Chorus:
It’s such a beautiful world
That’s why we gotta stop the hurt
Our actions are suicidal, suicidal
And there’s no starting over
This is a beautiful world
There’s only one place called Earth
Our actions are suicidal, suicidal
And there’s no starting over

Verse 1:
Some say it started with an arc
When the rains came from God
All light turned to dark
And the world fell apart
Coz we all thought
That Earth’s love last forever (last forever)
Then we were young
And now we’re twenty-one
And we still don’t care
And that’s why we’re here
With all that said
We must change our act together (act together)

Refrain:
See it’s very in line
With the signs of the times
We seek things that shine
And neglect the divine
Oh Lord…
This world is driving me crazy

Chorus:
It’s such a beautiful world
That’s why we gotta stop the hurt
Our actions are suicidal, suicidal
And there’s no starting over
This is a beautiful world
There’s only one place called Earth
Our actions are suicidal, suicidal
And there’s no starting over

Verse 2:
In the back of my mind
Seeds of hope still reside
Oh I pray one day
That they all turn to vines
I put faith in God
That we can make it better (make it better)
As I plan the future out
I begin to fear and doubt
Oh this little pearl
Which I thought was my world
Was meant to be
A sight to see forever (see forever)

Refrain:
See it’s very in line
With the signs of the times
We seek things that shine
And neglect the divine
Oh Lord…
This world is driving me crazy

Chorus:
It’s such a beautiful world
That’s why we gotta stop the hurt
Our actions are suicidal, suicidal
And there’s no starting over
This is a beautiful world
There’s only one place called Earth
Our actions are suicidal, suicidal
And there’s no starting over

Verse 3:
Now we’re judging (Ga-ga-God…)
And now we’re fighting (Ga-ga-God…)
To prove to each other (Ga-ga-God…)
Who’s almighty (Ga-ga-God…)
But I don’t know (Ga-ga-God…)
Who else can change the weather (change the weather)
We hate and despise
Watch the TV tell us lies
Oh I still believe
We can change our lives
I’m freeing minds
Coz with each one we’re more clever (we’re more clever)

It’s such a beautiful world
That’s why we gotta stop the hurt
Our actions are suicidal, suicidal
And there’s no starting over

Have you ever got lost trying to get somewhere? I know I have! I recently noticed a pattern that whenever I realize I am lost, I started doing silly things like driving faster to make up time despite still not knowing where I was. In hindsight, usually I was driving faster and faster away from where I was supposed to be. The worst feeling is crossing the same intersection twice…or 3 times, because at that moment, I realize that it would have been easier for me to just stop and be still rather than backtracking.

Now when I’m lost, I remind myself that I always have choices:
1. Friend(s): I can call the person(s) at the intended destination,
2. Stranger: I can ask some one where I am, or
3. Map: I can pull out a map and try to find direction on my own.

As simple as these solutions sound now, I realized that instead of turning to these options first, I only used them as a last resort after my intended arrival time had passed. My own ego prevented me from humbling myself to ask for help; I didn’t want to appear like I didn’t know what I was doing or where I was going to anyone…even a stranger. As a result, I ended up in a deeper hole, wasting more gas and arriving later than I would have had I just stopped the moment I noticed I was lost. I think to myself, how easy would it have been to just call my friend at the destination…the number was right there in my cell phone and if anyone knows how to get there, it’s the person that’s already there!

I hate being lost, but I realized that in life we only feel lost if we think everyone else knows where they are going. If we transform our perception of ourselves on this journey called life from “someone who is lost” to “someone who is seeking”, the stigma disappears. One person can not walk every path, but our collective experiences map what has already been explored. We are all seeking something; therefore, no one is really lost. Feel free to ask me for help whenever; I won’t judge you ☺

As I prepared for my move from California to New York, I had to find a moving company to ship all of my stuff. I’ve never lived outside of California before; the furthest I’ve ever had to move was from Oakland to Los Angeles. U-Haul did the trick. This time it was a little different; there was no way I was going to drive a U-Haul 3,000 miles across the country.

I began by searching for “cross country movers” on Google. Google gave me 8,440,000 results, but I only explored the top 5 links and some of the sponsored links. I gathered quotes from about 5 companies to compare prices and they all came out to a little over $2,000. I finally picked one and placed my order. Afterwards, I called a friend and while explaining how I spent all morning looking for a moving company, she asked me if I considered FedEx. I hadn’t. In the past 4 years, she made two coast-to-coast moves and had experience in this area. I immediately got a quote from FedEx and it came out to less that $1,000 for door-to-door shipping.

Our friends have many of the answers we need and are oftentimes more efficient and accurate than search engines. In this case, my friend saved me over $1,000 (I had to pay a $150 cancellation fee). Oftentimes, we don’t leverage the wisdom and experience of our friends because we are afraid to ask for help. Search engines are good for finding facts and information, but we all have questions and curiosities that Google can’t index and web pages can’t answer. Yahoo Answers and Google Answers have tried to crack this case by tapping into the wisdom of crowds, but solutions aren’t universal and no one knows your world like your friends. Next time you consider searching for a solution online, consider using your friends first and search engines second.

When we say “to do list”, we really mean “my have to do list” and when we “have to do” something, it implies that we really don’t want to do it. The items on our to do lists usually come from someone else (ie professor, boss, government, family) and are geared toward helping someone other than ourselves achieve their goals. Our to do lists become so cluttered with other people’s stuff that there is no room for our own. Why should our personal goals become our last priority? Instead of using the phrase “to do list”, use “I choose list”.

With an “I choose list”, you come first. It acknowledges that you made a conscious choice to accept the task at hand. Each action item on your “I choose list” should push you toward your purpose. An “I choose list” can consist of academic and career-related items. The “I choose list” just serves as a way of ensuring that you are shaping your academic and career experiences rather than allowing them to shape you. For many of us, we have to learn how to say no to certain things and be more vocal about what we want. “I choose lists” force us to ask ourselves why we are doing certain things and as result can reduce procrastination and stress.

Deadlines…Deadlines…Deadlines. Every day there is one more to add to our to do list. Life is more than a series of met deadlines and checked off to do lists. Instead of using the word “deadline”, use “lifeline”.

Do you remember playing the Cruisin’ USA video game when we were younger? In order to keep on racing, you had to reach certain checkpoints within the allotted amount of time. You wanted to get there in time because it would allow you to see new parts of the course that you never saw before. It was like a “lifeline”. In our daily lives, we use word “deadline” a lot. I think it stems from our competitive, fast-paced culture and our belief in Darwin’s survival of the fittest.

Imagine viewing your next assignment like the race game. Instead of seeing it as a sprint to the next checkpoint, think of it as an opportunity to explore uncharted territory in the near future if you excel. Keep in mind that when you excel at something you don’t like, you’ll attract more of what you don’t like. We kill ourselves and stunt our own growth when we willingly accept things without being vocal about our goals, passions, and needs. When you are passionate about the assignment, it becomes a lifeline; there is no such thing as a deadline when you feel alive. There is only one deadline in life that truly matters and it is meaningless if you never truly lived.

When I was a kid and perhaps even still today, I used to make fun of or think differently about the kids on the yellow bus. Those were the “special” kids. They needed extra attention, support, love, and encouragement to mature into productive citizens.

If this is the criteria for riding the yellow, then I should have been on the yellow bus right next to you, because you and I are special too! You and I also need extra attention, support, love, and encouragement to reach our full potential. The only difference between myself and those on the yellow bus was that I received many of those things from home whereas they may have received them primarily from school.

The kids on the yellow bus went to special ed class. Jokes about special ed usually came right after a failed yo’ momma joke. But special ed is a place where your specialness is celebrated and appreciated. Because we live in a culture that forces us to compare ourselves to each other so much, many of our environments like school and work tend to focus on how inadequate we are. For those of us that didn’t ride the yellow bus, I ask, where do you go to realize how special you are? Home? Church? Nature? Friends?

I am special. My yellow bus is the wave of sunlight that I ride on because I have dependable people and places I can go to that make me aware of my specialness. It’s funny but many times our friends think more highly of us than we think of ourselves; that’s why we need them to remind us of who we are. I’m no more special or less special than you or the kids on the yellow bus, but people have different levels of awareness about their specialness, I pray that people and places are in your life to reflect how special you truly are.

Inspired by Rev Oliver & NW

There is no independence day
I am dependent on you and you are dependent on me
No man or woman is an island unto themselves
Name one man or woman that wasn’t birthed through a woman

What is the self?
Self-reliance can’t be
The universe is myself
I am the universe
All of this is me
I am dependent on the universe to eat...to live…to breath
I am self-reliant when I am in harmony with the universe

There is no independence day
Look around you and examine your clothes tags, food labels, and automobiles
Imagine if everything that has been imported disappeared
Name one country that has no imports of people, goods, or ideas

What are we free from?
A thief who escapes the authorities is captured by fear
A country extricates itself from one oppressive government only to create a mimic of that which it just escaped.
We will run further and further away thinking we’re getting freer and freer
Until there is nowhere left to go and we have no alternative but to face ourselves
We will look in the mirror and realize, freedom is within
And it doesn’t depend on external conditions or circumstances
For an ever-changing world will always have conditions and circumstances

As an adolescent, my desire was to be independent
However, as much as I craved both, I couldn’t have independence and security
As I mature, I’m finding that I seek to be more collective
Within a collective, I have role in which I am able to exhibit independent thought in my area of expertise, while trusting and depending on others to do the same in theirs. I pray that young America doesn’t tear the world family apart as it endures the same struggle I faced during my teenage years.

Can you hold your breath for more than three minutes?
Who among us can stop breathing and still live?
Is breathing voluntary or involuntary?
What is controlling our breath?

No
Nobody
Involuntary
Spirit

God inhales and exhales us.
We are polished instruments through which God lives, breaths, and speaks.
Give thanks for every breath…every note…every vibration.
What kind of instrument are you?