Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Faith Removes Limitations

Have you ever daydreamed about how your perfect life would be?  You dream of the big house, flashy cars, and the ideal job and then someone interrupts and you are brought back to reality.  If you truly desire and have faith you can attain these things, all these dreams can be made possible.  The key to getting these desires is to use your MIND to attain them.  We have thousands of thoughts constantly going through our mind each day.  Out of these thoughts, how many of those do you think are negative, self-doubting thoughts?  When you start thinking about your fantasy world, you may hear that inner voice telling you all the reasons why it will never come into fruition.  The only way to erase these thoughts is to build your faith.  The opposite of faith is doubt. 
Faith, by definition, is the trust, hope and belief in the goodness or trustworthiness.  If you had 100% faith that you will obtain a particular desire, how much do you think that will increase your chances of getting that desire?  Everyone has heard the popular quote…”Walk by faith and not by sight”, but how many of us truly believe in that statement.   If you are a firm believer in that statement, next time you daydream, don’t let your mind tell you all the reasons you would never live that life, but start claiming that one day you WILL live that life.  Write down all the details of your ideal life just as you see them in your dreams.
If you have faith, you are halfway there.  Now that you have faith, you have to create plans on how to get it.  Now your initial plans make seem a little premature, but the more and more you build your faith and take action your plans will get better and better.  If you don’t know specifically what you want in life, pray and seek inspiration on a consistent basis until you receive that idea that is going to bring you your riches.  The idea will probably come to you as a “hunch”, but it is more than just that, it’ is a million dollar idea!  There is a smart and creative person in each one of use, you just have to tap into your full potential and allow our creator to lead you in the right direction.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

4 Tips for Job Seekers

As a result of the downturn of the economy, many people are struggling to find a job.  While I was in school at Tuskegee University, I was fully dedicated into finding jobs and learned a lot throughout the process.  I worked diligently in obtaining this goal and managed to attain several internships and receive several job offers upon graduation.  The techniques I used can be used by anyone.  If they chose to follow them, I guarantee that they can have the same success as me - if not better.   I made a list of the top four techniques that helped me throughout my job seeking process.
1.  Staying Positive
Staying positive is essential in getting the job you are seeking.  When someone has a positive personality, that person looks better, feels better, performs better, and gets better results!  One of my main selling points during my interviews was my enthusiasm.  Whenever an interviewer asked me a question, I answered it with so much excitement and confidence that my positive energy rubbed off on the interviewer.  Even if you stumble on the questions, your lack of quality in your answer can be made up by your enthusiasm.  These large companies are not necessarily looking at how smart someone is on a specific subject, but more so how much potential they have to excel working for their company.  If you show the interviewer that you have a good attitude, employers will be willing to work with you in the technical areas you are lacking because they see that you are willing to learn.  Now if you go in the interview with a negative attitude, how do you think you will be able to use this technique?  It’s impossible! 
You may have chased several leads that led you nowhere or been on plenty interviews that didn’t lead you to anything, but keep going!  If you are filling out an application after being turned down numerous times, still complete the application like it is your first.  Don’t ever become lazy when filling out an application.  For your next interview, walk in with a smile that will light up a room.  Shake the interviewer hand with great confidence.  Answer the questions like President Obama would.  As the interview concludes, thank the interviewer for the opportunity for even meeting with you.  People who are thankful get better results and that is a proven fact.  Throughout your job seeking process three words should be going on in your head at all times…POSTIVE, POSITIVE, POSTIVE!
2.  Utilize every resource
This is a tip that I see very few people use.   Utilizing every resource that you possibly can will increase your exposure by far. While I was in college, I was in the career placement center at least twice a week.  Many of my peers haven’t even heard of the career placement center.  If you are in college, I highly suggest that you utilize this center and get to know the coordinator because it increases your chances of getting a job.  The career placement center’s sole purpose is to help students get jobs; it is a shame how so many students miss out on these opportunities.  Every student should participate in the career fair and the different workshops the school offers to educate students on job hunting.
If you already graduated, use the World Wide Web as your learning center and career fair.  There is tons of information on advice for getting a job.  Utilize every job seeking website possible.  Many people think that their name is just a drop in the bucket if they use these websites, but if you submit your resume to numerous websites think how much exposure your resume will be getting!   If you know somebody working for a company that you want to work for, ask them for a lead.  Call your professors back in college and see if they know of any job openings.  Think about anyone in your network that can assist you in getting a job and call them. 
If you are looking for a job that doesn’t involve having a college degree, think outside the box.  Go apply for jobs having a professional persona.  For a job that requires that you to wear a uniform to work, show up for your interview in business casual.  Make yourself a resume.  Just because you didn’t graduate from college doesn’t mean that you can’t have a resume.  There are plenty of places on the internet that can help you make one.  Having a resume will put you above your competition.  If you took some time to brainstorm, you will be amazed of how many resources you can come up with that can help you get a job.  Stop thinking about how much the job markets sucks right now, but come up with ways that will put you above the competition, so that you will have a surplus of job offers.
3.  Self Confidence
What is the purpose of an interview?  My definition is to sell yourself to a potential employer.   I always tell my friends and family before they go on an interview that no one knows them better than themselves.  If you truly believe that statement, your confidence should be out the roof!   I get excited when I go on an interview because it gives me the chance to brag about myself.  How many times do you get this opportunity without looking like a snob?  You may be saying…”Dre, I don’t have anything to brag about?”  I love to hear people make this excuse because after brainstorming we ALWAYS find something that they can highlight that makes them look like a superstar. Prior to my first internship, my only job experience was working at a fast food restaurant.   At the end of my interviews, you would think I was CEO of that company because I talked about that job with so much pride and confidence.    I never fabricated false stories to make myself look good, but I talked about the SMALL task that I done and explained them in a LARGE way that highlighted my skills.  Don’t be intimated if you don’t have any job experience in the specific discipline you are applying for.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  If you present yourself with great confidence during the interview, this will show the employer that you can accomplish any task that they assign you.  If you have a low GPA, don’t get down about it.  GPA is only a number.  Your GPA doesn’t represent your burning desire to achieve in you specific discipline.  If you don’t have this burning desire, I highly suggest you get it.   Every excuse that you can think of for you not getting a job can be solved.   You just have to stop making them and create solutions that will get you the job of your choice.
4.  Stay Persistent
Staying persistent is important in any task that you are striving for.  I got a good buddy of mine that is searching for a job and has been rejected numerous times.   Even though he hasn’t had any success in getting a job, he is staying positive throughout the whole process.  Every lead someone gives him he chases it.  He attends many career fairs.  Through all the unsuccessful interviews he had, he finds ways to improve his interviewing skills so next time he can be better.  By my friend being so persistent, he is following the rules of success.  His job opportunity is coming if he continues to stay persistent.  Matter fact, I truly believe that his new job will exceed any of his current expectations he has for his ideal job.  Right now God is testing his faith and it seems that he is passing because he hasn’t given up.  If you can get an A on God’s test of faith, imagine the rewards you will reap.  I gave you this short story to explain how important it is to stay persistent.  Even if the future doesn’t look too bright, still keep your lights shining bright.  Don’t quit now or never.  If you give up, you take the loser route and no one likes to be a loser.  Be a WINNER and never give up.
I hope these tips help you out in your search for getting a job.  If you are already applying these techniques, keep applying them.  If you have your own techniques, keep applying them.  If you already have a job, teach others what techniques you used to get your job.
“A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.” – Elbert Hubbard
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Saturday, June 18, 2011

Dream Chasers: Power of Positivity

Dream Chasers: Power of Positivity: "Why positive thinking is so important If you have been following my blogs, you may notice that I write about being positive in everyone. I d..."

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Power of Positivity

Why positive thinking is so important
If you have been following my blogs, you may notice that I write about being positive in everyone. I do this because I can’t stress enough how important it is to stay positive.  It is essential to your success.  When you have positive thoughts, this feeling sends a signal to your brain that causes it to stimulate.  When your mind stimulates, your brain works better.  Having a negative thought is like taking a depressant.  How effective do you think you will be if you went to work after taking some sleepy medicine?  This ineffectiveness has the same effect on your dreams if you go through life having a negative mindset.
“What if” Technique
When faced with a new task or obstacle, many people get the “what if I fail mentality.”  “What if I lose all my money…What if I embarrass myself…What if I am wrong?”  Next time you hear these voices creeping into your head, replace them with the “what if I succeed mentality.”  Instead of thinking about all the things that can go wrong, think about the rewards you will reap if you succeed.  Even if you suffer a setback, you should feel proud about yourself for at least trying.  If you are persistent, you would use this experience as a learning tool and don’t make the same mistakes (if any) again.  Some of you may say…”Dre, I did everything right, but I still didn’t accomplish my goal.”  My answer to you is to keep on going.  When you have faith and take action, God takes notes.  Eventually, whatever goal or dream you are striving for will come into fruition – that is if you stay persistent.  Personally, if I strive for something and fall flat on my face, I will feel much better about myself than if I stayed idle and just daydreamed about trying.  At least I know that I strived to accomplish my goals or dreams.  I am young and I have my whole life ahead of me.  If I make a mistake now, I know eventually those mistakes will add up to something that is far greater than all the mistakes I have ever made! 
How Positive Thinking played a huge part into my life 
I read my first book on positive thinking right after I graduated from college.  I found this book really fascinating, so I dug deeper into the subject.   The more and more I studied the subject, the more I realized that I have been unconsciously using this principle all through college.  Before every test, I use to say to myself that I will get a good grade.   At the time, I didn’t know that I was using the power of positivity.  This strategy helped me graduate summa cum laude with an engineering degree.  I am not saying this to brag, but I wanted to show you an example to show that this stuff really does work!  The more and more I develop my skills of positive thinking, the more success seems to come my way. Everything I write about in my blogs works.  I apply the principles I learn from great teachers and I am seeing the results.  This is the one of the key reasons I started this blog because I would feel selfish if I haven’t shared this great knowledge with you.

Practice makes perfect
The more you practice weaving out the negative thoughts and bringing in the positive, the better you become at it.  Even though I have not mastered the power of positive thinking, I am way better than I was a couple years ago.  This has helped me cultivate the mentality to pursue my dreams of starting my real estate business.   All the great athletes will tell you that they must practice in order to be successful at their sport.  Well as Dream Chasers, we must ALWAYS practice thinking positive because living our dreams is our sport.  I assure you that your life will change for the better if you develop a “negative free” mindset.  All I ask is that you don’t forget about me when you make it to the top!
“The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.” – Anonymous
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Thursday, June 9, 2011

6 Reasons Why People Fail

For the past year, I have been avidly studying the subject of goal attainment.  I have read many books from great philosophers such as Napoleon Hill to great preachers such as Joel Osteen.  In my studying, I have noticed authors highlighting the same few reasons why people fail.  If you haven’t suffered from at least all six reasons listed below, I guarantee that you have suffered from at least one.  This blog is not to come down or belittle anyone, but it should serve as an awareness tool so you can pinpoint which areas need improving.  The only way to improve anything is to first know what the problem is and then come up with a plan to fix it. 
1.  Fear
Fear is probably the most popular reason why people fail.  “I am not smart enough…I am not pretty enough…I don’t have enough money.”  How many of us have had these belittling thoughts plague our minds before?    You have to learn to block these types of thoughts out your mind.  They are detrimental to your success.  If you desire to accomplish a goal bad enough, your desire to succeed should block these thoughts.  Positive and negative thoughts can’t be in your mind at the same time, so when striving for your dreams, which one do you think will help you out the most?  Learning how to harness your mind will take some practice, but the more and more you learn to control it the easier it becomes to manage what comes in and out.  Once you master your thoughts, there isn’t anything on God’s green earth that can stop you!
2.  Lacking Motivation
Motivation is the driving force in achieving your dreams.  If you lack motivation, the success rate of you achieving your dreams is very low.  You may have dealt with defeats in the past or had harsh upbringings.  These factors affect your motivation level.  You have to learn to overcome these barriers.  No one is perfect.   Don’t let the past tarnish your future.   The only way you can build up your motivation is to constantly visit your dream and remind yourself that you WILL accomplish it.  A great tool to use is to read motivational books or blogs to keep your passion burning.  This will help you out tremendously!  When you believe in your heart that you will succeed, your motivation level will go through the roof.
3.  Indecisive
You have to commit yourself to a specific dream or goal.  Its human nature to be indecisive from time to time, but being too indecisive will delay you accomplishing your dream.  Your dream or goal should be something that will give you great self gratitude, whether riches are involved or not.  I know you heard the saying that it’s not work if you are passionate about your job.  In order to make plans to accomplish your dream, you first need to know what you are seeking.  What is that one thing that you always think about or wish you had?  I have some good news for you; it can be yours if you commit yourself to getting it!

4.  Inaction
“I am going to work out next week…I will write my business plan tomorrow…I will go back to school when I free up some time.”  We all are aware of these statements. I wish procrastination was a word that was never invented.  Tomorrow turns into next week, next week turns into next month, next month turns into next year, and the ball keeps rolling.  Have you ever heard the phrase…”Party like there is no tomorrow.”  Well think about your dreams the same way.  Take action like there is no tomorrow.  If you want to go back to school, make a decision to go back to school NOW because tomorrow isn’t promise.  I live my life with the end in mind.  At my funeral, I want my loves ones to share how I was an ambition individual who always sought after living an abundant life.  Get some action behind that dream and make it happen!
5.  Lacking Persistence
When face with obstacles, typically we want to throw in the towel and give up.  Well as Dream Chasers, this is against our values.  We will NEVER give up.  We will hold our head up through the ups and downs.  If I was to ask if you wanted a $100 bill, would you want it?  What if I crumpled up the $100 and threw it on the ground, would you still want it?  If you are like me the answer is probably yes.  The value of the $100 hasn’t changed has it?  So why when we make mistakes or when we TEMPORARILY get defeated we think our value has changed?  We think we aren’t smart enough or we aren’t strong enough. The good thing about being God’s children is that our inner potential will never be taken away.  Our value hasn’t change a tad bit if we make a mistake or get defeated.  You should be grateful for mistakes.  Experience is your best teacher.  When you make a mistake or suffer a setback, don’t get discouraged but learn from the experience and create a solution so next time you will succeed. I don’t care how many setbacks you have had in life.  If you continue to strive for excellence, eventually your life of abundance will come!
6.  No Plans
When the Empire State Building was built, do you think the construction workers just started the construction with no architectural plans?  Imagine the catastrophe if they had.   When going for a dream, ALWAYS have a plan.  Initially, a lot of people get bogged down because they get overwhelmed thinking they have to put together a 30 page business plan.  This is far from the truth.  You initial plan can be however long you wish.  By putting together ANY plan, you are taking the first step of faith.  This makes God smile.  With God smiling, how much do you think your chances of accomplishing your dream increases?  As you follow your plan diligently, all the blanks will be filled.  I want to build a multi-million dollar real estate empire.  Do you think I am worried about every single detail involved with accomplishing such a feat?  My business partner and I have created a plan in which we used our scope of knowledge.  We know as we continue to educate ourselves and gain more experience everything else will fall into play.  Take that first step of faith and put a WRITTEN plan together.
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Friday, June 3, 2011

Why having a burning desire is so essential for you success

What does a burning desire mean to you?
To me it means having a feeling so strong that it becomes an obsession.  Some of you may attach a negative connotation to the word obsession, but this assumption is anything but far from the truth.  In this case, I am referring to an obsession of accomplishing your dreams.  Your desire to achieve your dreams has to be implanted into your mind so that all you do is eat, breath, and sleep your dream.  You have to picture yourself already in possession of your dream. 
The benefits of having a burning desire
This burning desire is going to give you that extra courage to keep you going when you suffer setbacks.  This burning desire is going to give you that extra strength to workout everyday to get you physically fit.   This burning desire is that stimulus that is going to help you come up with those creative ideas.   This burning desire is going to allow you to say YES when the rest of the world is saying NO!  When you have a burning desire, every obstacle you face becomes inferior.  Having a burning desire to achieve your dream is the ONLY way you will ever see it come to realization.
How to create a burning desire
I have covered in greater detail the methods you can use to help build a burning desire in my blog Desire+Faith+Action=Success, but I will give you the following example. 
Imagine if you wrote down in your daily planner some upcoming activities that HAVE to be completed by the end of the day.   If you have any self discipline, I guarantee that these tasks would be completed in a promptly matter because they were instilled in your brain that they were doable.  Well your dreams are the same way.  The only way you will ever achieve your dream is to first convince yourself that they are achievable.

Traveling with no destination
Not writing down your dreams is like going on a road trip with no destination.  You and your spouse start driving and your wife will ask…”Honey, where are we going?”  You shrug your shoulders because you don’t have a clue!  You don’t know how to get there and you don’t know how long it will take to get there because you don’t know where you are going.  First, figure out what your definite purpose in life is.  What is that one thing you wish to accomplish that would make you proudest?   Once you figure it out, write it down and visit it regularly.  This will implant in your mind your desired dream and help you come up with the plans to achieve them.   
Goal Attainment
I keep mentioning dreams, but this technique can be used for any goal you want to accomplish.  For instance, I have an issue dealing with how other people feel towards me.  To help with this mental flaw, I recite the following statement every day…”It will be a great personal achievement if I wasn’t so sensitive to how people feel about me.”  Since I started this, I have seen a big improvement in this area.    
Just Write It
I hear some of you saying…”Dre, I don’t need to write them down because I think about them all the time.”   Maybe you do think about them all the time, but it’s a difference when you write them down.  If you commit to writing them down and reciting them each day, you would be amazed how your faith in achieving them grows.   Once your faith starts to grow, then your will to take action grows.  Taking the first step is the hardest.  Once you take it, you are on the stairway to accomplishing your dreams.  Stay persistent and don’t fall off the stairway.  You may trip up a couple times, but don’t fall.   I was skeptical at first, but the more and more I use this technique, the more and more I noticed my dreams coming into fruition. 
WRITE IT, BELIEVE IT, DO IT, REAP the BENEFITS
To illustrate how this technique works, I will share with you what famous comedian Jim Carrey said on the Oprah Winfrey show… “I wrote myself a check for ten million dollars for acting services rendered and dated it Thanksgiving 1995. I put it in my wallet and it deteriorated. And then, just before Thanksgiving 1995, I found out I was going to make ten million dollars for Dumb & Dumber. I put that check in the casket with my father because it was our dream together.”

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Do you have what it takes to join the Dream Team?

Public Service Announcement – Tryouts for God's Dream Team are being held now!
This is not the Dream Team that is sponsored by the NBA.  Pat Riley isn’t the coach and Lebron James is not the star player.   This Dream Team is sponsored by God and YOU are the star player.  You don’t need any athletic talent to make this team.  All you need is a burning desire to achieve your dreams and have definite plans to attain it.  You must also have faith that you can follow those plans and don’t ever give up.  You would not have to go to the gym everyday to practice on your athletic abilities.  Instead you will visit your dream on a daily basis to practice on your positive thinking capabilities.  You will work to produce positive thoughts and keep negative thoughts out your mind.   As the star player, you are expected to have the biggest imagination and never have a loser’s mentality.  When the opposing team seems like they are unstoppable, you will show up at the game with a winner’s mentality and lead the team to victory.  You will win some games and lose some, but you will always show up for the next game giving it all you got.  Of course when you lose, you will have your critics saying everything you done wrong and how you will never make it to the championship, but what they don’t see is the dream that God has placed in your heart that gives you your supernatural abilities to overcome anything.  
 The path to the championship maybe tough, but the reward once you get there is well worth it.  Once you win the championship, you can celebrate it with your love ones and be proud that you have accomplished your DREAMS!  Did I forget to mention that it is a 100% chance that you will win the championship if you listened to Coach God at all times!  Also, you can’t get cut from God’s Dream Team.  You may suffer some setbacks and decide to retire, but you can always come back.  Matter fact, Coach God has unconditional love for his players.  He welcomes them back with open arms no matter how many times they fall and get up. 
The hardest time of the season will be at the beginning.  It will be plenty times that your faith is tested, but as a star player you know that this is part of the process of winning the championship.   At times when it seems that there is no way that you can win a game, your light shines the brightest and you show the opponent that there isn’t ANYTHING that can defeat you.   
God’s Dream Team isn’t going anywhere.  God’s Dream Team will continue to strive towards winning the championship; it’s just a matter if you are on the winning team or not.  As children of God, we all were granted the opportunity to be on God’s Dream Team.  It isn’t a secret that the Dream Team exists.  Look at star players like Oprah and Obama.  They believed and achieved!   If you want to stick out and make Coach God proud, join the Dream Team today!  Make decisions like there is no tomorrow because we aren’t promise tomorrow.  Inaction is the root cause for failure, so take action today and join God’s   Dream Team!
Like always I will leave you with a quote from one of American’s top pastors…”You have everything you need to fulfill your God-given destiny.  God has already put in the talent, the creativity, the discipline, the wisdom, and the determination….You have to do your part and start tapping into it.”…Joel Osteen

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Why wishing doesn't produce results

Wishing  - The common demoniator for failure
“Man I WISH I was rich….I WISH I was 20 pounds lighter…I WISH I had a promotion…I WISH I had more friends.”  How many of us have heard these statements before?   Matter fact, how many of us have made these statements before?  What word is the common denominator that recommends that the probability of these statements coming true is quite low – WISH.  Wishing doesn’t produce results.  Having a definite plan backed by faith produces results.  Simply saying a vague statement such as…”I wish” is too vague.   We must be more precise and say our aspirations with conviction.  Instead of saying statements such as”I wish I was rich”, say more convincing statements such as “I know I am going to be rich by investing in real estate.”  When you know what you want in life, achieving it comes that much easier.  If you see a purse that you really want in a store, what do you do?  Whether you have the money or not I guarantee that you will find a way to get it, rather it’s saving up for it or finding a sugar daddy to buy it for you.  How come we can’t do our dreams the same way?  If we really want to achieve something, why don’t we work towards it or utilize every resource in attaining it? 

Listen to that inner voice
People treat dreams like lazy student treats test.  They expect to get a good grade on the test, but they don’t want to study for the test.  Dreams are the same way.  We have to work towards them.  We can’t expect to achieve our dream by simply wishing.  God has done his part in putting the dream in your heart; now it’s your turn to have faith and work towards achieving it.  It is not a coincidence that you got a “hunch” after reading an inspirational blog or book.  That is God whispering in your ear telling you your next million dollar idea.  Experts call this “infinite intelligence”.  I call it “God’s recommendation.”  If God told you a recommendation, wouldn’t you want to do it??  Cultivate your mind into believing that you can achieve anything you set your heart on.  The more you work towards it, the more you will notice supernatural things coming your way. 
Go for your dreams
We have been living our life in mediocre for too long. Today is the day that we will go above and beyond.  When we are 80 years old, we don’t want to look back on life and say…”Man, I wish I had sought out to achieve my dream.”   We want to share with our grandchildren how fruitful and joyful our life has been because we achieved our dreams.  We want to be an inspiration on their lives as well as others.  Never be content on where you are in life.  Always strive to achieve higher, learn new things, and be a blessing to others.  If you have a good job, teach others the strategies you use to get a good job.  The other day I helped my little cousin make a resume to try to get a laborer job.  You may think that someone wouldn’t need a resume for that type of job, but the knowledge I have attained seeking jobs resulted in me knowing that a resume would put him above the competition.  You will be amazed at what ways you can help others by the talents you already have.  Get creative and find your niche, then capitalize on it. 
Use Your Mind
Instilled in each and every one of us is the ability to see our life how we want it to be; it’s just a matter if we use this ability or not.  Some of us treat our minds like it’s a beat up Pinto.  We just let it sit in the garage and collect dust.   If you were to have a brand new Mercedes, I am pretty sure you will drive it on a regular basis and conduct routine maintenance to keep its integrity.  Well our mind is the same way.  We have to continuously use it and feed our brain positive thoughts.  Treat your mind like it’s a Mercedes, better yet treat it like it’s a Lambo!   It is not pure luck or hereditary that many people have amassed vast fortunes; it was their ability to know what they want in life and strive to get it.  As dream chasers we never WISH, we always KNOW precisely what we want!
Like always I will leave you with a quote from a very wise man...."There is a difference between wishing for a thing and being ready to recieve it.  No one is ready for a thing, until he believes he can acquire it. The state of mind must be belief, not mere hope or wish."...Napoleon Hill

Monday, May 23, 2011

Are your friends DREAM KILLERS or DREAM INSTILLERS??

Do you think it’s possible for me to be a millionaire in six years?  Do you think it’s possible for me to get into Harvard medical school?  Do you think it is possible for me to start an international engineering firm?  If I asked you these questions, what would your answer be?  If you answered NO to the following questions, then you are what I label a DREAM KILLER.  Please don’t get offended, just continue reading and I would explain.
In each one of the previous questions, I had a friend approach me telling me about their aspirations.  For the friend that told me he wanted to be a millionaire, I told him to get financially educated so he can work towards his goals.  For the friend that approached me about medical school, I told him to study hard so he can receive the necessary grades to get into Harvard.  For the friend that told me he wanted to start an international engineering firm, I told him to seek knowledge in his specialty, so his firm will be the brightest in the field.  In each one of the examples, I was being a dream INSTILLER!  The sky is the limit.   Imagine if I had a negative attitude and laughed at their aspirations.  I probably would have discouraged them and stopped them from pursing their dreams.   As dream INSTILLERS, we should always be there for our friends when they are working towards their goal.  The world already has enough distractions, so why should we add to the fire.  Don’t get me wrong, when you see a friend slacking or being lazy, you should put them in their place and hold them accountable for striving to achieve their dreams.   When friends are going through their ups and downs when pursing their dreams, it is these times that they need that shoulder to lean on to help them through the struggles.  When your friend suffers a setback, you shouldn’t say…”See I told you so”, but more like “We are going to get through this!”
 People are greatly affected by other people’s opinions.  I once read that it takes 17 positive comments to compensate for ONE negative comment made.  Imagine a girl told me I was ugly; it would take 17 other girls to tell me I am handsome in order for me to get over that one negative comment!  I am not sure of the accuracy of these numbers, but it will give you a glimpse on the importance of being positive.  If you have a friend that is really excited about an idea, hear them out and don’t shoot them down if you don’t have any concrete facts to support your opinion.  It is amazing how so many people say an idea is bad because they are completely ignorant about the subject or they don’t have enough courage to try it themselves.  If I say I want to be a real estate investor, don’t tell me that it is a bad idea if you never sold a house in your life.  Just because you hear Fox News give their gloomy real estate forecast or you hear Uncle Willie’s bad experiences dealing with tenants, that doesn’t justify you being able to give valid real estate advice.   Sometimes it is just best for individuals to simply be quiet if they do not have knowledge on a specific subject.
For the dream chasers, watch your surroundings.  Having a negative friend can be detrimental to your success.   Surround yourself with like minded individuals who will help INSTILL your dream instead of KILL your dream. 
Like always I will leave you with a quote from a very wise man …”Men take on the nature and the habits and the power of thought of those with whom they associate in a spirit of sympathy and harmony.”..Napoleon Hill

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

What do you want to be when you grow up??

What do you want to be when you grow up? This is a universal question that we were all asked when we were growing up.  Normally, you get the cliché answers….”I want to be rich and famous, I want to start my own business, I want to be a doctor or lawyer, etc…”  What happen to those aspirations?  Why aren’t we rich and famous by now or working towards it?  Why aren’t we working to start our own business?  When we were younger, we thought anything was possible.  What happen to that mindset?  I will tell you…the WORLD.  Once we grew older, we were faced with the harsh realities of the real world.  What do we have to do to get that passion back to achieve our highest aspirations?  We have to take ACTION of our life NOW!  We are not going to let the world’s distractions steer us from achieving our goals anymore.  I hear you saying…”I am broke…I am too old…I have family responsibilities”.   If you really want it, you will stretch yourself to achieve it.  When you define your definite purpose in life and commit to it, nothing will stop you.  My mom went back to school to get her masters in her 40’s.  Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that she had four kids to care for and she commuted 45 minutes to get to class.  The world and the naysayers want you to believe that you can’t go for your goals.  I hear you doubting yourself saying…”What if I try and FAIL?”  What if you try and SUCCEED?  Think about the self-gratification you will receive for going for your dreams.  To me that feeling is priceless.  That will exceed any monetary value you may receive for accomplishing your dreams.   What happens if I fail?  First and foremost let’s erase the word FAILURE out of our vocabulary.  For now on let’s use setbacks, because when you fail you give up.  As dream chasers, we will stay persistence and won’t stop until our dreams are accomplished.  We will show perseverance through no matter what.

REAL LIFE EXAMPLE
I have a good friend of mine, for the sake of this blog we are going to call him Jackie, that graduated from a four year university with a technical degree.  Like many others that graduated in his class, he had trouble finding a job.  Matter fact, he was trying to find a job for over a year.  Think about all the setbacks he faced with companies turning him down or him chasing leads that led him nowhere.  Through it all, I did not hear him have a negative attitude or complained about his situation not once.   Through prayer and soul searching, he determined that the jobs he was looking for wasn’t his true passion.  His real passion was to own a fine dining restaurant.  So what did he do, he moved to Atlanta to attend a culinary arts school.  He didn’t make excuses or procrastinate, he took ACTION!  He is currently enrolled in one of the nation’s top culinary art schools.  His grades are excellent and he just landed a job at one of Atlanta’s top restaurants.  When he first received notice that he was hired at the restaurant, I never saw him so excited!  Granted, his salary made not be an engineer’s salary or a doctor’s, but the self gratification he received for pursing his dreams is worth far more in value.  He started that job with a meager salary, but having the mindset that one day he will own a restaurant you will think that he was hired as a CEO.  Right now he is working for the experience and building his network. In other words, he is giving before he receives. 
That is one factor that holds a lot of people back from accomplishing their dreams.  Many people want to RECIEVE, but none are willing to GIVE first.  They let their pride get in the way. Take platinum selling artist Drake for instance.  He put out free mixtapes for over a year before he dropped his first album.  As a result, he sold like +450,000 albums his first week!  If you have a selfish attitude of always wanting to receive first, I highly suggest you change it because it will take you nowhere.  Maybe in the beginning you will achieve some success, but in the long run you will be passed up by that individual who has the generous attitude.  The Christian faith is built on serving others.  I guarantee you, the more people you serve, the bigger and better your results! 
In closing, I would like to leave you with this question to ponder on…”Imagine you and God having a cup of coffee and he told you to help as many people as possible without expecting anything in return, would you do it?”

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Desire + Faith + Action = Success

Before you start reading this blog, turn off “Dancing with the Stars”, tell Willie and em’ to be quiet, and go to a quiet place to meditate.  Oh yeah, bring a pencil and paper and an open mind.
Now that I have your undivided attention, think about that one thing in life that you desire most.  Rather it is to be happily married with children or you seek riches beyond your wildest dreams.  Now that you have came up with that one thing that you seek most out of life, write it down.  When you write it be exact and put a timeframe on it.  Don’t simply say…”I want to be rich”.  Be more definite, say…”In five years hence, I wish to obtain $100,000, by starting my own business which will specialize in selling cars”.  I can hear that negative part of your brain saying...”There is no way in the world you will ever have $100,000 cash”.  For the young folks my age, this is what we call “hating”.  I bet you didn’t know you can hate on yourself!  Tell that side of your brain to shut up!  Right now you are not focusing on HOW you are going to get it; you are just claiming that you KNOW you are going to get it.  Who’s the say I can’t achieve what I desire most out of life??  We are blessed because we stay in a country that gives us the rights to be whatever we want.  Even more importantly, we were given the rights by our creator to have control over our mind to live our dreams.  I hear you saying. ..” Dre, I don’t even have $3000 in my bank account.”  If I was there, I would tell you to be quiet and stop making excuses.  Instead of telling me how you are lacking in financial resources, tell me how you are working to gain the technical capacity to open and run a car dealership in which you will have an abundance of financial resources. 
Congratulations!  You have taken the first step in achieving your dreams, but you aren’t through yet.  Now that you have your dreams in writing, you have to commit to visiting them each and every day.  Put them somewhere that is visible.  Personally, I put mine on my bathroom mirror so I can visit them when I wake up and when I go to sleep at night.  Twice a day you should read OUT LOUD your goals.  When you recite them, put some emotion behind it.  I bet if you were to win a million dollars, you wouldn’t accept the check with a nonchalant manner.  You will probably receive the check reaping with joy.  There isn’t any reason why you shouldn’t accept the dream that God has placed in your heart with the same emotions.  You should be happy!  Say your dreams with conviction.  Say them like you already have them in your possession.  It may feel a little strange at first and your spouse maybe looking at you like you are crazy, but over time you will become more comfortable and your spouse will come onboard once they see the supernatural things taking place in your life.  Guess what you are doing - You are building your faith.  As your fatih builds, you will notice supernatural focres gradually gravitating to you that will help you achieve your goal.   Through prayer and the reaffirmation of stating your goals, your faith will grow stronger and stronger to the point you may go to the bank and try to write a $50,000 check and you only have $2,000 in your bank account…lol.
Okay!  Now we know what we desire most in life and we have the faith to chase these dreams, what’s next??  This may sound a little cheesy, but instead of us saying “It’s GAMETIME” we are going to say “It’s ACTIONTIME”.  Put some action behind that faith.  If you know that you want to get married and you haven’t had any luck finding a spouse, stop make excuses saying that there aren’t any good men/women left.  Stop saying you can’t find a man that can deal with my strong personality.  If you know you have flaws that are unattractive, don’t say ridiculous comments like..”Well my man is just going to have to deal with my domineering personality”.  If you have this mentality, I have some good news and some bad news for you – The good news is that there are a plethora of good guys that can potentially be your husband in this world, the bad news is that they won’t be available for you because they were already scooped up by that humble girl that admits that she has flaws and are working to correct them.  If you want a promotion, stop doing the norm, but go the extra mile.  In whatever desire you wish to attain, work to achieve it.  Don’t procrastinate.  Stop making excuses.  Like Nike says…”Just Do It!”  No one is going to hand you anything!   You are the master of your earthly destiny.   Just don’t use your head for getting your hair done every week, but use it to tap into your full potential of achieving your dreams!
Like always I will leave you with a quote from a wise man…”Success comes to those who become success conscious.  Failure comes to those who indifferently allow themselves to become failure conscious”…Napoleon Hill

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Why I started this blog

Hello Friends,

First and foremost, thank you for visiting my blog.  This is what I hope to be my first blog out of many.  I've decided to start this blog because I have noticed how tough these times have my been for my generation, which is XYZ.  Due to the recent economic meltdown, many graduating students have been faced with the problem of not having a job after graduation.  Many have sought to attend graduate school and upon graduating are still faced with the scarcity of jobs.

My friends it is times like this where you have to "BE STRONG".and "KEEP YOUR FAITH"  Right now you may have applied for 20 jobs and still haven't had any success.  You may have applied for 20 graduate schools and still no luck.  I am here to tell you to keep going.  The door to opportunity is right in front of you; it's just a matter if you open it because it is not going anywhere.  Take a moment and think..What will happen if you decided to get a LOSER's mentality and give up?  Who would you be hurting?  Surely not these large fortune 500 companies or these big universities.  The only person that you will be hurting is yourself and your love ones.  Don't make excuses of why you are not having any success, but come up with solutions on how to gain success.  Your mind is your greatest asset.  Use it and don't let it be your greatest liability!

The power of positive thinking is so important.  If you go around the day with a positive attitude, you will be amazed on how different things will be.  So what your boss made you mad or you got a F on your test.  Don't go around complaining about it, but accept it and move on.  Holding on to the past will tarnish your future.  Negative thinking is poisonous to yourself and people around you.  Who likes to be around someone always complaining or making excuses???  If you do, then you are probably that person.  My friends that are struggling, you are living a testimony right now.  Five years from now you are going to look back at this moment and see how you endured the struggles and you came out a winner.  You will be a blessing on other's lives because you will share your story and coach them on how they will accomplish their goals.

In closing I am going to leave you with a quote from a wise man..."Your only limitations are the ones you set up in your mind"...Napoleon Hill

Until next time - Dre Lewis