With all of the events swirling around me in this “Beautiful Struggle” I call life, this is how I feel! #BeDynamic
Act Of Valor
“Live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about his religion.
Respect others in their views and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long and of service to your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
or even a stranger, if in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people, but grovel to none.
When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light,
for your life, for your strength.
Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.
Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools
and robs the spirit of its vision.
When your time comes to die,
be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death,
so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time
to live their lives over again in a different way.
Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home.”
~ Tecumseh
NOTE: This poem is featured in the movie “Act Of Valor” and is NOT the name of this poem but the poem is credited to Tecumseh. Tecumseh (March 1768 – October 5, 1813) is an icon and heroic figure in American Indian and Canadian history.
Be Water My Friend
“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup, put water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a tea kettle, it becomes the tea kettle. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.” ~Bruce Lee #BeDynamic
#ApeMode
“I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny…” ~Og Mandino
On Perspective…
During my period of “selective ignorance”, I have attempted to refocus on some of problem solving abilities, working on maintaining perspective of how I address challenges in my life. I have purposely limited my time on social networking while looking inward to answers some serious questions about myself. Allow me to express what I have learned…
I have definitely learned how to find a little bit of joy in the midst of these issues, especially when I recognize their purpose & results. I am always prepared and open to the lesson of the challenge that is before me. That not only assists me to get through but it makes me a living, walking example to those who are watching me. In most cases, I am truly blessed with what is needed to get me to the next level…learning through the challenge, becoming stronger for my next challenge in life. My faith is a major factor in this perspective. I am a firm believer that God blesses me with these trials to conquer and draw closer to Him strengthening my relationship.
I always talk about the elements of my prayer. Supplication, asking for the blessings of wisdom & discernment to make good decisions. Thanks, appreciating the opportunity to exercise the wisdom granted through the challenges in my life. So when you are going through YOUR challenges, embrace the struggle of this “Beautiful Struggle” we call life because you will be stronger. Be blessed, #BeDynamic
Healing…
Bleeding, bruised, and pale!!
Test Of A Man
The test of man is the fight that he makes.
The grit that he daily shows.
The way that he stands upon his feet.
And takes life’s numerous bumps and blows.
A coward can smile,
When there’s not to fear.
And nothing, his progress bars.
But it takes a man to stand and cheer.
While the other fellow stars.
It isn’t the victory after all,
But, the fight that a brother makes.
A man when driven against the wall,
takes the blows of fate.
With his head held high.
Bleeding, bruised, and pale!!
Is the man who will win, fate defied,
For he isn’t afraid to fail.
~Author Unknown~
#BeDynamic
The Power To Surpass Myself
This is the first blog of 2011 which shows how focused I have been…I pray that you are blessed with the following thoughts. I needed this…
I have to admit that I have truly been stuck in a rut for the past 6 months. We all need dreams, goals & aspirations because without them we would only feed our desire for pleasure. I have lost focus of my dreams. Forward looking dreams create in us a stronger character by encouraging to be & do more than where we are right now. Dreams stir up a restless heart, causing us to want to be more, do & achieve more also.
God created us with the ability to dream. He leads us to think beyond our ordinary, moment-to-moment existence. I haven’t followed nor really reflected on my dreams and when you do that, you can stifle a meaningful experience that gives greater meaning to your life. So where do I start to manifest the dreams that I have been blessed with?
Dreams require prayer. Before we do anything we must seek the will of God. Difficult dreams are not those that require us to do something , but those that require us to change. Dreams are fragile. They are private matters that are incomprehensible to others in most cases. If we share our dreams in the beginning will cause some second guessing because they don’t understand your vision. Criticism that our dreams cannot be realized can cause loss of confidence. And finally dreams require commitment & endurance. “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3). The worth of the dream is exemplified by the difficulty of realizing it. Be blessed, #BeDynamic
Where The Battle’s Lost & Won!
“To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill. ” ~Sun Tzu (Art of War)
The end of the year always bring about deep reflection of what has happened this past year and how I would like to grow the next year. This year I am attempting to go to the very beginning of where good decisions are made and the battle is won or lost.
I enjoy reading about strategies and tactics. One of the most notable strategists of all time is Sun Tzu. One of his most famous strategies is to prepare to win before battle is even engaged. I used to ask myself “Where do I start?” and over time I have realized that “The battle is lost or won in the secret places before God, never in the external world”. I have spent a lot of time trying to “figure” things out on my own. I am a praying man but when I look back the best decisions I have made in my life have been when I have wrestled ideas out before God in prayer before making my next move. You cannot fail. The battle may take one day or may take a year but decisions should be wrestled alone before God.
Most times, I wait until circumstances then put God to the test, and more times than not, I have failed. I am learning to get things settled between myself and God deep in my soul where no one else can mettle and then I can move forth with certainty that the battle is won. When we try to fight out the battles externally first, we lose. When I have wrestled with God, I may lose (in a sense) but I have always come out with clarity and resolve to do what is right.
So as I prepare for the New Year, I am going to get alone with God, fight it out before Him, and settle the matters there FIRST. Have a safe and happy new year. Be blessed, #BeDynamic.
“…I Want to Break Necks”
On March 1, 2009 while visiting my second home of Charlotte, NC, I attended, as I always University Park Baptist Church. I enjoy listening to Bishop Claude Alexander’s sermons. They are usually down to earth and definitely something that you can apply to your life immediately. This particular sermon focused on the definitions of “static vs. dynamic”. All of my Twitter followers & Facebook friends get a healthy dose of #bedynamic everyday and here is why:
The definition of static is “lacking movement, development, or vitality.”
There are a lot of us who are living static, not moving to another level and definitely not developing. It’s so easy to live static, going about your everyday druthers, just chilling. Living static can be just satisfied with sitting on the sideline talking about the dynamic people. Living static also allows outside factors to dictate who are and how we move in our lives. Well I’m here to tell you, take control. There is nothing you cannot achieve
The definition of dynamic is “pertaining to or characterized by energy or effective action; vigorously active or forceful”.
I’m striving to be dynamic. I am NOT waiting for something to happen to me, I am actively pursuing the next level in my career, schooling, physical health and family life. The term #bedynamic means that no matter the challenges, we grow. Never too high and embrace the lows because at the end of the day, the real success is the journey, in this beautiful struggle that we call life. When we achieve the things we set out to acheive, it does not end there because there are five to ten more things that are ahead that we grind to achieve. On a personal note, for me to #bedynamic is to touch and effect lives. This thing called life is so much bigger than just me and my world. I am a blessed individual, but I am striving everyday to be a blessing to someone else. I pray that through this “Tests Of A Man” blog I can bless people by express my positives and negatives to be lessons.
I don’t want to just turn heads, I want to break necks… #bedynamic
: Tests Of A Man : 