November 2013, I will always remember when I wrote my first book. The late nights I spent writing had brought me to the point of publishing my first book. It was an amazing feeling; I was on such a natural high. I was doing my thing! But like with anything, the high went down and out. Sales started to slow down and I was back to the ground. The same guy who was just featured in a magazine, the same guy who overcame many obstacles in life was now on the sideline. While a lot of other things contributed to this sideline, the most significant thing that could have helped overcome everything that contributed to being on the sideline was weak. The weak thing that I speak of was my mindset. I had a weak mindset and because of that I failed. We can believe what God has spoken over us and we can even know what our purpose is in life but, if that number one thing isn’t right, we will always fail. If it doesn’t happen now it can happen later; it is a must that we have a strong mindset when we are in pursuit of the things we are trying to achieve in life. Without it we will scale back at the sign of a challenge, never achieving the mark. At the first sign of things going wrong we give up. In my upcoming book #BeRelentless I state “I think what contributes to failure is that we take a passive approach. When life tells us no, we go away with our heads down. That is not the majestic way! When you are of the majestic and life tells you no, you will not take it as the final answer. You will find another way. When you are told that you need $5,000 to start that business and you know you only have $500 to your name, you don’t take that no! You start researching grants, promoting yourself, and enlisting investors for support. The lion in you should never settle. Why should you? You run your state! You will not let anyone take siege of it.” When we face obstacles, we should always find a way either through it or around it. If it is what you really want, then nothing in this world will stop you. But yet, we do allow things to stop us. We allow ourselves to stop us. No matter what you do in life you will always face obstacles, that is unavoidable. What matters is what will you do when you face them. You wouldn’t let nothing stop you from getting your paycheck, right? If your job made a mistake and forgot to direct deposit your check on the day it is suppose to be deposited you will act the fool. You got to bring that same energy to achieving your goals and your purpose. Bring that same attitude and anger when it comes to your passions. Going after your passions is painful no doubt. But you have to be relentless! We will overcome the obstacles set up against us and conquer it! Come on fam, unleash the lion in you! When the lion steps on the scene everyone knows what’s up! When you start on your path to pursue your passion have the relentless stance that nothing will stop you! Yes, you will take some blows, but you will get back up and crush it! The key is not to stay down and keep pressing! When I began to develop the relentless type of mindset, I knew that there were others who lacked this type of mindset. I knew there were those who wanted to achieve things but didn’t because of different obstacles like their job, finances, low self-esteem, self-doubt and so many other obstacles! I would like to go into being relentless some more, but you have got to get my book. #BeRelentless is a movement! Come on, let’s get on this journey of being RELENTLESS!

Failure. A lot of us probably wouldn't want to ever admit this, and it is probably somewhere in the box of embarrassing things that you don't want anyone to ever see, you don’t even want to remember it yourself. The thing is no one has never told us that there nothing wrong with failure. In fact, failure is sometimes the platform for your future success. What people don't tell you is, many of them have failed before they got to the place where they are now. Did they give up? I am sure on some occasions they did or wanted to but, as you see the got back in the game. For me, I can think of a few times that I attempted different ventures and I literally gave up. I gave up because the mission to me back then was harder than I had anticipated. Looking back at it now, it wasn't that it was hard but, I wasn't willing to put in the hard work that it required. When you are starting a new journey, you should always take into account the challenges you will face. In my upcoming book I talk about a group called "the resistance." It is the resistance that is always in place waiting to try to keep you from everything that you have set out to accomplish. The tactics from the resistance can only be successful if you allow it to be. The tactics will sometimes be very challenging because it will sometimes use people who are extremely close to you. That is where I once faced my biggest defeat, because I gave in to the words that were being said. You have to understand that the resistance can come through many forms, it will not always be another person and it will not be the same tactic. In fact, sometimes it will use you against you! Now, to read more about the resistance group you will have to purchase my book, just head over to the store to purchase it now (well after you finish reading this lol). We have to learn to channel our energy and thoughts. For every time that you feel you cannot do something and you want to give up, you do the opposite of what you feel! Instead of giving up on the goal you are trying to accomplish, give up on the negative thoughts that is trying to accomplish you. This is why I developed the #BeRelentless mindset, too many times we allow our own thoughts to defeat us and cause us to quit. There are times we allow our own thoughts to cause us to quit before we even get started! We let our negative thoughts talk us out of something. I will never forget when I was invited to participate in a honors class in college, at first glance I was talking myself out of it because in my mind I felt that I wasn’t good enough to be in the class. Thank God for two significant people who talked me into doing it! One of them taught me to never turn down an opportunity when it is presented to you. Now did I face challenges in that class? Heck yeah! The thing is, I never gave up, and I took on every challenge I faced in that class and I did not back down from it. That is what being relentless is all about! When you see a challenge, you face it head on and you knock its head off. Never back down from the challenge but gladly accept it. When you develop the relentless mindset, you will quit on everything that says you can't! With a relentless mindset you will never let the negative thoughts tell you what you can’t do but you will tell it what you can do! When it is all said and done, you will quit on the negativity and you will press on knowing that you can. #BeRelentless

This past Friday, I had made the plans to turn off my phone some this weekend to spend time with my wife and focus. Not knowing what would also come along with this. I am sure we are all shocked over the news of of Chadwick Boseman. If you didn't know this, a NBA player, Cliff Robinson passed away as well. These two are the two that we all know who has passed away this weekend. I am sure there are many others who has passed away this weekend as well. I sat around on Saturday and thought about how many people we have lost in the year 2020; and a large amount of deaths doesn't even include the COVID deaths; COVID just makes the number even larger. With all of the things that has happened this year it is really unbearable and is almost like a scary movie. We have faced one heartache after another. One frustration after another. One anger that then leads on to another moment of anger. You get the point right? I was left to wonder when does this all end? Should we all just scream JUMANJI now in unison in hopes that it will come to a cease? I began wondering what is God and this year trying to show us? One thing that I want to share with you all that I think is a top priority is, it is OK to grieve! I know we think we have to always be strong and be there for everyone because we think we have to help save the world. But please hear me out, you cannot save anyone else if you can't save yourself first. Learn to take the time to get away from the noise and grieve! I have had to learn that for myself as well. I'll never forget when I had got to the point that I had a massive shut down. I shut everyone out of my life but my wife and even still in some ways I shut her out too. No, it wasn't right but I had gotten to a place mentally where I had a mental overload. I do believe that had I gotten away for a moment I could have restrengthened myself to be able to be there for people the way I normally do. Now, 2020 has been much different because we have faced one thing after another literally. So how do we deal with all that we have dealt with in the year 2020. You cry, scream or whatever it is that you have to do; you just let it out! 2020 has gotten to the point that it is trying to break down even some of the strongest people. Please know this, it is totally OK to have a weak moment. Don't try to hold yourself to the standard that you have to be tough 24/7. It is in our weakness that we gain more strength. How else can you learn or develop a new level of strength unless you get weak for a moment. We have also got to learn to take a media break both social and television outlets. Take some time to enjoy life. Spend time with your loved ones, make those phone calls to let others know you are thinking about them, read a book. Do something outside of your normal day to day activities. Just live! Learn to cherish the small things in life and don't take them for granted. Create more memories because when we are gone, that is all our loved ones will have. Don't let your memories be arguments and fights. There is more to life than arguments and fights. We have to realize that there are times when no response is sometimes the better option. There is no need to run your blood pressure up over someone who will never even try to understand what you are saying. With all that we are experiencing in the year 2020 it is very overwhelming. We leave out one door of trauma only to enter another door filled with trauma. In between exiting and entering these doors of life or even while we are in the place that the door led us to, learn to enjoy life. Even if the good things are small or big, learn to enjoy them. Though there are somethings that occur in life that are beyond your control, you still can find the good somewhere in it. Learn the lesson that is in the bad thing that occurred. I promise you there is a lesson in it that you can gain and if you look hard enough you will find more than one. There are many lessons that 2020 is trying to teach us. I see a lot of the lessons that this year is speaking and maybe as we progress in this blogging, I will share those things. We will get through this year, it maybe with a lot of battle scars but we will make it through. Keep your head up my friend. I know it's hard right now but we will do our best to make it through together, that's all we can do. Maybe, just maybe instead of making lemonade with the lemons we can create something new. Maybe that's why the lemonade is so tart. Maybe we need to do things differently from what we have normally done. That's just a thought. I know I have wrote a lot in this blog but, I have just that much on my mind right now. The last thing I will say is, we need to learn the lessons from the lives we have lost this year. The way they lived, led and the messages they left. Just because they are gone doesn't mean that the message their lives spoke while they were with us has to stop, they can continue through you. Allow their message to make you a better version of you and that is how the message can continue through you! I am signing off now but I want to remind and encourage you to remember that, "all things motivate."