow and to gain success; perhaps others out there would heed the call as well.
In the beginning I thought it was talent, that if one was talented enough they could surely become successful. Maybe one had to be born with a hidden genius that predisposed her to a particular occupation thus giving her an advantage. But after a few years in the music industry trying desperately to "put on" a music producer with superb talent; I noticed that wasn't the case. There were several talents (producers, rappers, singers) who were highly successful (meaning they had obtained their initial dreams) with marginal amounts of talent (that's subjective of course).
That led me to research work ethic, maybe in order to make it to the "top" of the pile, one had to train like a total psycho, give up all comfort and attain success THE HARD WAY. I reasoned it had to be perseverance. If one could only persevere long enough he could finally reach his goal of being a (fill in the blank). In 08, I begin training with religious-like attention, waking up at 4:30 am, running the hills of Los Angeles and torturing myself with sprinting with chains and tires. I would work after and then hit the repeat button the next day. But I started to find counter arguments to this hypothesis, there were lazy people, chillin' at the gym, and all around me who had also found a way to manifest their dreams. How in the hell could this be? They irritated me as they sipped their lattes at Starbucks.
Well maybe it was education. In order to reach a certain level of one's dream one would have to possess the faculties of higher education via experience, college, a master's program or doctorate. If one had enough knowledge than he could reach his goal of obtaining one's dream. I looked at my own situation out of desperation. The majority of my friends had obtained an advanced degree (masters/doctorate). Maybe it was time for me to take it up a notch and gain more knowledge in order to get closer to my dream. The problem was, some of them didn't even have a job let alone a dream career. Most of you know someone with several degrees that hasn't gained any ground in reaching their dreams. Kanye, is a poster boy for this argument.
Then what the hell is the secret ingredient to success? You guys have no idea of my level of exhaustion, to what extent I've tiredly studied until the wee hours in the morning seeking this answer. I've studied ancient philosophers, religious doctrines, self help gurus, rappers, poets, actors, teachers. You name them, there's a 50/50 chance I've researched their theories. I couldn't shake it, I had to find the damn answer to the riddle, assuming of course there was an answer or answers to be found. Poor Bright, sometimes I wonder how she can deal with me at all. I would call her at totally unacceptable times of the night out of sheer excitement that I had gotten a step closer; only to realize the next day that I had found a dead end.
And when I finally saw the truth, it was so familiar to me, I'm convinced I knew it but lost it along the way. I realized how the truth is so simple. It sucks that it always is...kinda makes you feel a bit dumb for spending oh I don't know 3, 5, 10 years trying to rediscover it. The truth is that when you begin to believe in your own God-given power, NO ONE...and I mean NO ONE will be able to come close to what you are capable of doing. That's it...the secret ingredient to success is the power of BELIEF. And whether you want to believe this or not, everything that you have in your current life is because you believed it was so. I know I didn't want to accept the bad stuff that was in my life; that actually is what caused me to blame others and not take personal responsibility. On the flip side, I realized I had become a teacher, a music industry analyst, a corporate trainer because I believed I could. And most recently, I've decide to become an actress...and yes, you've guessed it...I'm acting.
"What so ever ye desire when ye pray, that ye receive and it shall be given..." As a man thinketh, so he is". --Mat 21:22
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened". --Mat 7:7-11
Not to get all religious on yall, because clearly I'm not an expert on the subject but it's in almost every religous doctrine, and it's also in every get rich book, soon I believe the same truth will be proven scientifically as well. And please don't take my word for it. Spend 2, 3, 6, 10 years discovering the truth for yourself. Perhaps, you may have to in order to gain the belief. That's the next puzzle I'm trying to solve. How do you give one belief? Is it possible? You tell me. I mean people see miracles every day and still can't see.
So I don't want to hear anymore nonsense about how Soulja Boy has ruined Hip Hop, or how Tyler Perry isn't that talented or how Britney Spears is a horrible singer, or how (fill in the blank) has no reason to be where they are as an excuse to why you're where you are at currently. Talent, ultimately does not matter in terms of obtaining one's dream. Yikes! What did she just say? Of course it's wonderful when one has an amazing talent; then we can revel in the beauty, the experience, the wonder of that person's gift. But it's all subjective. What I love you might hate. So is it helpful to have talent? Of course. But necessary it is not. Wait I'm starting to sound like freakin' Yoda here. (Jedi in training baby, you best believe it). Sorry, ok talent, drive, great work ethic all play there part in becoming successful. But the key is without belief, those ingredients are powerless. I REPEAT on the loudest, imaginary bull horn that you are now listening too: Belief in and of itself will give you the ability to gain talent, to gain vision, to gain drive and finally to succeed. Now how do you begin to cultivate that inner belief? Sorry, I'm still a pedawon in training. More to come from my research.
P.S. It's gotta be a damn good day. Google has cookie monster on it. (And I love cookies) Random but not really. Become everything you want to become. Just be careful about what it is you want to become. It's simple, look around you, listen to those around you...they will tell you who you are and what you've believed this far.
Shak
100.
This post is really dope and exactly what I needed to hear right now. A couple or years ago I begin to ask myself why I was so unhappy. As I searched for answers I was presented with those same scriptures. As I continue on this journey of asking, seeking and knocking I think it is becoming more clear to me that what has impededed on my happiness or personal success is the desire to be the "nice guy". It is like what you said earlier, allowing others to be a burden on your life is just you not taking control of your life. Taking repsonibility requires putting yourself first. One can't give to others, to their own detriment. Now while this may be blantantly obvious to most, to some others, educators, social workers, care givers or just loyal people this may be a little harder to accomplish. Putting others first is more common than we think and often time women are conditioned to do just that. For example I am currently being pursued for a job and that want me to start mid year. I am hesitant to leave my current job, because of fear, the fact that I will have to relocate but most importantly because my job NEEDs me. And I've lived my life this was thus far. My commitment/ loyalty to the people I work with could be impeding on my success. Some others might say that my commitment to others is why I have achieved any success thus far. So I've decided from now on there has to be a balance in life. I'll be taking responsibility and putting me first. In sum I would just add that while success requires belief in oneself it also requires putting your own needs first.
ReplyDeleteI beleive
ReplyDeleteVery interesting!!! It's been a while since I've visited the blog and today I had a chance to check in again. This post is one of the keys to life. The older I get, the more I realize life is really just that simple. Mark 11:22-24 "And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God, For verily I say unto you, whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, what hings soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Amen, brothers and sisters! The devil is in the doubt...
ReplyDeleteYes belief is a powerful thing. It has led to build and destroy empires, civilizations, countries. But I am not sure if it is the secret ingredient that binds everything together. It is definitely very important, don’t get me wrong.
ReplyDeleteYou can believe and be inspired and have the skills all you want to wanting to be the President of US. But if you were not born here??
I myself was on my way to a promising basketball career. I had scholarship, trophies, good records, even interview with some NBA agents. A car accident a year ago changed everything.
So maybe you should add “luck” and “reality check” to your list of ingredients.
I'm suuuuuuuuuuuuuuper late on the response but most recently I added email updates to my comments.
ReplyDeleteTo Tenisha: I see you player. You made the leap, the best is yet to come.
To Kieran and Kristina: Keep your belief up, it's easy to lose.
To Anonymous:
I’m not a Physicist that can attempt to breakdown why fortunes and misfortunes occur. At some point in the near future perhaps science will explain how and why cause and effects are linked to our thoughts. However, as a woman, I approach the subject of faith very simply. Either you believe or you don’t. Einstein said it better, “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” I believe we’ve all suffered. And to compare our suffering is silly. Talib said it’s “Like slaves on a ship talking about who's got the flyest chain.” To suffer is to be human otherwise we would likely be a higher species. But how we respond to that suffering is the difference that shades the color of our lives.
The more I grow spiritually, the more this place is but an illusion. We think we're bound by our circumstances. But in reality we are creating them.
So what is a reality check? Reality is what you make it. All we have is our free will. The problem is most of us don’t use it because we're asleep and totally unaware. And no one understands the chain of unseen events such as Karma. We're all just students that have no choice but to embrace the mystery of it all.