The following speech is believed to have been given by William Lynch in the year 1712.  William Lynch, the man for whom the term “Lynching” was named, allegedly put forth a method of controlling African slaves, making them more manageable. I say “allegedly” because many will argue that he has been misquoted overtime. So I ask you to be aware that the authenticity of the speech has been disputed. Also bare in mind that there are those that will insist that the Holocaust never occurred.  Do with this text what you will.

“Gentlemen, I greet you here on the bank of the James River in the year of or Lord one thousand seven hundred and twelve. First, I shall thank you, the gentlemen of the Colony of Virginia, for bringing me here. I am here to help you solve some of your problems with slaves. Your invitation reached me on my modest plantation in the West Indies where I have experimented with some of the newest, and still the oldest methods of control of slaves. Ancient Rome would envy us if my program were implemented. As our boat sailed south on the James River, named for our illustrious King, whose version of the Bible we cherish, I saw enough to know that your problem is not unique. While Rome used cords of woods as crosses for standing human bodies along its highways in great numbers, you are here using the tree and the rope on occasion.
I caught the whiff of a dead slave hanging from a tree a couple of miles back. You are not only losing valuable stock by hangings, you are having uprisings, slaves are running away, your crops are sometimes left in the fields too long for maximum profit, you suffer occasional fires, your animals are killed. Gentlemen, you know what your problems are: I do not need to elaborate. I am not here to enumerate your problems, I am here to introduce you to a method of solving them. In my bag here, I have a fool proof method for controlling your Black slaves. I guarantee every one of you that if installed correctly, it will control your slaves for at least 300 hundred years. My method is simple. Any member of your family or your overseer can use it.
I have outlined a number of differences among the slaves and I take these differences and make them bigger. I use fear, distrust, and envy for control purposes. These methods have worked on my modest plantation in the West Indies and it will work throughout the South. Take this simple list of differences and think about them. On top of my list is “Age”, but it is there only because it starts with an “A”. The second is “color” or shade. There is intelligence, size, sex, size of plantation, status on plantation, attitude of owners, whether the slave lives in the valley, on the hill, East, West, North, South, has fine hair, coarse hair, or is tall or short. Now that you have a list of differences, I shall give you an outline of action- but before that I shall assure you that distrust is stronger than trust and envy is stronger than adulation, respect or admiration.
The Black slave after receiving this indoctrination shall carry on and will become self re-fueling and self generating for hundreds of years, maybe thousands. Don’t forget you must pitch the old Black male vs. the young Black male, and the young Black male against the old Black male. You must use the dark skin slaves vs. the light skin slaves and the light skin slaves vs. the dark skin slaves. You must use the female vs. the male and the male vs. the female. You must also have your white servants and overseers distrust all Blacks, but it is necessary that your slaves trust and depend on us. They must love, respect and trust only us. Gentlemen, these kits are your keys to control. Use them. Have your wives and children use them, never miss an opportunity. If used intensely for one year, the slaves themselves will remain perpetually distrustful. Thank you, gentlemen.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

“In this frozen psychological state of independence she will raise her male and female offspring in reverse roles. She will psychologically train him to be mentally weak and dependent but physically strong. She will train her female offspring to be psychologically independent. Now, you’ve got a nigger woman out front and the man behind and scared. This is a perfect situation for sound sleep and economics” – William Lynch, 1712

Regardless as to whether you feel this speech is authentic, It is difficult to argue the authenticity of the principles set forth and the powerful impact they’ve had on the African American race through generations.  Separation and animosity among each other is our downfall.

L.A.M = LOOK AT ME

At one point or another we’ll have to be honest about some of the problems that face The Black Community. One of the biggest issues that I feel we face, is the fact that our values as a culture are skewed in a way that drastically prohibits our long term financial growth and development. Some how, its become more important to APPEAR financially well off, as opposed to actually making real strides towards stability and comfort. This explains the title L.A.M or LOOK AT ME. There’s a saying that goes: “Why would you spend money you don’t have, to buy things you don’t want, to impress people you don’t like?”. Now why this statement doesn’t apply in every situation, it does sum up the basic flaw in our values as a culture.  We spend far too much money on things that serve absolutely no purpose outside of getting other people’s attention. Its shown in our gaudy fashion taste, our loud hairstyles, stereo systems, big rims and of course our shiny chains. What’s funnier is that after we gain the attention of our peers and strangers everywhere, we look at them like its a problem. I have a neighbor that drives a mint green Monte Carlo with fake spinners and a pink Ralph Lauren polo horse on the side. The car also has speakers on the outside so that we may all enjoy whatever he’s listening to when he comes home. Despite all this, he still has a puzzled look on his face when people stare at his car.  “Why these haters stay on my sh*t?!” or “What the f*ck these niggas lookin at?!?!”. Well . . . you have  HUGE SHINY SHIT ON YOUR CAR and YOU’RE MAKING AN INSANE AMOUNT OF NOISE! Now in my neighbor’s defense, he’s not an isolated incident of poor logic. I mean to most it seems simple, if you have an abundance of sensory stimuli in your possession, chances are you will gather the attention of those around you.  People respond to loud noises and shiny shit.  Your rims serve no other purpose than garnering attention.

from cardomain.com

These things are done to portray a lifestyle.  A lifestyle that the person often times cannot afford to live.  People secretly and in some cases openly seek and covet the approval and attention of their peers. This becomes an even bigger problem, when the approval and attention that we seek becomes envy.  In other words, our desire to be seen leads to flaunting and no good can come of the haves dangling their valuables in the face of the have-nots.  Maybe this is why Soulja Boy and Young Berg are beaten for their chains or Waka-Flocka is shot at a car wash? What else do you expect when you show up around brothers that are starving with a chain around your neck that cost more than they’ve been able to earn in a life time?

I don’t say all these things to say that you shouldn’t want or enjoy nice things, but it is possible that our definition of “nice” is a bit off.  Its a sad state of affairs when your car and its accessories are higher on your priority list than your living arrangements.

Soulja Boy's remote control car chain (from starpulse.com)

It should be understood that this isn’t due to some innate fault of black people.  The behavior itself isn’t necessarily abnormal but it is misguided.  One of man’s basic needs is to feel important. We all seek this attention in one form or another, our problem is that what’s popular in our culture is ultimately wasteful and pointless.  There’s a lack of planning, foresight and value of actual substance.

We live to be fresh today and hope that we can keep it up tomorrow.  This is especially bothersome and compounded by the fact that we face many other issues that have already crippled us as a people.

To delve into the multitude of issues we face and how they each play an individual role,  all while being interconnected with one another in the systematic and gradual breakdown of our community and culture would require an immense amount of words. More words than I care to fit into one post, but I do feel the need to share that when I speak on the issue of our values, it’s about more than just money. We must learn to value our futures, both individually and as a community. That discussion, I plan on having with you on another day.

Recently I’ve had the conversation concerning just how bad the state of hip hop has gotten more frequently than normal.  I’ve come to the conclusion that it truly is catastrophically bad. Content-wise, there’s nothing to speak of in all honesty. The reason new artists don’t experience long term success anymore is due to the fact that on a large scale, lyrics have been reduced to bragging on imaginary status attained or a lifestyle that the majority of listeners can’t relate to. Each verse that comes out is a brand new artists eager to convince listeners that they’re the sh*t by simply saying “I’m the sh*t”. Literally track after track telling lies and stories about having the biggest car, biggest chain, buying up the mall, smashin’ all the hoes and running the club scene in whatever city they’re from.

Maybe I’m missing the point. I mean its possible that today’s rap artist isn’t looking for longevity and sustained success right? If that were the case, these kids are brilliant in every sense of the word. MAYBE, they’re getting in for 15 minutes of fame, get a hit single that bangs the clubs and radio waves, do about 100 shows while their song is still hot, then take the money earned and invest it in a college education or a well thought out business venture . . . (lies).

This is why you’re a one hit wonder . . .

If your verses are filled with “I’m the sh*t, you not the sh*t cus I’m the sh*t. I go hard and you don’t go hard. I ride big and you don’t ride big . . . and so on and so forth”. What are you going to talk about on your next single? Your next album? You present yourself as the greatest to ever do it as soon as you show up to the party, so on your second album what do you say? “I’m STILL the sh* t”. Guess what, we know by now . . . you’re great.  Fans grow tired of walking gimmicks, SUBSTANCE is what sticks. Can you tell me a story? Do you feel anything? What makes you laugh? What makes you cry? What pisses you off? There is a reason new artists are here today and gone tomorrow, the main one being that they aren’t talking about anything substantial or relevant.

You can brag about all the expensive things you buy right off the bat, but understand from the jump people aren’t taking you seriously.  Every rapper isn’t a dope boy coming into the game with crazy loot. So as a listener my initial reaction is you’re either lying about how much money you have or your story is the classic rap cliche’.  Now is it hard to believe that you had a rough upbringing? No, not at all. It’s also not hard to believe that you may have dabbled in the marketing of some weed here and there . . . but let’s be serious, most of you are not coming into the rap game with Sean Carter type money and street cred.

If everyone in the world sold dope, no-one would get rich from it.

My point is that its okay to be normal. Selling dope and buying up the mall, makin’ it rain in the clubs . . . these aren’t normal things that people can relate to. Sure they see it from time to time, but its not a standard of living. In order to become a more quality artist and build longer, more successful careers you have to understand that It’s okay to be a normal guy/girl, blessed with the talent. Its okay if you’re not a street king, drug lord, player, pimp, coolest n*gga alive. The reason its okay, is because your listeners aren’t all those things. Just like we as fans of hip hop want something to aspire to, we also want something we can relate to. At the end of the day, this is art and its worthless if it isn’t personal. You’re selling yourselves short if you continue to write rhymes about the same thing everyone else is.  If you tell YOUR STORY its guaranteed to be unique and captivating and you’ll never run out of material.

. . . But like I said before, this is only if you’re looking for true success in the music industry.

Since the talk of tablet PCs began over a year ago rumors started swarming about when the tech giant Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) was going to break into the market.  With the success of the iPhone and iPod, consumers were giddy with excitement about what the next product out of Cupertino, CA would be.  There were whispers of a Macbook mini, an iPhone with a keyboard, a Macbook tablet, and so on and so forth.  What we got was the iPad.

The Voice of the Consumer

When the iPad was finally revealed it was visually beautiful, amazingly sleek, and relatively cheap.  This has to be the COOLEST THING EVER. So I’m going to be able to iChat with this right? No.  Oh ok, well then I can write my essays on it in Microsoft Word right? No.  Well I guess that’s what my macbook is for… at least I’ll be able to listen to music, look at pictures, and check my email on the go… Oh wait, that’s what I have an iPhone for….

Hold on a minute!

This thing ISN’T COOL AT ALL!  Who the heck wants a giant iPhone?  And how much does it cost again?  And you have to add how much for 3G?  You can’t fit it in your pocket, that huge screen is looking more like a liability than an asset as far as portability, and did I mention there is no Microsoft Word or Camera?  I mean call me picky but I can’t remember the last time Apple put out a product without a camera.  Even the iPod minis do video.  Is that so much to ask?

The Voice of Apple

We aren’t stupid! We’re the ones that created the iPhone people, just hear us out.  The iPad is a revolutionary device, it’s just not the revolution you thought it would be.  The iPad is not a tablet pc or pocket pc or whatever you pc people like to call your little machines.  It is a product in its very own category.  The camp at Cupertino set out first to make money.  The money making plan was this:  The fastest growing product in the tech market is none other than the e-reader or e-book.  What Apple wanted to do was create the best e-book on the market.  And if you ask me, the iPad is the most visually striking and functional e-book to date.  (See below for a comparison to other e-readers)  To tell you how far ahead of the curve apple already is, guess what the biggest outlook for current e-books is for generating new revenue: Applications. I don’t have graphs and numbers for comparisons in that market, but im sure there’s an app for that.

So…

Sure Apple could have taken another year or so and come out with a tablet computer complete with everything we could have ever dreamed of or imagined.  But any inventor or investor knows that the secret to making money is getting in the market early.  When Apple saw the opportunity to get in this rapidly emerging market they had to act quickly with a fierce product.

With that said, lets think of the iPad as an e-book that does it all.  The app store is as deep as the ocean, the touchscreen capabilities are unparalleled, and the internet browsing is as sexy and fluid as it comes.  Not to mention it features the best music player in the history of music players (iPod).  So before you completely write the iPad off, lets also remember how far the iPhone has come.  I mean look at the 2G compared to the 3GS… Now imagine that for the iPad… I don’t know about you but “I’m ecstatic” *(Mike Tyson voice)

E-book Comparisons

The Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) Kindle DX

-Price: $489
-Screen Size: 9.7 inches (no touchscreen)
-Display: Grayscale
-Memory: 4GB
*This is Amazon’s 3rd version of the Kindle
-Internet Connectivity: None

The Barnes and Noble Nook

-Price: $299
-Screen Size: 6 inches
-Display: E-Ink (grayscale)
*Features a small color touchscreen for navigation
-Memory: 2GB
*(microSD slot for expanded memory)
-Internet Connectivity: 3G

Sony (NYSE: SNE) Reader

-Price: $489
-Screen Size: 5, 6, or 7 inches (touchscreen)
-Display: Grayscale
-Memory: 420 MB
*(32 GB memory card)
-Internet Connectivity: None

The iPad

-Price: $499
-Screen Size: 9.7 inches (touchscreen)
-Display: Hi-Res color
-Memory: 16GB
*Also available in 32 and 64 GB
-Internet Connectivity: 3G, Wi-Fi

If one were to take interest in learning more about the organizations of The NPHC and pursued further knowledge through the organizations themselves, they’d hear and read words like scholarship, sisterhood, brotherhood, service, uplift, and responsibility. This is because the ideals and principles on which each of these organizations were founded upon are incredibly noble and admirable. That’s undeniable. These organizations represent prominence and unity in The Black Community and have a large impact on many college student’s lives and higher learning experiences.

With all of that said, there are traditions practiced by these organizations on a large scale that do much to undermine and sabotage the very basis under which they were founded.  Many argue that Black Greek Culture is broken or tainted due to acts such as hazing and the blatant and intentional process under which people change (for the worse) after gaining entry into an organization.  The same organizations that were meant to serve as a shining light of hope and unity for African Americans everywhere are being damaged from the inside out. The members of these fraternities and sororities, who don’t seem to understand the responsibility of being said member, engage in widespread reckless behavior.  Keep in mind, that we are discussing a culture here. This is not the fault of any individual.  A bit of a mob mentality and complacency on behalf of national chapters can be very much to blame.

Let’s begin with the obvious: Hazing is bad.  Its common practice for people to turn their heads and ignore reprehensible behavior.  This holds particularly true within the Black Community (no snitching).  Pretty much each organization of The NPHC will give their scripted BS statement about how their organization is a “non-hazing fraternity or sorority” while pretty much anyone that hears will know they are “a hazing fraternity or sorority”.  Quite frankly many members of these organizations have a hard time keeping a straight face when they make the statement.  Step one in tearing down something that was meant to be noble and good is now in motion.

Organizations will tell interested parties to their faces that they don’t engage in the illegal act known as hazing, they will post it on their website and put it in their pamphlets, but you better believe that in most cases you will experience some form of mental/physical anguish in order to gain entry into their organization. Organizations and IG’s will ignore the homoerotic undertones of stripping another grown man naked, bending him over and paddling him in the rear and the ego feeding smug exchanges between existing members and interested parties.  Pledges themselves in many cases see a serious problem with attaining membership into the organization of their choice based on personal merit alone, without going through some type of hazing process. People may attempt justify these actions by saying everyone has to earn their way through a right of passage, or if you are truly dedicated and want with all your heart to be a proud member of this organization you will do whatever it takes to make it happen. Those are cute ways of displacing accountability for acts that offending members and pledges alike know for a fact is wrong. What’s disturbing is that authority doesn’t seem to step in until a pledge is brutally injured or in severe cases killed. It’s extremely difficult to believe that national organizations are completely oblivious to the fact that hazing is a common occurrence. It would be equally acceptable to believe that they simply turn a blind eye like everyone else does until it goes a little too far. Incidents in which criminal charges are brought upon members for behavior that was previously encouraged and celebrated have occurred in several instances. In all instances the offending members took the brunt of the punishment.

This mob mentality and cultural acceptance causes young men and women that otherwise know right from wrong to act in a manner that is criminal and disgusting, ignoring the personal conflict they may have with treating fellow scholars so poorly.

The Greek process has become the ultimate power trip.  You take two students of very comparable or identical standing. You give Student A: 3 letters and 2 colors on a jacket or t-shirt, you give Student B: the desire to wear those 3 letters and 2 colors. You will now see student A test and prod to see how much control he can truly have over Student B. If Student B isn’t willing to degrade and humiliate himself to the satisfaction of Student A, it is now determined that “he didn’t want it bad enough”.  A vicious cycle has been set in motion, in which very qualified young men and women are denied entry into organizations over petty personal issues with existing members or those qualified candidates or completely turned off to the idea of joining the organization because of what they witness.  There are students that fit the description of men and women that these organizations are supposed to seek out, instead the petty ego tripping and poor representation shown in various college settings encourages certain students to steer away from NPHC organizations.

What’s shocking and upsetting to those that desire to be members of The NPHC for the right reasons is that: The behavior that would be deemed unacceptable or detrimental to society in almost any other arena is accepted so widely in a culture that was built upon the principles and values mentioned in the opening paragraph.  Can we not have anything worth having for long before it becomes tainted and corrupt? Organizations that are supposed to build lifelong friendships, brotherhoods and sisterhoods are used for popularity boosters. These organizations cause neophytes to harbor lifelong resentment for prophytes and power hungry college students to abuse their newly attained status in the black college community.  Otherwise good kids get swept up into a culture deceives and manipulates freshman girls for sexual purposes and somehow justifies the celebration and glorification of celebrating parties and male reviews with more enthusiasm and excitement than community service events and scholarly achievement. If there’s a social event coming up you’ll have fliers jammed in your face and you’ll see strolls and hear chants about said event for a week leading up to the date. If there’s a community service event you’ll receive a facebook message (maybe) and the date will come and go quietly like any other on the calendar.  Students are given on average, a 4 or 5 year window to graduate college. Many students, in seeking to gain entry into a Greek Organization will push back and postpone their graduation date semesters at a time for their opportunity. The process they must endure in order to gain entry has a negative impact on their health and in many cases their grades.  It is my honest opinion that once it reaches this point, the idea has been lost and the process is counterproductive.  While it is known that one attends College for more than the educational experience, yet its foolish to neglect the education in hopes of attaining something you may not get to enjoy and be a part of some day.

At the end of the day the young men and women that seek to be members of these organizations need to decide if they’re doing so for popularity and glamor or for prestige and honor. At some point we have to stand up and no longer allow people to think that earning their letters is a free pass to do wrong without reprimand.  Hold yourself to higher standards, even when you think people aren’t looking . . . because they are.

I must be clear when I say this. It is not my opinion that these Black Greek Organizations are irrelevant and bad in totality. There is a sense of togetherness and discipline that is gained and appears to be evident on most any campus in the nation.  I’m simply stating that all the good you do does not give you a free pass to have the bad you do be swept under the rug and ignored by everyone. There are too many NPHC members getting by, shamming on work, treating members of the community they claim to lead poorly, and accepting full responsibility of the reputation of their organizations only when it serves them best.  Yes we are all human, none of us are perfect, but once you’ve allowed yourself to take advantage of the status you’ve attained by manipulating and mistreating others for personal gain or temporary satisfaction you have officially pimped your organization and its founders. You’ve pimped the core values and principles and you’ve fed fuel to the ever growing stigma that Black Greek Life is consumed by.   I’m aware that not every member of every organization acts this way, but I also feel that if you aren’t making the decision to be an agent of change from the inside out, if you sit idly by while these things are going on, if you don’t love your brothers and sisters enough to call them out when they’re out of line, then you are guilty as charged.  It can’t not be lost on these individuals how much of a positive impact they can have on things in our communities.  The responsibility is extremely powerful and the consequences of a leader’s actions permeate with strong force throughout all aspects of the lives of those following.  I ask that if you are a member of these organizations, that you take time to remember and appreciate the fact that you are more than a popular person to be seen and paraded around.  How you treat people and the example you set are all under heavy watch by young impressionable minds. After all, you are leaders.

Anyone that knows me, knows how much I can’t stand going to the neighborhood Barber Shop. Don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not referring to MY neighborhood Barber Shop, I’m talking about any and every neighborhood Barber Shop. They are routinely filled with people who know little about a lot or a lot about a little, but somehow manage to voice their loud and wrong opinions about every subject imaginable.  So here I’ve decided to share with you some of the random moments and comments I’ve bared witness to over the years. Some are hilarious, some are cringe worthy and some are just plain dumb.

1. The “How Many Have you Had?” conversation: Yeah, so I’m sitting in the chair getting my hair cut as usual and a conversation quickly breaks out about how many sex partners everyone has had. Random numbers are flying from every corner of the room.  I hear 20+, 30+, 45 and some have even said numbers as high as 70+.  Now normally, I make it my business to mind my business in barber shop conversations. Mainly because I feel that my logic and reason will not be a welcome addition to the festivities at hand.  This time I found it particularly baffling.  Let’s get this straight . . . these barbers are claiming numbers that are pretty high. Maybe I’m naive, but either women’s standards are piss poor or these barbers are hitting everything with a hole (Just saying).

2. The “I’m committing a statutory rape and am mad at my victim for being childish” conversation: Yeah so, I’m sitting in the chair getting my hair cut as usual when the front desk attendant is sweeping up the hair around my station.  The ensuing conversation goes as follows:

My Barber: “You still messin wit that lil Leon thang?”

Sweeper Creepster: “Yeah man but she be actin real immature”

For those of you that don’t know, Leon HIGH SCHOOL is one of the local HIGH SCHOOLS in the Tallahassee Area.  The guy named “Sweeper Creepster” is at the very least 27 or 28 years old.  Hey Sweeper Creepster, guess what . . . if your love interest just got her period within the last 3 years, she isn’t “acting immature” she’s acting her age.  I won’t bother sharing the rest of the conversation as you can probably imagine at this point just how awkward I was sitting in the barber’s chair . . . staring off in the distance.

3. My barber admits to me that he’s thinking about getting a divorce because marriage isn’t for him.  No further explanation needed, awkward as hell.

4. Random lady walks into the barber shop selling cupcakes and brownies.  She’s a sweet old lady and politely ask everyone if they’d like to buy some baked goods to support her church (I think she was hustlin for personal gain, but I’m a skeptic so don’t mind me). Before anyone in the shop can answer her, one guy yells out “Nah I’m good on that shit, I’m a Vegetarian”.

5. Guy steals a haircut: Yeah so I’m sitting in the barber shop getting my hair cut as usual. This time there’s a guy there sitting in the very first chair in the shop. He seems very personable and outgoing, he’s sparked a conversation and everyone seems to be enjoying his company. As soon as he’s done, he stands up from the chair and takes a big stretch, reaches down into his pocket as if he’s ready to pay the barber and RUNS OUT OF THE FRONT DOOR OF THE SHOP.  He stole a hair cut. Priceless.

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Our brief review: Ms. Spann has come up with a brilliant and fresh way to present the talent that Tallahassee Fl. has to offer.  Tallatainment.com has a superb design layout and while the content is yet to be at full steam, there is no doubt that this website will be an incredible resource for those in and around the Tallahassee area, whether it be someone looking for to gain exposure for their talent or simply stopping by to check out what’s buzzing in Tally, Tallatainment.com seems to be the place to look!

I see dead people. Everywhere I go. Dead people.  I see/hear people complain and nag and moan about their jobs, I see them wake up in the morning and look miserable and or bored, then they turn around in the evening and come home looking wore down and depressed.  Now obviously this isn’t how everyone feels about their jobs or careers.  There are many that are satisfied with the direction their career is taking them in and I’m very happy for them.  For the rest of us, are you aware of how much of your life is consumed by your work?  If you’re working a 9 to 5, 5 days a week, we’re literally talking about MOST OF THE TIME YOU’RE AWAKE IN YOUR LIFETIME BEING DEDICATED TO WORKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE.

I get it, bills must be paid,  a roof over your head, food on the table, clothing yourself and your family.  But I must admit, I’m curious . . . was this what you always wanted? Is this your dream life? I’m gonna be bold and say no.  I’m wondering now, if you do have a life long dream or goal, one that you never quite pursued for one reason or another, why haven’t you? What’s stopping you? We all know there’s a laundry list of excuses and reasons as to why not, but even after explaining them in detail you’ve only numbed the pain of realizing you gave up on your dreams temporarily.

My belief is that we have been conditioned to value security and comfort over happiness and freedom.

I’m not making an attempt to demonize security and comfort, I have no intentions of encouraging people to abandon their meal tickets or main means of income, but I do wonder how many people are actually out their chasing their dreams.  How many people are actually doing what they are most passionate about? The one thing they could do all day long without growing tired, stressed or annoyed with everything, the one thing that rewards their soul more than any other thing in the world?  Seeing the hoards of traffic on their way to work every morning makes me doubt that there as many as their should be. When its all said and done, I doubt that that they want the purpose of their lives to have been working tirelessly for a CEO’s fortune. A CEO that doesn’t know their name and doesn’t know what their personal desires and passions are.  A CEO that decided a long time ago that the life you live wasn’t good enough for him.

Life is not a trial run. This is all you have and pushing your way through with a lackluster effort and devoid of passion is something you will surely regret in your final moments. This is your life, if you want to make a move you must abandon excuses and fear and MAKE THAT MOVE!

Greetings readers! Today I want to talk about opportunity and how many people tend to miss theirs, particularly when it comes to financial opportunities.  It’s no secret that today we live in a world in which our economy is shaky and jobs aren’t secure. Yet, years of tradition and people’s natural skepticism in anything new or innovative causes them to rely on a single pay check, from a job that they know could very well be gone in the next minute. As cliche’ as it sounds, having a PLAN B is an absolute necessity. Savvy investing, financial planning, multiple sources of income, these are but a few ways to increase your financial security in an unstable world.

People have a genuine fear of the unknown.  Believe it or not, this includes gaining success financially.  If you think back in time to some of the most pivotal inventions and innovations in history, most of them met some degree of resistance or skepticism before being accepted and adapted to in every day life.  A small list:

1. Air Plane

2. Insurance Plans

3. Television

4. Cell-Phone

5. Internet

Any of those ring a bell? Obviously that’s a very short list, but they are all things that most people can’t live or function without.  They are so much a part of our everyday lives that it’s hard to fathom people using phrases like “That’s unnecessary” or “That’ll never catch on“, but yes each of these brilliant and necessary contributions to society met that type of friction.  Human beings and therefore society at large is resistant to change. Skeptical and stubborn, even when someone wants to convince us that something could benefit us directly, our most immediate reaction is to ask “Well . . . what’s the catch?“.  Now in fairness, this question certainly comes in handy in many many cases, however it is a sign of a frigid way of thinking.  People are conditioned to believe that everything works in a certain order.

“You work hard now, you reap the benefits later . . . hell you might not even reap the benefits at all, but at least you’ll feel good about working hard and trying, right?”

This was outlined in an excerpt from a book that I posted a while back.  Personally, I like to encourage people to learn how to work SMARTER, not just harder .(Notice that I said “not JUST harder” because I don’t want any of you thinking that I discourage hard work).  Most people, have a one track mind when it comes to making money.  If you ask someone “hey, what’s the best way I can make some money?” The answer will most likely be “get a job”. Yes, jobs are wonderful without a doubt. But what do we know about jobs?

1. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid.

2. Most people don’t like their jobs.

3. You rarely have control of WHEN you work.

4. Jobs aren’t stable. If you lose your job . . . you lose your paycheck.

These are reasons I say looking for a plan B is essential. Even if you don’t have goals and dreams of being obscenely rich and wealthy, living paycheck to paycheck is a quick and easy way to be miserable.  It takes a new way of thinking to be open to new forms of income.  There are opportunities around every single corner in today’s world. Some are bogus and some are wonderful, but as the old saying goes: You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. I’d advise that you consider things as you come across them, as opposed to writing them off immediately.  Having an open mind could very well lead you to a life of prosperity! Don’t seek out get rich quick schemes, don’t expect every opportunity you stumble upon to be some magic wand that will have $1,000,000 deposited in your account the next day.  But there are legitimate ways to build a steady residual income that has potential to grow over time.  There is true value and power in that type of opportunity and the words FINANCIAL FREEDOM don’t have to be a distant dream reserved for people that aren’t you.  Of course I couldn’t share my opinion on this matter without sharing an opportunity with you as well!

FANTASTIC FREE OPPORTUNITY HERE!!!!!!!!!

SIGN UP HERE!!!!!

Hello out there! I’ve been thinking on this for quite some time.  I may have developed a bit of a reputation for being overly analytical based on other post I’ve made in the past, don’t hold it against me. I want to discuss the awesome power of words! Isn’t it weird that we use words so often and routinely, completely depend on them for survival and communication yet we diminish and downplay their meaning and ultimately take them for granted? Actually no, it’s not weird at all. We tend to take for granted most things that we need but also happen to be readily available. Friends, family, air, water . . . you get the point.  Words are the foundation of language, our means of communication and understanding. Words come together to form sentences which are expressions of thoughts, opinions and feelings.  For these reasons, it really does bother me when people aren’t more mindful of the things they say and how they say them to people.  Phrases like “they’re just words” or “words ain’t never hurt nobody” are largely false statements.

The words you choose will go far in forming people’s impression of the type of person you are and often make or break a deal or budding relationship (romantic or otherwise).

Often times I wonder . . . what ever happened to being thoughtful? For some reason being crass and quick at the trigger in terms of what we say is all too common. Understand that people don’t hear what you think, they hear what you say. If you don’t do a sufficient job of communicating your thoughts with the right words, the message you’re sending will be misinterpreted.  Think of your words as a large factor in branding yourself. If you’re a person that often uses big words (and not necessarily correctly), talk down to people and use a tone of superiority when you speak to them, instead of the respect and admiration you THINK you’re receiving from your peers, it’ll actually be resentment and dislike. You’ll be viewed as a pompous ass and that’s probably not what you’re going for.  On the flip side, if you’re a person that’s often rude, loud, brash and uses profane language you’ll most certainly be perceived as someone that is ignorant and does not understand when and where certain things are appropriate.

Free Speech and Word Play

There have been several instances in which people have used extremely offensive language and seemed to be confused at the backlash that followed their statements.  Let’s settle this here, the argument of free speech means nothing . . . and I mean nothing . . . hardly EVER. Why you ask? Free Speech is a legal issue, you can feel free to say whatever it is that you want to say and you can do so in any situation without legal consequences, unless what you’ve said has legitimate reason to be seen as inciting a riot or causing a public disturbance. With that being said, just as you or I are free to say whatever you feel, the public, the media, your boss and your co-workers all have the right to respond to what you say in the manner they feel appropriate.  If your boss feels you should be fired because you’ve caused his company to look bad . .. you’re fired. If your football coach decides you need to be kicked off the football team because of your facebook status (a la Mack Brown at Texas), he can do that if he has deemed what you said to be that inflammatory and inappropriate. What does this mean in relation to the title of our post today?

It means that words can be loaded with emotion and definition. Once they leave your mouth they are open and subject to being interpreted by any and all that hear them.

It’s important to remember the sheer strength of the language we use. Each word has a meaning, a denotation that consist of even MORE WORDS.  Words can be used to inspire and motivate or they can be used to diminish and demean.  Please choose your words wisely and understand how they impact the person you’re communicating with.