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Answering the Call of a Lifetime
Voice Mail from God:
"What's up
I’m tired of all the excuses. Don’t try to blame it on your battery. I told you to stay power-full and in-charge. And don’t try to tell me that you’ve got to save your minutes. Didn’t I tell you that AT&T meant Appreciate Today & Time. This Lifetime Cell Plan doesn’t have roll-over minutes, so I don’t know what you’re saving for. The only things rolling over are the hands of the clock, one second at a time. On top of that, you and I have the Global Family Plan meaning we have free mobile-to-mobile and global coverage. You can connect with Me whenever and wherever you want to.
Anyway, I don’t know how many more messages I have to send you before you get it but your bill is getting kind of high. Eternal life costs life and you haven’t been making your payments. I don’t know who you’re spending all that time talking to every month without calling me, but I it’s cool…I still have love for you.
I have some Good News to tell you so holler at me. I’m always here.
One.”
The In-Sight
There is a calling on our lives. We get three rings in life; the quarter life crisis, the mid-life crisis, and death. If you’ve ever been in financial debt, you know that money costs (more) money. In the same way, life costs life. May we always remember to pay our greatest debt to our Creator first and answer the important calls before it’s too late.
The Call of a Lifetime from jconxus on ComiqsStaying Power-Full & In-Charge
For one reason or another, have you ever forgot to charge your cell phone and have it die on you just when you need to make a call? It sucks! It usually happens at the worst times like when you're lost and need directions, you need to make an important call, or you need someone to pick you up. When we were kids (when cell phones were as big as a brick), we used to memorize phone numbers by heart and pay phones were readily accessible, but times have changed.
Just like cell phones, sometimes we forget to charge ourselves on a daily basis. The moment we get weak and lose our signal is the moment we need direction in life, we need to call on the Creator for something important, or we a spiritual brother or sister to lift us up. Because we don't exercise our Spirit regularly the way we exercise our bodies, the scriptures, quotes, songs, and memories that sustain us aren't written on our hearts and spiritual centers (ie churches, mosque, etc) aren't always accessible, so we're stuck.
Therefore, we must always remember to 1. Charge (= plug into our Higher Power) daily so that we can 2. Call (= pray) and 3. Connect (= get a response). If we don't charge daily, we can't call. If we don't call regularly S/he might not answer. And if we don't connect, "please check the number you dialed or try again", because the Creator only answers calls from whoever answers It's calls. If only we were as obsessed with our Power Source as we are with our cell phone's power source, we would be on all the time, ready to dial in and give love when called to and receive love when it rings.
In conclusion:
1. Charge your soul with your cell.
2. Answer when the Creator calls.
3. Check your minutes and use them.
Stay power-full & in-charge!
Feel Accomplished with Accomp-Lists
I don't know about you, but I love making to do list. I make one every day and I get pleasure out of crossing things out. Sometimes I'll even write things down that weren't even on the list just so I can cross them out. I look at my to do list way too often.
Anyways, even though I hack away at my to do list every day, I still feel unaccomplished sometimes. As I started to contemplate why, I realized that I felt this way because I throw everything I accomplished that day in the garbage after creating my new list for the next day. As a result, I always have this feeling that there is more to do because my to do list always has empty check boxes every morning.
So in January, I decided to change the game and keep my daily to do lists instead of throw them away and below is my accomp-list for January 2008. Download my Personal Planning Chart to track your accomplishments.
January 2008 Accomp-List
My Blog
[x] 18 blog posts
[x] encouraged 5 people to start blogs
[x] redesigned my blog
Mylinia
[x] Mylinia team retreat
[x] Mylinia backend complete
[x] find Mylinia frontend programmer
[x] write a letter to investors
My Book
[x] 12 people did 8 Principles of Purpose
[x] draft a writing proposal to Ode Magazine
[x] design my book cover
[20%] complete my book proposal
My Love
[x] live with my spiritual partner for 30 days
[x] create and lead a new birthday ritual for my spiritual partner
[x] co-create and share in a love ritual with my spiritual partner
My Rituals
[x] host a potluck
[x] pray every morning
[x] talk to my best friend weekly
[x] have lunch with a friend every week
[x] cook every week
My Job
[x] establish the ambassador program
[75%] complete the website
[00%] co-create a company retreat
Other Stuff
[x] support 4 people's dreams through coaching
[x] donate clothes
[x] facilitate 2 presentations to over 200 young people
Prayer for Writers
Oh Great Spirit
please bless all the writers
who through in-lightening the mind
have made the world brighter
may we copy you and copy-right
releasing sloppy writing
for the text-ure of your Word
is so perfect when you guide it
May our pen-man-ship not sink
but be buoyed by your ink
help us fish for the words
to catch the thoughts that we think
a book equals a basket
of bread to feed the masses
food for thought is free
no one leaves hungry or asking
Ashe. Amen. And so it is.
Also read this interview with Paulo Coehlo, author of the Alchemist.
Shadow Boxing With Self
Shadowboxing is a training exercise used boxers mainly to prepare the muscles before the person training engages in stronger physical activity. The main purpose of this exercise, apart from getting the muscles ready for other activity, is usually to maintain a fighter's rhythm and help them envision how they would look at that stage of training against a certain opponent. In shadowboxing, only one person is required to participate; the participant throws punches at no one in particular. Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers in the world used this technique a lot. It made me consider whether fights are won in the ring or in the mind and if life is a 1-player game or multi-player game.
When I think of 1-player games, I think of sports like running, bowling, swimming, and golf. The soul characteristic that differentiates most 1-player games from multi-player games is that you are only competing with your best self. If a swimmer swam the world record in practice, they know that they are capable, and the challenge becomes replicating that experience whenever they want to (ie during a competition). A lot of unofficial world records have been broken during practice. When we considering having to replicate an event, we are challenged to understanding why and how we did so well. Understanding the 'why' and 'how' differentiates the greats from the luckies.
Multi-player games are a lot more dynamic because there are so many moving parts. There is no turn taking; I play as you play. Because of this some would say that multi-player games are closer reflection of the world than a 1-player game. In multi-player games, you can capitalize off of other people's weaknesses and mistakes as opposed to building your strengths and personal definition of success. In a multi-player game, someone can win because of someone else's unforced error instead of winning because they performed to the best of their ability that day.
Does a swimmer watch video of another swimmer or do they just swim? Does Tiger Woods study other golfers at all or does he just practice on his game? If I was a golfer today, I wouldn't compare myself to Tiger Woods; I would compare myself to me (so that I don't get discouraged). As much as I would like to win, I would focus on beating my personal best score. If his best is a 10 under par and mine is a 4 and I shoot a 6, then I've beaten my best self though it may not have been better than Tiger Woods' personal best.
When we think we're playing other people, it's extremely easy to externalize loss (ie The referee cheated. He had a head start.) and take credit for victory (ie We were just the better team). At the end of the day, whether 1-player or multi-player, all we can do is our best. If we truly hone in on our unique purpose and define what we want to be and were created to be #1 at in the world, no one can or will compete with us and the competition will only be between us and our best selves. We need to let go of the underdog mentality and start thinking like champs; underdogs don't think like underdogs. We are our best coach and competitor, so we need to stop playing ourselves, and really...play ourselves. We define the game by how great we want to be, not by other people.
75 Reminders To Follow Your Passions
This is a tribute to some of my entrepreneurial friends (mostly) under 30 who are self-employing themselves full-time or part-time with their passions. Thank you for reminding and inspiring me with your bold examples.
CLOTHING & APPAREL
Olatunde of Esface
Dania of Fluffy Jo
Tracy of Dangerous Negro Apparel
Andy of Bonobos Pants
Olu of Lambano Shoe Company
Ras of Saxidat
Michael Cox of E3 Clothes
MUSICIANS
Jidenna the Chief, artist for DarkWater Productions
Daniel Farris, pianist, drummer, songwriter, & producer for Woodworks Records
Nasambu, singer and songwriter for Streets the the Hill
Honey Larochelle, singer and songwriter for Honey Larochelle
Felica Khong of Jazmin
Manghoba, Shibanmbo South African Drumming
Shani Kulture of Planet Ubiquity
Sara Araya aka Cia Moon, singer, pianist, movie scores
Novena of Baby Stone, performing artist, song writer, pianist
Clifford Worley of Livemyhustle.com
THE ARTS (Film, Photography, Writing, Etc)
M.K. Asante Jr., Director and Producer
Daniel Davila of Momentum Cinema
Nakia of 7/8 Productions
Lesha Patterson Photography
Jody of King Rucks Productions
Babatunde Akinloye of Tunde Productions
Sallome Hralima of the Re:Construction Period
Alicia Boone of So Live Arts Movement
Alixa & Naima of Climbing Poetree
Arcelie Reyes Photography
PERSONAL CARE
Tiffany Wheeler Day Care Services
Sean & Kumi of Mr. Barber Shop
CAREER & LIFE COACHING
Allah Jesus of Talking4Real.com
Rob Ryan of Center for Health, life coach
Ruth of Ruth Littlejohn Consulting
Cindy of Less Drama, life coach
Mareza of Doostang.com
EDUCATION
Mandla of New World Education Consulting Group
Chris Balme of the Spark Program
Scott of Transformative Action Institute
Michael Del Ponte of ConsciousLifestyle.org
Katrina Scott George of None But Ourselves
Adam of Learning Enterprises
HEALING & MEDICINE
Dr. Toni Daniels, pain & addiction alleviation
Larissa, dietician and living consultant
Nasambu, massage therapist
Sophia, massage therapist
Julie Brown, Healing/Nutrition/Detox, & Colon Hydrotherapy
FINANCE & BUSINESS
Wil of Wil Ash & Associates Tax Services
Kimberly of New Venture Consulting Group
Rolando Brown of Parallel Movement
Jessica of Kiva.org
Inman of Finfo.com
REAL ESTATE
Keidrick Cole
Gerren Bennett
FOOD & DINING
Carmen of Carmen & Family BBQ Restaurants
Mark of Karibbean City Jamaican Food
Abezero of Vital Ital Calabash
Nader of Foodspa.com Online Catering
Jenny Park of Adele's Frozen Custard
Robyn Goldman Ice Cream
Mark Karimi of the Meridian Hooka Lounge
PUBLICATIONS
Tom of Newsiasm.com
ELECTRONICS & TOOLS
Sam Goldman of Dlight Designs
Andre of MDG Tools
TECHNOLOGY
Harland Gaston Seedplay.com
Will of Cre8object.com
JEWELRY
Monique of Monique Pean Jewelry
Mia Watson
Kimiko Boyd
GAMING
Erik of Chess.com
Nick of NP Games
Adam Tolnay Games
MODELS & ACTORS
Mia Franco
Juan Session
OTHER
Billy Parish of the Energy Action Coalition
Simon of Speededate.com
Prayer for Addictions
Oh Great Spirit
I pray for all addicts
we all have addictions
we just call 'em bad habits
stuck like we're in traffic
static when we're dynamic
perfecting the front yard
when there's junk in our attics
It's tragic
how that blue magic
flows like acid
It's drastic
like on a new mattress
we doze so quick
It's classic
how we can watch 'em sleep
but know they live
It's plastic
how we can act so weak
with strength to give
So I give thanks to them
who serve as anchors when
our boats capsize in waves
and its sink or swim
Lord God I pray for them
to all the wayward men
who through drowning have gone deeper
I mean, waaaaayyyy within
from the darkness of their clouds
may they spray their gems
en-lightening all our paths
as they rain wisdom
may they share their glorious stories
like we were there with them
for we tend to take God for granted
'til we've been in-prisoned
Ashe. Amen. And So It Is.
Find more hot Lil Wayne quotes and commentary here
from XXL Magazine (Jan/Feb 2008)
I'm not hot. I'm great.
Insight: To be hot is to be temporary. Greatness endures.
_____________
I love fans, but I honor believers. Believers know you're great. That's why they believe in you.
Insight: Know the difference between who will ride with and who will ride for you.
_____________
XXL: You do have a similar work ethic (as 2 Pac), as far as the amount of records you put out and the time you spend in the studio?
Wayne: It's not even time I spend. I live in the studio. I spend time doing other $h#+.
Insight: Passions aren't for free-time, they're for full-time.
_____________
XXL: Do you ever get creatively drained working at such a pace?
Wayne: That's a crazy question because obviously I don't right?
Insight: Just keep creating to get more creative energy.
_____________
My mind set is always the same. I'm never there...You're never there until you're there.
Insight: It's not until we push ourselves to our limits that we realize that we're limitless.
_____________
Yeah, that's very not important to me - sales. I'm not set out to be bought. I'm set out to be heard...I'm focused on making great music.
Insight: Create value first and the money will follow.
_____________
I don't think nobody know what they can do 'til they do it
Insight: Action speaks louder than words. Don't talk about it. Try.
_____________
I'm changing that. It used to be "Work like Jamaicans." (I want it to be) Work like Waye.
Insight: Whoever wants to work the least later, must work hardest today.
_____________
I do what I do 'cause I do. 'Cause I know why I do what I do.
Insight: Know your intentions and disregard what other people think.
_____________
I don't listen to radio and $h#+. I rarely...I'm on this bus all day. I critique my $h#+ all day. I'm my biggest fan and hater and believer and nonbeliever. I'm trying to study MY game. No disrespect to anybody. It ain't even that I don't have the time to listen to it, it's just - that's how great I wanna be.
Insight: Competition is a distraction. Study you, not your perceived competitor.
_____________
from The Source, April 2008
Man, I just work. When you work the way I work, things find themselves.
Insight: Don't force it.
_____________
I already be seeing me on stage like what should I be looking like? What they gonna say when I say this part? Ni%&as don't be analyzing that $#&t. Ni%&as just trying to make the next word rhyme with the last word they said. Me thought...I aim for the heart.
Insight: Visualize greatness.
_____________
You should feel like you're the best with anything you do, whoever you are. I just happen to rap so I said I'm the best rapper. If you don't think you're the best at something what are you doing it for? Do you want to be conservative or do you want to live life doing what the f%ck you wanted to do, saying what the f%ck you wanted to say, being who the f%ck you wanted to be. I'm the definition of everything I just said.
Insight: If you're not striving to be the best, don't play the game.
_____________
I'm so much of a perfectionist, nothing I do ain't gonna be right. To tell you the truth, I think everything I've done has been a classic. You gonna have to find another word cause classic (5 mics) ain't gone do.
Insight: Always put your best foot forward.
_____________
This is what I was born for. You know how they got people who are made to do things and they can't do them wrong 'cause that's what they're here for?
Insight: We all have a calling and when we find it, we can't do wrong.
_____________
Record sales have never been a thing to me. My album dropped in three years first of all. And I'm the hottest n!gg@ out here.
Insight: The money will come.
from Vibe, May 2008
_____________
I wanna be a Bob Marley. I wanna be a Tupac - their lives mean so much...I wanna mean so much after I'm gone.
Insight: Focus on leaving a legacy
_____________
I still feel like I'm not being respected...I still feel like I don't have the crown. I still feel like there's something I have to do that hasn't been done.
Insight: Do what has never been done before.
_____________
I love the studio...It feels like going into a classroom, you know you didn't study everything, the test gets in front of you, and you're like 'Damn, I know all the answers.' That's how I feel when I get in the studio, like 'Damn, I know all the answers.
Insight: Focus on your strengths. Take the class where the answers come naturally.
_____________
MTV Interview
"I ain't nowhere near my goal. I'm just having a great time getting there."
"Every time I get in the studio, I do it for those people. And for the people that don't agree, I do it for them too. So hopefully one day they do agree. But if you agree with what I'm saying, then I love you, but if you don't, I love you too — but you will [agree] one day."
"I love what I do," he added. "I love this job. My job is my dream, so every time I get in the studio, I get to dream again. I just chase my dream."
________________
from the Guardian
"I'll be there. I don't think about things that I have to do to get there; I just wake up every day and do something to get there. And whatever it is that I do, I look back and say that's what I done to get here."
"It's not lyrics, so I don't have to come up with it. I am what I'm saying. I just do it. This is what I am,"
"I already know who I am. I gotta lot of mirrors all around my crib, so I know what I look like and I can see through these," he says, pointing to his inked eyes. "It's more about figuring out everybody else and the way they are. You know how they act, who they are and then you're never sure. And that's the beauty of psychology, the beauty of humanity. Psychology teaches you that you could never know someone."
"I can explain me in one word," he decides. "Unexplainable." Here we go. "No, listen," he pleads, suddenly eager to be understood. "Anybody who can be explained should be ashamed of themselves. I wasn't created, I wasn't made. I was put here and there's no word for it," he nods, gathering up his sunglasses and syrup. "I can't explain myself. You look at me and tell me what you see, you listen to me and tell me what you get. That's what it is, that's who I am." Swig, grin, sunglasses back on. "I am music, ya dig?"
_____________
from the Carter 3
"Confidence has no budget." - Dr. Carter
"Repetition is the father of learning." - Shoot Me Down
__________
from Baller Status
"Music is my drug."
__________
"Stay personal. Music is personal. It's about the person. Stay within yourself.
__________
"I'ma Leave it to God, not me nor neither you"
Mr. Carter, The Carter 3
_____________
Related Posts:
* Jay-Z Quotes for Personal Growth
* Stop Playing Yourself
Dear Ladies, This Is Why I'm Hot
Dear Ladies,
On behalf of my brothers and myself, I want to apologize if we've ever burned you. See...our Father is the Sun, so we're the sons of the Sun, but many of us are just starting to see the light now. When our soul-ar energy kisses your ear-th, the creation process ignites. One little candle has the potential to blaze an entire forest. When I first discovered this power within the palms of my hands, I was so excited that I ran around lighting everything on fire. Because of my immaturity, things got out of control. Little flames grew into massive wild fires. Fortunately, the all-knowing Creator blessed you with two elements of nature, earth and water, the substance needed to extinguish my mistakes and heal yourself when necessary. The way we burned women, you would think we were arsonists.
Finally, a few of us decided to go to our Father to find out how to use our power correctly. Our Father had some Good News. Of the 5 elements of nature (earth, air, fire, water, space), fire is the only one that man has the power to create and with that comes great responsibility. There are two types of fires, uncontrolled (characterized by our youthfulness) and controlled (characterized by maturity and self-discipline). We discovered that controlled burning stimulates the germination of some desirable forest trees and ultimately renew forests. Thus, our fire has the power to spark growth in you in areas you didn't believe you could grow. And as both earth and water, you have the power to fuel our fire and stop it. What balance!
We were told that fire has 3 primary purposes in relationships:
1. To light the relationship: Our Father, the Sun, is responsible for lighting the relationship in its brightest hours and its darkest hours. His light is always shining, making sure to focus on one part of the relationship at time, but also remembering to light all of Mother Earth. When the relationship isn't looking bright, we were told to rely the other stars in our Universe and reflect our light indirectly if you aren't open to receiving it directly at the time.
2. To weld/shape the relationship: The direction of the Sun determines the length of the day. The length of the day in turn affects how people in certain regions interact with one another on a daily basis. In the same way, the amount of energy we put into the relationship will shape the direction it goes and how long it last.
3. To warm the relationship: At every moment, He gives 174 petawatts of solar radiation to Mother Earth, regardless if She is reflecting it back or absorbing it. We were told, to do our best to provide consistent unconditional love and energy, even during the coldest times of the relationship. Our Father, the Sun, never stops loving our Mother Earth no matter how cold it is. Even when He needs to get away for the Winter, He puts energy into the relationship to ensure that it endures trying seasons.
Again, sorry for any 3rd degree burns we may have causes. In the future, if we ever get heated, please remind us of the 3 purposes of fire.
Sincerely,
Your "Blazing" Brothers
Two 1/2s Don't Make 1 Whole
...Two halves make a "hole". Mathematically it's true. 1/2 + 1/2 = 1. But spiritually, the equation doesn't stand.
Sometimes when we fall in love, we start to say things that sound sweet like "You're my other half" or "You complete me". Well, if someone completes us, then what happens when they leave. Are we incomplete?
Complement and complete are two separate things. Two things that are complete are complementary, but two things that are complementary aren't necessarily complete. There is a difference between having a matching socks that complete a pair and having two matching socks with holes that complement each other. The complete and complementary pair are useful; The complementary only socks should be throw away.
When we enter relationships with the half-and-half mindset that someone will complete us and make us whole, oftentimes we breed co-dependency instead of partnership. In co-dependent relationships, it isn't about our growth, our partners growth, or the growth of the relationship. It's simply about sustaining where we are instead of sustaining growth. The pattern is falling in love, not getting what we need, and then resenting that person when we knew from the beginning that the relationship was founded on our desires instead of the divine. A divine foundation is the only place from which Good creation can grow.
When 2 whole people coming together, a third being is formed. In this case, 1 + 1 = 3. Biologically, we see this manifest when a man and woman come together to create a child. In the business world we see this manifest when two business partners come together to form a corporation. The third being creates space for true partnership, where the 2 people (complete in and of themselves) can grow together through the third entity.
Whole doesn't = perfect; We all have room for growth. Whole = not wanting. When people are actively seeking a relationship, it's usually because they are wanting. We don't necessarily want "someone", we want "something" that we thing someone can give us, and anyone who can give me that something is on the ballot. The way the Universe works, whole-people tend to attract whole-people and half-people tend to attract half-people. Therefore, if we want a whole-istic and healthy partnership, we must seek to be whole first, healing from the past and opening ourselves to new possibilities.
-You Make Me Better by Neyo & Fabolous
Cupid and the Cops
February 14, 2007
exactly one year ago
So I picked up Kalonji from San Jose airport at 9pm. His flight was about 15 minutes late. On the ride back to East Palo Alto, I got him up to speed on Mylinia and my life. I told him that plan A was to get the Echoing Green fellowship, plan B was to finance Mylinia through angel investors, and plan C was to work for Google. He shared with me some of his visions and one of them was "Bless the Block", a recurring group prayer in East Palo Alto.
So we got to his house and dinner was just ending. All of Kalonji's roommates were there, plus two other people. Four of them were going to some concert. Once they left, Jidenna, Kalonji, and I remained. We began discussing life, love, spirituality, and community development like we always do. Jidenna shared a recent dream about one his mentees and his conversation with a local bus driver which started a discussion about housing and employment. I shared some strategies like marketing the local plumber's business so that demand increased and he could hire and train some young black males to meet that increased demand. I believe that everything we need is within our community, but we never take the time to meet people and assess what has what and who needs what. As that conversation came to a close, Kalonji boldly asked if we wanted to go pray at the corner of Pulgas and O'Connor at 10:30pm in East Palo Alto where violence has been elevating since the beginning of the year. Without hesitation we both said yes.
After grabbing jackets and four candles, we walked to the intersection. At that particular intersection there are 3 churches and a Boys & Girls Club. We walked to each corner clock-wise and lit a candle at each. On the fourth corner, we faced the intersection and began praying. They prayed on their knees faced down while I prayed sitting down.
As cars passed by, they took a little bit longer at the 4-way stop sign than usually. Jidenna prayed "God is refuge." Kalonji prayed "1 to 3 to many." And I prayed "Where God is I am. Where I am, God is." We were in deep prayer for about 15 minutes and then I got up and began walking clockwise around the intersection, paying very little attention to the cars and repeating my prayer in silence.
After about 10 circles, the police came. On our 2-block walk to the intersection, we saw 5 police cars. Two police cars stopped in front of me. I kept walking until one office got out of his car and began questioning me.
Officer Norris: Hey, what are you doing?
Jullien: Praying
ON: What are you praying for?
J: No more violence.
ON: What faith are you?
J: I don't have a faith. I just have faith.
ON: What church are you from?
J: Where I'm standing is my church.
At that point, officer Norris let his guard down and introduced himself. He shook my hand and our dialogue continued. He asked where my friends and I were from. I told him "Stanford", though the spiritual answer was "Heaven". Though heaven was the true answer, I felt as if he wanted some worldly answers. He asked me to pick up all of the candles and tell my friends to stop praying! He suggested that we pray inside, not outside.
I proceeded to pick up all of the candles without blowing them out and then I placed them in front of Kalonji and Jidenna. both officers got into their cars and pulled up to the curb that we were on and shined their lights on us. Instead of packing up and leaving, I retained my spot and position from before, closed my eyes, and continued praying. After a minute or two, officer Norris yelled out of his window "Jullien, only pray for about an hour more," and then sped off.
Five minutes later, Kalonji and Jidenna who never broke prayer despite the police's interruption arose and we said a final prayer together aloud. Though I had brought all of the candle back, we walked the corners counter-clockwise and blew each one out as Jidenna prayed "Let there be peace on this corner."
We walked back home in peace.
Prayer for Brotherhood
Can I love someone without speaking?
The alter-native is to hate
when I compare myself to others
do I think difference or the same
whether brotherhood or otherhood
we're all part of the human race
even biological brothers
have their challenges to face
So today I'm here to pray
that my eyes can change their shades
may I journey inside my soul
and find you there in space
where the physical is invisible
and we have the freedom to create
a new relationship through conversations which
allows us to relate
Ashe. Amen. And so it is.
Prayer for Those Days
Sometimes we have those days
where nothing seems to go our way
we've got some place to be
but for some reason we're late
we look to place the blame
"Those crooks just stole my day"
no one can steal your light
though it might shine a little late
The wrong side of the bed
is superstition in our heads
we're still alive and breathing
which is better than being dead
please give us our daily bread
don't let my moldy mindset spread
these days may turn to dates
but dates don't mean we're wed
Ashe. Amen. And so it is.
Prayer for Perfect Employment
May the place I choose to work
be my primary place of worship
I'm committed to waiting, searching
for employment that is perfect
to be hired is to be born
to have a job is to have purpose
may I incorporate into your plan
before I look to corporate
Wherever I choose to work
may I believe in what I sell
the glass ceiling to heaven
is really inside myself
I pray I care for my career
and in turn it carries me
substantially financially
while enhancing my inner being
Ashe. Amen. And so it is.
Prayer for Morning
Great God thank you
for resurrecting me today
as you shine your light
may I add a ray
I only see my shadow
when my back is to the Sun
when there are forks in the road
may I eat from the right one
This is the first day of my new life
but it could also be my last
may I learn from my mistakes
while letting go of the past
half-full? or half-empty?
I don't think in halves
I seek a whole-istic life
with an overflowing glass
Ashe. Amen. And so it is.
Prayer for Friendship
Give me the wisdom to tell
between a friend and an acquaintance
Acquaintances come for the ride
but friends help with my maintenance
They don't deceive me when the see me
diverge from my dreams
They keep it real and they treat me
like I'm a divine being
Give me the courage
to nourish those I love
with words and with wisdom
and sometimes a little nudge
May I also be honest
being sure not to judge
For true friends keep a balance
between the tugs and the hugs
Ashe. Amen. And so it is.
How Many Fake-Book Friends Do You Have?
This evening I asked a woman that I met briefly at a mutual friend's birthday party to stop smoking because I cared about her health.
It was an awkward moment.
There were four of us on a stoop in Brooklyn; a non-smoker who went down with her 5 minutes prior and then a former-smoker who knew her a lot better than me that I just met as well. The former smoker and I were talking about true friendship, not Fake-Book friends, when we made the decision to go downstairs and redefine friendship by being blatantly and lovingly honest with the smoker.
I wonder how many smokers (drinkers, cheaters, amblers, liars, etc) wished someone would walk up to them and say "I want you to stop because I love you". How many lives could have been saved if one real friend just spoke their mind and stood up for and to their friend in pain?
As "friends", we have to stop lying to each other. It's funny and almost two-faced how we can comfort our friends with positive energy when they do something that brings them closer to their dreams (ie graduate, win an award, get married) but how we refrain from making them uncomfortable when they do something we know isn't in their best interest.
Aren't there healthy ways to hold our friends accountable to their highest self and be honest without negative energy flowing? If we can't be honest with our friends, then who can we be honest with?
I recognize that I have room for growth too. I told the smoker that "My intention is not to judge" but that as we develop an authentic friendship, my honesty and love frees her to be honest with me about things that I'm doing that are unhealthy to myself and our community. You'll be amazed at how much (typically defensive) feedback you get if you have the courage to give it out first.
Oftentimes, we do external things like smoke to try to heal or cover up some internal aspect of our life that needs healing. We all need healing in different ways and true friends should be there to look beyond the smoke and support each other in the weed-plucking process. True friends are committed to digging up the roots and confronting their friend about the source and not just the symptoms.
At the very least, I know that the smoker left thinking about these questions:
- What is friendship and who are my true friends?
- Why did a complete stranger who has nothing to gain from me not smoking challenge me not to?
- Who the hell does he think he is?
- Why do I smoke...really?
- What is friendship to me?
- Who cares enough about me to fight for me when I'm fighting against myself?
- Who do I care about enough to tell the truth when their actions and goals aren't aligned?
- What unhealthy habits have become part of my life? What is the root of problem?
Read my Prayer for Friendship here.
5 Ways to Think like a NY (New You) Giant
In her book Return to Love, Marrianne Williamson wrote, "You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you." So in light of the New York Giants Super Bowl victory, here are 5 ways to stop thinking small and start thinking like a giant.
The New You (NY) Giant Mentality
1. It's not how you start, but it's how you finish: The Giants began the 2007-2008 NFL season with 2 losses. There 10-6 record was enough to earn them a wild card and get them into the playoffs. Once you get in the door, just dance like you deserved to be there all along.
2. The past is only as relevant as you make it: Negative and positive histories can be equally inspirational. The Giants hadn't won a Super Bowl since 1991 whereas the Patriots won 3 of the last 6 Super Bowls. Making the past meaningless is the only way to set-up and up-set. It means taking full accountability for your life and no excuses.
3. Tasting failure first is better than tasting it last: The Patriots almost had a perfect 19-0 season, but almost doesn't count. Tasting losing early can serve as inspiration for you not to crave it later...if you learn from it.
4. It's not if you lose, but when: We all lose at some point in life, but the question is when. The Giants had a 1-3 pre-season and 4-0 post-season. The Giants also lost to the Patriots one month ago by 3 points to close the regular season.
5. Other's expectations are meaningless: People off the field don't matter. There was a 11.5 point spread that the Patriots would win on Sunday making this one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.
Sound like the Jullien Gordon you know?
Naming has huge significance, especially in indigenous cultures. To see how significant it is, I decided to explore some historical figures in wikipedia that shared my first and/or last name. I found George William Gordon (who is probably my great great great great grandfather considering our common Jamaican heritage), Judah Gordon, Juliette Gordon, and Julian of Norwich. What I discovered is that there life paths are very similar to mine!
Read below and see if you see the Jullien Gordon you know in their stories...
George William Gordon
George William Gordon...a gifted child...quick-witted, handsome and a great orator. He took part in religious debates from an early age. Though brought up as an Anglican, Gordon joined the Presbyterians, was baptised by the Baptists, and soon set about organising his own church...Gordon’s absorption with religion never waned. He started an independent Baptist organisation and erected a tabernacle in Kingston, the Kingston Tabernacle, where he often preached. Gordon helped his followers open chapels in the country-side. He ordained deacons, Paul Bogle of Stony Gut being one of them...He entered politics as an advocate of the poverty-stricken Negro peasants. This displeased many of his coloured, middle-class counterparts. He was elected to the Kingston Common Council and more than once deputised as mayor. Gordon concentrated on buying and leasing lands which he cut up and sold or sublet cheaply to the negro peasants who, at the time, had great difficulty obtaining land.
Judah Leib Gordon (1831, Vilna - 1892, St. Petersburg) (Hebrew: יהודה לייב גורדון)
Judah Leib Gordon was among the most important Hebrew poets of the Jewish Enlightenment...Gordon was born to well-to-do Jewish parents who owned a hotel in Vilnius. As a privileged child, he was able to study Torah with some of the great educators of the city, and soon proved to be an exceptional student. He had already mastered the entire Bible by the age of eleven, and was fluent in hundreds of pages of Talmud... In just three years, he had mastered almost the entire Talmud and dozens of other religious texts. By that time, however, he was also drawn by the spirit of the Enlightenment that was sweeping across the city. He began reading secular literature and learning foreign languages, and he befriended some of the leading Enlightenment figures of the time, including Kalman Shulman and his son Michel...Much of Gordon's poetry revolves around biblical and historical themes. These include The Love of David and Michal (1857), King Zedekiah in Prison (1879), Judah's Parables (1859), David and Barzilai, Osenath, Daughter of Potiphera, From between the Lion's Teeth, and From the Depths of the Sea. The works were intended to disseminate Enlightenment values and had a profound impact on Jewish life.
Juliette Gordon-Low
Juliette Gordon-Low (aka Daisy) , founder of Girl Scouts of the USA, was born Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon on October 31, 1860, in Savannah, Georgia...A sensitive and talented youngster, Daisy Gordon spent a happy childhood in her large Savannah home...Young Daisy Gordon developed what was to become a lifetime interest in the arts. She wrote poems; sketched, wrote and acted in plays; and later became a skilled painter and sculptor...Juliette Gordon Low spent several years searching for something useful to do with her life. Her search ended in 1911, when she met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, and became interested in the new youth movement. Afterwards, she channeled all her considerable energies into the fledgling movement...Less than a year later, she returned to the United States and made her historic telephone call to a friend (a distant cousin), saying, "I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!" On March 12, 1912, Juliette Low gathered 18 girls to register the first troop of American Girl Guides. Margaret "Daisy Doots" Gordon, her niece and namesake, was the first registered member. The name of the organization was changed to Girl Scouts the following year...In developing the Girl Scout movement in the United States, Juliette brought girls of all backgrounds into the out-of-doors, giving them the opportunity to develop self-reliance and resourcefulness. She encouraged girls to prepare not only for traditional homemaking, but also for possible future roles as professional women—in the arts, sciences and business—and for active citizenship outside the home. Girl Scouting welcomed disabled girls at a time when they were excluded from many other activities. This idea seemed quite natural to Juliette, who never let deafness, back problems or cancer keep her from full participation in life...From the original 18 girls, Girl Scouting has grown to 3.7 million members. Girl Scouts is the largest educational organization for girls in the world and has influenced the more than 50 million girls, women and men who have belonged to it.
Julian of Norwich (c. November 8, 1342 – c. 1416)
Julian of Norwich is considered to be one of the greatest English mystics. Little is known of her life aside from her writings... Julian had a series of intense visions...She recorded these visions soon after having them, and then again twenty years later in far more theological depth. They are the source of her major work, called Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love (circa 1393). This is believed to be the first book written by a woman in the English language.[2] Julian became well known throughout England as a spiritual authority: Margery Kempe mentions going to Norwich to speak with Julian.[3]...Although she lived in a time of turmoil, Julian's theology was optimistic, speaking of God's love in terms of joy and compassion as opposed to law and duty. For Julian, suffering was not a punishment that God inflicted, as was the common understanding. Julian's ground-breaking theology was that God loved and saved us all. Popular theology magnified by current events including the Black Death and a series of Peasant Revolts assumed that God was punishing the wicked. In response, Julian suggested a far more optimistic theology, universal salvation. Because she believed that beyond the reality of hell is yet a greater mystery of God's love, she has also been referred to in modern times as a proto-universalist.[citation needed]..As part of her differing view of God as compassionate and loving, she wrote of the trinity in domestic terms and compares Jesus to a mother who is wise, loving, and merciful. (See Jesus as Mother by Carolyn Walker Bynum.) Similarly, she connects God with motherhood in terms of 1) "the foundation of our nature's creation, 2) "the taking of our nature, where the motherhood of grace begins" and 3) "the motherhood at work" and speaks metaphorically of Jesus in connection with conception, nursing, labor, and upbringing. She, like many other great mystics, used female language for God as well as the more traditional male pronouns. Even though her views were not typical, local authorities did not challenge either her theology or her authority to make such faith claims because of her status as an anchoress.
