Get it Done.. One Second at a Time!

“Cause it’s now or never!  Im gonna put it on the line, I gotta win so I’m gonna grind and put in overtime.” –Akon

How many times have you stated: “There are just not enough hours in the day to get so much done!”  I have done it plenty of times and I felt a burden on my shoulders because I was not able to achieve everything I planned to on a certain day.  Negativity always seeped into my system when I felt this burden and I felt unproductive even if I completed many tasks in the day.  Like always, I have found a way to get everything done in a timely fashion and will share this gift with you.  No you don’t have to pay, no you don’t have to sign-up for anything; you don’t even have to add extra hours to your day to pull all-nighter’s to get this done.

So how will you get everything done in a 24-hour day, while getting at least 6 hours of sleep?  The same way that I have been doing for the past 6 months; first, you have to get a good night’s rest the night before (a minimum of 6 hours sleep).  When I say a good night’s rest, I mean you relax while you sleep without stressing or having anything on your mind that will prevent this from happening.  Wake up in the morning and feel the energy that you received during your sleep circulate through your body.  Second, have a nutritional breakfast to get you up and about early.  If you have to eat cereal in the morning, at least add some fruit to it in order to balance it out.  Once you have the energy circulating and the food in your system you can get right down to grinding it out and doing what you have to do to get things accomplished.  Keep in mind that in order to actually be on the “grind” you have to concentrate on what you are doing in the present moment.  Don’t be worried about what has already has occurred and definitely don’t try looking ahead to something that you are not even certain will occur yet.  When you do this, you will see that you can get plenty of things accomplished throughout the day.  The final part of this may be the most important thing you need to do in order stop feeling negatively about the amount of things you get done in a day.  When the day is over and it is time to re-energize your system again, don’t worry or stress about any task that you were unable to complete.  Understand that as long as you are thinking positively and living in the present moment, everything is occurring just as it is supposed to occur and all of your goals and tasks will be accomplished!  Remember to live in the now, give it your all, and understand that you will succeed at everything you set your mind to!  Leave your comments and insight to the topic because WE motivate each other.  Like always, I am always just a “Send Message” click away if you need me.  Live life to its fullest, one day at a time!                                                 

DOUBT

It has been a while since I have been on here trying to bring some positive vibes to my extended internet family.  I was given a signal that advised me that I should speak up now and bring some good vibes through the electrical waves.  I am taking this time to bring some motivational and positive information to everyone who would like to hear it.  It seems that many individuals always make the same remark that makes their life seem so meaningless.  This remark is: “Sometimes, I wish that I would have done ___ or ___ differently because I would not be in this situation that I am in now!”  I wonder to myself, “Do these individuals actually see the harm that they are causing to themselves?  Don’t they understand that they will never be happy with their life if they live it doubting their actions or the paths that they have taken?”

Doubt is a very powerful feeling that will control your destiny and ensure that you will never reach your true potential.  I tried to advise that doubt is a very negative and deadly weapon but have always received some skepticism.  Therefore, I have found a way to use Doubt as a positive and productive tool.  From now on think of doubt this way:

Don’t

Overanalyze

Unfortunate and

Belligerent

Times

This will help you stay away from a negative mentality and think of doubt in a positive light when it tries to sneak into your conversations.  A positive mindset will bring out a positive lifestyle and this is the best way to stay positive in the presence of negativity.  Remember that and leave your comments and insight to the topic because WE motivate each other.  Like always, I am always just a “Send Message” click away if you need me.  Live life to its fullest, one day at a time!                       

A Gift from Me to You

I stumbled upon one of the universes greatest discoveries yesterday and I want to share it with all of you.  Before I do, let me ask everyone a question.  Have you ever felt like trading your life for someone else’s?  Are you feeling that way now?  I feel you!  Another person’s life is looking pretty damn good right about now!  What if I told you that the greatest discovery is a way to turn your life into that other person’s?  Yes it is true, I have found the way to transform your life into the great life of “that other person” and I am going to share it with all of you FREE OF COST!!  If you’re interested then read on; if not, then keep searching for it!

“No more stress, now I’m straight.  Now I get it, now I take time to think before I make mistakes just for my family sake.  That part of me left yesterday; the heart of me is strong today.  No regrets I’m blessed to say the old me dead and gone away.” –“Dead and Gone” T.I.

For those that want my special gift to all of you, here you go.  The great discovery was that the only way to turn your life into that other person’s life is to: LIVE YOUR LIFE and ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF IT!  WTF???  “Damn Joel you tricked me!  This isn’t a gift, this won’t even work!”  That is the energy that I feel right now as you read these words.  You might not believe me but this actually works and I can prove it to you.  You can call this a personal post because I will share my story to you and make you see the truth behind my discovery.  For those who do not know, I am a 25 year old, father of two, stepfather of 1, full-time college student, who works three jobs and doesn’t have time to exhale.  I have more debt than income, but my kids have a home, clothes, and food, which is the only thing that matters.  None of my jobs pertain to my field of study and one of the companies is actually going bankrupt.  Wow, depressing isn’t it?  Not for me!  I can honestly say that I have NO stress, NO worries, NO regrets and am actually 120% better off now than I have ever been.  I am living my life how I want to live it, not how someone else wants me to live it.  I am able to see my children almost every day and spend some quality moments with them.  I enjoy every minute of every day, even if I am stuck in a job full of negative energy or if I have piles of homework to do! 

The OLD Joel was completely opposite from what I am now.  I would have probably died of heart problems if I would have stayed on the path I was in.  I had a high paying managerial job for a retail company (that gave me stress and actual sickness every day and night), had money in the bank (that would be spent on unnecessary luxuries), always envied people who had more than me, and wished to be rich and successful (which was not who I really was).  I was diagnosed with high cholesterol and at risk of having a heart disease in the fall of 2007.  I made a decision that same day to change everything and do a complete 180 because I felt that I had something better to give to my daughter and the world in general.  Now you see me walking around with a smile on my face most of the time.  I am happy, healthy, and do everything within my power to enjoy my life.  I might be poor when it comes to money, but I am rich with knowledge and motivation.  I know one thing and that is the fact that I come first and the monetary success will come after.  Little by little I am doing things in life to get me closer to my true goal in life and all of you will experience it.  My goal is to make a positive impact on each and every one of you so that this world becomes more influential and unified!

The message I am trying to send across to you is that you have to live your life and enjoy it.  Why are you going to live your life through your feelings (envy, anger, fear, guilt, remorse)?  Why are you going to let someone else live your life for you?  Why are you going to accept the “given” as reality without doing anything to change it?  We all have the power in us to change this “reality” and to move into a new dimension of true reality.  Do not let another individual or your own mind tell you what is supposed to happen to you; as a matter of fact, ignore them when they try to do this.  Drop your old self off and leave him/her behind because they do not need to come along with you for the ride.  Your past is exactly that and there is nothing to change it so stop trying to.  Do not regret anything that occurred to get you to this point because it all helped you to be who you are now.

So my gift to you is this little exercise:  1.) Look at what has occurred in your life and be thankful for it because you wouldn’t be here without it;  2.) Look up and thank the Source (God, Allah, etc.) for giving you the consciousness to realize that the only “reality” is the one that you create; 3.) Thank your feelings and other individuals for the challenge of trying to stop you from being “realistic;” and, 4.) Start living YOUR life and ENJOY every single minute of it!

What Recession?

“No need to cherish luxuries, because everything comes and goes.  Even the life that you have is borrowed, because you’re not promised tomorrow.  So live your life as if every day is going to be your last.  Once you move forward, can’t go back.  Just repent to remove your past.” – Ghetto, Akon

During the past couple of weeks, I have been reading various posts online about the topic of Optimism.  Many individuals have been discussing the optimism that can be found on various social networks (ie, Facebook, Twitter).  The overall consensus states that these feelings of optimism are ignorant and not valid because of the “rough times” that are occurring in the United States, and the world as a whole, at the present moment.  I am very optimistic and do not think of myself as being ignorant because of it.  I, just like everyone else in the world, may be ignorant in many things (because no one knows everything) but I do believe that there is no reason to be pessimistic, especially now.

The pessimist nature is created through our mentality that we need to have the best, newest, top of the line products that are shown to us by the “experts.”  We become doubtful, angry, and depressed when we cannot purchase these products.  This in turn makes us envy other individuals (who have what we want) and belittle the rest (individuals who do not have what we have or want).  You may not realize it right away because it is an automatic response to what we see.  Once you realize it, you can change your entire pessimistic mentality into one that will allow you to do the most important thing possible, LIVE YOUR LIFE.  You will understand that no luxury will ever fulfill your wants and therefore there is no reason to worry about them.  Like Akon stated, there is no reason to worry about them because even the life that you have is not yours and will go back to the Source once your time is up.  If you don’t live your life, then you’re just wasting energy that could be used productively. 

In all honesty, these are some hard times that we are living through now and I am not trying to mask it.  What I am trying to convey is the fact that we can live positively through this Recession.  We have all been placed on this earth to succeed and sometimes the darkest path helps us get to our destiny.  Remember that your perception is reality; if you look at the world through pessimistic lenses, then you will only see failure.  The only way to succeed in life is to be optimistic and understand that you will succeed at everything that you put all of your energy towards!  If you don’t believe in yourself, don’t worry because I believe in you and sooner or later that belief will rub off on you!  Remember that and leave your comments and insight to the topic because WE motivate each other.  Like always, I am always just a “Send Message” click away if you need me.  Live life to its fullest, one day at a time!   

Stop Being a Hypocrite!

I usually post writings on line that have to deal with motivation and spirituality but I am going to take this opportunity to “vent” on our society. When did we turn into a large conglomerate of hypocrites? I have become sick to my stomach with the news these past couple of days. Every single time I turn on this alleged “informational” show I have to hear these news anchors talk about the Michael Phelps “marijuana scandal.” I am not sick of the fact that this is the exclusive story that begins all the newscasts; I am sick of hearing these anchors, sports analysts, writers, talk about how it is “inappropriate behavior” and that he should “know that he is a role model for little kids.” I want to make one thing perfectly clear, YOU ARE ALL A BUNCH OF IGNORANT HYPOCRITES. I get so upset at the fact that many of these anchors or “analysts” talk down on celebrities or athletes when they get arrested or it becomes revealed that they use marijuana or drink alcohol. I say this because most of these individuals are probably doing the same, or more severe, things. These are the individuals who smoke weed or cigarettes and drink gallons of alcohol to “cope.” These are the individuals who snort coke lines like if there were no tomorrow. These are the individuals who verbally, physically, or emotionally abuse loved ones; these are the individuals who have psychological break downs; but then again, they are the ones criticizing Michael Phelps because of a photo that was taken in 2008! I mean seriously is there nothing of relevance to discuss in this world that everyone has to bash on Phelps and act as if they do not have any skeletons in their closet.

If there is anyone in this world that can talk unbiased about a subject such as drugs it would be me. I have never tried drugs and never plan on doing so. There is not enough time in the day for me to bother with doing it. I rarely drink (maybe twice a year) and when I do I only have one serving because I don’t drink to get wasted. Therefore, I believe that I could defend Phelps without anyone trying to say it is because I am about the same age as him and I enjoy the “high life.” This is not the reason that I am venting; I am venting because I will soon be an educator inside a classroom full of young children who will trust me and listen to my advice (hopefully). I do not want to be a hypocrite like these individuals because many kids see how their parents talk about the Phelps situation and then see them fight each other or abuse substances and think “Why should I believe anything they say?” At the same time, many of these young kids are already taking drugs and will become even more rebellious against society because they see the hypocrisy within it. Therefore, why am I going to bash them or Phelps because of their drug/alcohol use? The only thing that I can do is educate these individuals about the harms of those substances and try to minimize their risky behavior and hopefully stop it all together. This is the reason that I call the Phelps bashers ignorant hypocrites because they don’t understand the ways that their words and actions are negatively affecting our youth.

I am going to have to side with Lil’ Wayne (as much as you all will not want to) on a certain quote that he made that pertains to this situation. Many individuals are bashing on Phelps because he is “supposed to be a role model” but as Lil’ Wayne stated in an interview with Katie Couric: “I’m not an example for people on how to live their lives, and never in my life would I set out to be an example for people on how to live their lives. If you need an example on how to live, then you shouldn’t have been born!” Weezy is absolutely right and I agree with him 100%. Why is it that every celebrity or athlete has to take on the responsibility of being the “role model?” I believe it is because parents are scared of taking on such an important responsibility. That is why we see so many rebellious children who have horrible relationships with their families. First, a parent is supposed to be the role model for their child. They are supposed to set the example instead of waiting for another individual to set one for them. Second, society should spend less time trying to make children follow “role models” and spend more time letting them be individuals. I could not imagine telling my kids, “Hey you see that guy/girl on the TV? I want you to be just like him/her!” The parents, family members, or friends that do this are creating a world full of followers (who will succumb to peer pressure) and destroying the sense of individuality that will enable everyone to be an INDIVIDUAL! Let’s stop being hypocrites and starting being honest!

Reaching Your Goals

During a class session, the teacher asked us a question, “How are certain people able to overcome their negative surroundings and become successful?” This discussion came up in our Drug Education class while discussing ways to prevent drug use by young children. After the discussion, I began to think about the ways that I was able to stay away from drugs and the best way to portray that message to everyone. As it turns out, the best way to stay away from any negative factors in life would be by keeping yourself occupied with other factors that will bring a sense of purpose to your life. In order to stay occupied by these factors, you have to find out what you want to accomplish in life and work towards it. There should be a main (ultimate) goal that you would like to accomplish once your life is over; and then other (periodical) goals that will assist you in attaining the main goal. I have created a list which I believe you should try in order to better organize your goals and make sure that they all are attained. I personally will begin my path towards these goals by following this list RELIGIOUSLY. I welcome your feedback and any additions that you may have to optimize this list and make it even more successful. Just remember, there is no magic formula to becoming successful in life but there are certain steps that you can follow in order to get close to it. These steps include a positive attitude, belief in yourself, living in the present moment (not worrying about the future or past), and following your dreams and believing that anything is possible. Now, let us get to the list:

Find out what your Ultimate Goal is in life; or, find out what your purpose in life is.

As I spoke about in a previous post, you have to find out what your true purpose/ultimate goal in life is. Everyone has a little voice within them that gives them certain clues pertaining to the essence of their life. Most of the times we either ignore it, fear it, or pass it off as crap because we don’t fully believe in our ability to do what we were put on this Earth to do. It is safe to say that during these tough economic times many people are more worried about their financial constraints and do not take the time to look deep inside and find their true purpose. I understand that it is difficult but you seriously have to do this because you will never succeed in life living through your feelings. Once you find your true purpose/ultimate goal, you can work on setting the goals to get there.

Do your research.

Depending on your goal, you have to do a significant amount of research in order to make sure you accomplish it. Unfortunately, there are many individuals who will try there hardest to knock you down and ensure that you do not succeed. For example, if your ultimate goal in life is to open a successful bookstore, you have to do plenty of research (location, demographic, etc.) in order to get the store up and running. A city official might try to stop you from getting started, but will not succeed if you have all the research and information to defend you. Any type of research will ensure that you have a defense when you present your goal to higher authorities.

Use all available resources to attain your goal.

You have to understand one thing in life, “Everything happens for a reason.” Every person you meet, every piece of knowledge you gain, or every piece of property you earn has been given to you for you to use it. What I mean by this is that everything, person, or information you gain is placed in your path, by a higher source, in order for you to achieve your true purpose/main goal in life. You have to understand it and respect it. For example, if someone brings negativity in your life in order to slow you down, you have to understand that they were placed there for a reason and not get overly upset or angry with the person or situation. This will help you respect the situation and move on towards your main goal without steering off track. Once you understand this concept, you will use (not in a bad way) every person, thing, or information to your advantage in order to be successful in your purpose.

Don’t get ahead of yourself.

This will help you stay in the present moment. You have to understand that you cannot worry about the future outcome because there is no future. The future is the present moment; therefore there is no time but the present. Every step that you take is a step closer to your main goal. What this means is that every step is a goal within itself and if you do not pay attention to each step, you will never achieve your main goal. The best way to prevent this from happening is by creating periodic goals in order to stay focused on achieving the steps to get to the main goal.

Do not let anything hold you down.

There are many people who never find their true purpose in life because they give up too fast or they let other people pull them down. The reason that many individuals give up is because they do not believe in themselves. The best way to become successful in life is by believing in you. There is no other way to say this because there is no other individual that can make you understand this. Also, like I stated in a previous step, you have to ignore all of the negativity around you when other people are involved and are trying to make you give up. Finally, you have to understand that anything in this world is possible as long as you give your full effort and stay driven to achieve your purpose in life. Nothing can hold you away from it and any assumptions that you have should not get in your way. For example, you might be accustomed to the “fact” that you will never be a success in life because of some negative factors in your life (bad community, single parent house, etc.); if you believe that this is a “fact” then you will never succeed; but if you truly believe that anything is possible, then you will understand that you can succeed at anything in life. This will make you see life in a different perspective and ensure that you understand the true fact that nothing in life is set in stone.

Just remember that YOUR life was not molded into a particular shape or pattern that MUST be followed. You have the power to mold or shape your life in whatever way you see fit. Your goals can be reached by following these powerful steps and by knowing that you have the power to do it. It is as the Pharaoh once stated, “So shall it be written, so shall it be done;” the only difference is that YOU will write it and YOU will do it, no one else! Remember that and leave your comments and insight to the topic because WE motivate each other. Like always, I am always just a “Send Message” click away if you need me. Live life to its fullest, one day at a time!

Hold on... Where You Going?

**I had a certain topic that I wanted to discuss with everyone but I honestly could not place things into writing because I felt that I needed to gain further insight into the mindset of each and every one of you. After careful consideration, I decided to go ahead and write this motivational piece with a general sense of what you all are going through and how we can all move forward in this world.**

I have many conversations throughout the day and there is one thing that comes to mind after hearing many of these conversations, “I am not content/happy!” There is something in our life (sometimes many things) that does not let us enjoy the present moment, hard work, and dedication that we are putting forth. There is always a person, job, class, or bill that always haunts us and makes it difficult for us to put on a smile and keep moving forward. Just because I write these motivational pieces does not mean that I am not susceptible to this. I am also a person who becomes affected by the situation and let my feelings and emotions get the best of me. At the present moment, I am going through a difficult time with one of my jobs. I can feel a cloud of negativity and anger loom once I enter into the building. There is fear around every corner, the “dog eat dog” mentality runs wild because the company is going bankrupt, and nobody seems to be happy in life. I feel that all of my energy is suffocated out of my body because I just cannot find a way to bring some positive energy into their lives and therefore make it a more relaxed environment. This is very similar to many situations that you all are feeling. Some may have a relationship or ex-relationship that is making them feel this way; others may be getting stressed out by a class or professor that they are taking or by the fact that they do not know what they want to do with their professional lives; and then there are others who are swamped with debt that is making them question their own life (like the unfortunate murder-suicide in L.A.); but the one thing that we all have in common is that we let these situations cloud or judgment and run our lives.

The one thing that I have asked myself is, “When is enough, really enough.” How can we actually let go of the thing(s) that stop us from being content? It’s impossible isn’t it? Not so. I believe that sometimes in life we have to let go of things very close to us in order to feel content in life. I am not saying that in all situations we have to let go of the person, job, etc. that is affecting us. Sometimes we have to do other things like letting go of the past or believing in ourselves. There are also times where we can assist in making the situation positive and worthwhile. But when none of that works, what do we do next? You have to have some strong faith in yourself to believe that you will be a better individual by letting go. You might stress about not having money to pay the bills or being alone. If you believe in yourself, another opportunity will soon arise where you will most likely be have the money and security necessary to feel fortunate and content.

My belief is, and has always been, that everything in life happens for a reason and everything is right where it is supposed to be. Therefore, every path that you are on is a journey for you to find your true calling in life. Your job is to find out if the path will take you to your true calling or if you have to jump off of that path and get on another one. Therefore, if you can’t fix the situation or make it a more positive experience then you have to leave that path behind and follow your intuitions into a path better fit for you to make the most out of life. Remember to leave your comments and insight. Your successful accomplishments will motivate everyone else to do the same. Like always, I am always just a “Send Message” click away if you need me. Live life to its fullest, one day at a time!