If I Were A Poor Black Kid Article from Forbes Magazine Writer

http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2011/12/12/if-i-was-a-poor-black-kid/

This is a very interesting article that, though hypothetical, may rub people the wrong way, especially since it comes from the thoughts of a middle aged white man who didn’t share the same experiences. I first must say that this article should be read in a manner of objectivity before personal afflictions become involved. He makes a valiant effort in trying to address the problems that impoverished blacks children are facing everyday. However, he falls short in assessing the fact that in order to help people (even if it is giving a little advice), he must understand a people (culture). Before supplanting the thoughts of people with solutions that seem elementary, a keen understanding of the everyday problems that people face must be addressed. This is something I, myself, struggle with and it is frustrating because I truly want to help people. I grew up not having much, and though I didn’t feel poor I was able to put enough scenarios together to conclude that we were poor.

The issue is that in many cases the problems are ingrained into the mindset. So, it can be easy to say that poor black kids, or any disadvantaged child, could do this or that. However, the problem with this is that if the struggle is with the mentality then these ideas just do not register. First, there must be a breaking of the chain that is wrapped around the minds of impoverished children, and show them that there is something out there for them. In order to do this, we as adults, mentors, and leaders must be willing to get our hands dirty and introduce these unknown variables into their young lives.

Newt Gingrich introduced, which to him seemed to be, a simple solution for solving the issues that poor children face. He said that schools should replace the janitors with poor children (under the supervision of a head custodian) and that should in turn allow them to appreciate the concept of learning to be punctual, punch a time clock and earn some money. But what happened to the concept of an education. I'm for teaching the basic issues of responsibilty and work but it doesn't tackle the poverty issue. It doesn't change status; not even a little. There are so many people with answers but these same people are not personally going in to these communities to make a difference. The idea of children working feeds into the lingering philosophy that poor people pass on generation after generation- the survival philosophy. It is disguised in all types of rhetoric; but even in sheep’s wool a wolf is a wolf and this idea in a way perpetuates that thought process.

Some of the ideas given in the article are great for anybody but how are children to have access to this information if they don’t have the necessary tools? How old are we expecting these kids to be before they start this process? I am learning everyday that before I can start imposing solutions, I must first work through the problem. There must be a strong base so we have something solid to work on.

Remove race from the equation for a second. It could be a poor white kid, a poor latino kid, a poor asian kid and even a poor native american kid; but if the tools are not available and the mentality is not set, you can put food in front of hungry people and if it not cooked right they won't eat. All of the ideas in the world won't help if the thought process is not right. This also applies to the rich black child, rich white, rich latino child, etc.

I truly believe that the problem is in first assessing and truly understanding the problem at hand, and the solution is actually in working through the problem. To change poor children and poor communities, we must change poor ideologies first. 

God Bless

Dismissed Information

Preparing to watch the GOP Presidential debates, I just happened to mention to someone what my plans were and the reply was "it doesn't matter, I'm voting for whoever the Democrat is." This response does not come as a shock for it is the answer many people may give whether outwardly or internally, in regards to political, religious, or many other social concerns. Many times, if ideas do not fall in line with our personal sidings, we develop the tendency to dismiss further intel and understanding in to a matter. To counter the earlier quote, a friend responded, "it should matter  because what if your guy doesn't win? You will need to know what your president stands for?"

That rebuttal leads to the important message that I wanted to extract which is that it is more advantageous to be informed than ill-informed, whether you agree or not with the people or issue at hand. The mentality  that 'if it does not apply to me it is not worth listening to' damages a lot of interpersonal relationships between people, closes many doors of opportunity for people, and also prevents people from expanding themselves mentally.

The true battle is between ourselves and our mindset. It's between the information we attain and don't attain. It's between what we deem important and unimportant.

God Bless

The State of America

The state of America as of now is in a dire situation. I am very optimistic about the future. For throughout history, this country has shown its ability to weather many storms, economically and socially. However, the future is too far and the now is too depressing. The land of the free is simply a place where the fittest survive, while some are surviving to just fit. Is it really freedom when people are not free to work? Is it really freedom when we are locked in despair? Is it really freedom when we are trapped in fear? Is it really freedom when our very own politicians jingle the keys to the lock over our heads just to score political points? Our sovereign rights as citizens are merely punchlines in campaign speeches and political debates. But the real punches are the blows that real people are facing each and everyday. Our brave troops are fighting abroad for us to have the right to call this country the "land of free." They are fighting for our freedom abroad, but who are fighting for us (and the troops) domestically. We are fighting a civil battle over capitalism. Our economic woes are becoming our moral foes. People are starving, housing is being lost, and the essence of our economic power is being devalued, physically and ethically.When will it stop? When greed ceases. I watched a report on the news that said the top 1% wealth increased 275% compared to 40 % by the middle class and 18% by the poor over the last 30 years. I'm an advocate for hard work, as well as for prosperity, but I am also for people having a chance. A chance is not a handout, it is merely an opportunity; and  the opportunity is more valuable than the mighty dollar we are seeking.

As a country, we are fighting an up hill battle.  Among the nations our education is suffering, innovation is declining , and competitively we are losing our edge. Who cares who our leader is if the goal is to theoretically encompass our minds with promise only to not actively stand by their words.We live in a country where the American dream seems to be a dependency scheme. The structure of our country is designed to keep people in their places. Tier by tier. The functionality of this country feeds on this. But even more sadly, we feed into it. We feel we need to suckle from the breast of this nation, because that is what we are sublimally taught from the first day we begin school. We are told we could be anything we want, but are being groomed to be workers, mere employees. We are told we can be property owners, but we never truly own our land but are paying for the right to use "our" land. We are taught that an education -that piece of paper- is something that can't be taken away, but it is something that is being taken away everyday because it is devaluing everyday. That paper is less valuable now more than ever, and if there is no actual knowledge acquired and retained, then that paper is worthless.

There is not enough empowerment going on. They occur in pockets, but lose momentum with the masses. Oppression is the cause- mentally, economically and socially. If oppressed people continue to be depressed, then the dependency mentality will continue to exist, and financially there will be someone who reap the benefits. Do we see it? In some cases, yes; but we are stuck in a glass bottle unable to break through. Many people are now seeing how it feels to be on the other end of the spectrum. When things are going good, there is no reason to look back and gain perspective. But when things crumble, the perspective appears right in front of us. This is the state of America in my eyes, we are now facing perspective.

God Bless

Interesting link on how movements are started

Enjoy!
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement.html

Self-Love

So the question was posed to me, "What was my definition of self-love?" I gave a very simple answer via text, as "... I see it as feeling free to do [things] and express yourself without reservation." I felt I could have went further in what I meant, so I will. Now understand that I do realize that people may have different ideas and definitions as to what "self-love" is, so in no way am I saying that my response is the clear cut answer. But I do believe in terms of my own ideas my response lacked in its briefness.

Basically, what I meant from my initial response of freedom "to do [things] and express yourself without reservation" is that in loving yourself you have to be comfortable in your own skin. This comfort allows for you to act in confidence, because internally you have this insatiable desire to uplift yourself regardless of what others may feel or what obstacles may be placed before you. Referencing one of my earlier blogs, self-love allows you to demonstrate humility while maintaining an upheld head. So, without belaboring the point, when I think of self-love I think of being able to look at my reflection in the mirror (removing narcissism) and SMILE for who I am.

??

God Bless

The Technology Divide

I don't have an iPhone, but I have a smartphone. I don't have Facebook, but I have a computer. I don't have an iPod, but I do have a collection of songs on my computer. The point that I am making is that I do have a basic knowledge of what is going on around me in the technological era. However, I am not in synchronization with the trends of every update or upgrade that technology (or by-products of technology) present us with. For me, this could pose as a disadvantage in some aspects, and I do recognize that. I am not anti-technology; for as an engineering major, technology is an entity that I am surrounded by.

The thing that I wanted to point out is that there is a technological divide going on in the world. On the surface level, it can be seen as the haves and have nots. People who are up-to-date on technology versus those who are not. However, the other more important divide is between the people who are aware of the effects of technology versus those who are not.

Advances in the technological era have enthralled the masses with improvements in medicine, transportation, communication, etc., and have made life simpler in many aspects. But little do we know, it is hurting us as well. As things become more convenient, we become more lazy. As information becomes more readily available,we become more inclined to click and paste than to think and research. Better televisions, faster computers, and enhanced graphic video games keep us in the house more. Being guilty of it myself, many of today's extraordinary gadgets divert our attention, whether it is in the car or in the classroom, heading us toward physical ( potentially fatal) and mental danger.

It is my opinion, that for every advancement we make in some areas of technology, we take a step back as a human society. For every enhanced military weapon a country makes, the more dangerous the world becomes. The more entertaining gadgets get, the less interpersonal our relationships with people are. Things are becoming more convenient, but it is catch 22 because though our time frees up, our skill set weakens.

Also, in exchange for the convenience, there is a price to pay. For every self-checkout register or iPhone app to pay for goods, we are signing waivers that say it is ok to not have cashiers. For every online purchase or bill pay we make, we are saying it is ok to not have retail clerks or mail personnel. Basically, what I am saying is that the plan is to keep us distracted from the true "goings on." People are losing jobs, and some of the reason is because technology is getting better, not for the benefit of society, but in order to replace workers. The justification for this will be that there is not enough skilled people for the job. Why? Because of the distraction from the aura of the advancements. The work force is an expensive entity, from wages to healthcare, and to rid companies of that will save and make somebody a lot of money. I had a conversation where it was said that "machines are the perfect slaves," and to our dismay, they are here to replace our "pursuit of happiness" and lead us down the road of unhappiness.

I am not saying that there is anything wrong with enjoying the fruits of this era, but I would like us to be cognizant of the effects that such fruits have. I would like to see us utilize the powers of this era for something more than our sheer entertainment. I would like to see our brains not atrophy from disuse because of convenience. All in all, the true technological divide is the divide that this era has on our minds.

God Bless

Full Circle

From community factions came action. The action produced reaction. The reaction breeded satisfaction. Satisfaction became the distraction. The distraction brought about inaction. Inaction then returned us to the original problem therefore losing traction.

Once upon a time, our communities were filled with leaders and activists who were afflicted with the facts of life causing them to break into different factions, or form groups, for change. They confronted these problems through their actions that produced a community reaction which resulted in change. Their recognition for change sparked revolutions and produced results. People responded; progress ensued. Somewhere down the line satisfaction crept in, and put us on our heels instead of the balls of our feet. Momentum was lost. Satisfaction was the distraction. It took the urgency away, kidnapping the need for continuous revival. In all, the distraction caused a full swing revolution (full circle) which in turn countered the revolution (the movement), meaning that our inaction resulting from the distraction that blossomed from satisfaction, is reversing the effects of the reaction, which is taking for granted and lessening the meaning  of the action and returning us back to the same ol' (though in different times) problems that confronted the original factions.

Let's take back our communities. Let us regain the momentum for change. Let us re-lift our spirits. We must ask ourselves an  important question of "what can and must I do for my community?" Our communities are our nations. We must continue the dream and progress of our ancestors, and become powerful predecessors. We need to change our mentality, and begin to compete in the world that we lag behind in.

God Bless

My day reading at George Washington Carver Elementary

Today, I visited an elementary school to read to a group of kindergarteners, 4th graders, and 5th graders. It was a great experience, and I would definitely take advantage of the opportunity to do it again. The kids were awesome, and it brought joy to me to see the enthusiasm on their faces. For me, it was more than just being a professional baseball player visiting kids, but it was an important opportunity to observe and interact with them in an educational environment. The pureness of the kindergarteners laughter while reading and the knowledge of the 4th and fifth graders were very touching. My best moment of the day came while talking with the kindergarten class, and I asked one of the girls what she wanted to be when she grows up. She responded with a beautiful and innocent smile, " I want to be a paleontologist." I had to double take and ask her again because she said it so clearly and confidently. Then I asked her if she knew what a paleontologist does and she replied,  "They find the bones of the dinosaurs." I could do nothing but smile. "So smart are these kids," I thought to myself. I was so amazed about how much knowledge the 4th and 5th graders knew about space and geography, and even their comprehension of themes in the books were great.

This experience reiterated to me that our kids really are our future. Their minds are hungry for knowledge, and their hands are reaching out for guidance. We must not forget about them, and we must not allow ourselves to take them lightly. Their pureness and innocence is one of their greatest assets because their minds think limitlessly, and their hearts express openly. They are our greatest joys and they deserve our greatest investment in them and their future.

God Bless

....................

I envision a world where people are able to freely live their lives with no boundaries- free of poverty, hunger, racism, and religious persecution. Most passionately, I envision (and pray) that people develop a free and strong mindset. What's so deep in my heart, expresses itself through the channels of my mind, in hopes that the passion and effort flows freely to those who aspire to the same things. I want to reach our youth and help them unleash their thoughts and dreams to allow them to grow and manifest. I want to see people experience the revelation of freedom in their lives, and the beauty that life has to bring them by opening their eyes and minds to new possibilities. The state of society and, more personally, my communities troubles me. If I have to be the example, I want to be it. I aim to plant seeds, not to force hands. I plan to work, not just talk.

God Bless

Its an Emergency

Recently, parts of the eastern coast of the United States experienced an earthquake and endured the blows of a hurricane. (Thoughts and prayers goes out to those who were affected by either -or both- events). One of the things that I noticed was that, in lieu of these events, the urgency to brace for potential catastrophe was elevated as people rushed to grocery stores, hardware stores, and gas stations to load up on the necessary supplies for survival. It began to make me think that in many cases, all it takes is the fear of danger to spark a movement of action. Naturally, we are a being of comfort and tend to stay in such a state until something prompts us to act with a sense of urgency. That is the problem many of us face. We fail to recognize the true emergence of our stagnation until we are directly affected by some opposing entity. It runs deeper than sheer procrastination, but to the very core of our refusal to act. Why? Because it is not important until it becomes "important." We would rather continue to patch the leak instead of repairing the pipes, and when eventually the house floods, we put ourselves in the mode to act. The problem, in many instances, is that in times of emergency, it is already too late to act. The house is destroyed.

Sometimes, when waiting for disaster to occur in order to act, we miss out on the opportunity to prepare. We end up being left with the oft uttered phrase "should have." Moments will pass and the time to act will expire, and many times when the emergency strikes, it is already too late. Take heed of your situation, and recognize the potential severity in action that is provoked far too late. There is a saying that "if it ain't broke, why fix it," but there is a responsibility to keep it maintained.

God Bless

Incorporate it into Your Life

How many times have we wondered as to why certain things have not manifested in our lives? I pose this as a serious question, that I had to ask myself as well. Let us think about the times that we have been to worship, attended a wealth building seminar, or received some well-needed wisdom. In those moments of time, we were filled with a boost of energy and excitement that had us ready to take on the world. So, as we look back, we noticed that same energy and excitement turned out to be a dud. Now, the why must be answered. The easiest thing to do is excuse ourselves of fault and point out all of the reasons why things didnt happen. However, whether it is the lack of motivation, lack of understanding, or just the lack of.... the reason, I believe,  that things do not manifest in our lives is that we fail to incorporate these ideas into our lives. Excuses or not, such inaction is a root cause to our disadvantages. We take ideas and feel good about them (sort of a pick me up), but are not confident enough to practice them. People get ahead because they use their gifts, they act on their ideas, and they do not let wisdom sit on the shelf.

Again, I ask "How many times?" Many. Why? Inaction. If you have a skill, use it. If you feel motivated or energized, release it. If you receive wisdom, practice it. It follows the "practice what you preach" adage; by incorporating life's nuggets into our lives, we will begin to see actualization and growth in those questions we asked.

Humble yourself with Confidence

In the baseball world, it is a common saying that the game itself will humble you. Why? The reason is that baseball is considered to be the game of failure. It is seen as a game that causes you to drop your head, and prevent you from riding too high on your horses. In the conventional world, it seems that to be humble or to exhibit any form of humility requires you to downgrade your own self-esteem. It tends to have a negative portrayal.

During chapel, we discussed Daniel and the power of prayer and how in his prayer he recognized the importance of God. The chaplain, preceded to say that "to be humble doesn't mean to have a lower outlook of yourself, but instead to have the right outlook." Daniel was humble enough to recognize God as the head of the throne (instead of denouncing Him for the king), but was bold enough to face persecution, through his humility, because he had the right outlook. Daniel showed humility in God's word, but exerted confidence in doing His work through prayer.

To have humility doesn't mean that we should walk around with our heads down, feeling as if we should diminsh our self-esteem. Instead, it should cause us to walk with our heads up. I believe exhibiting humility is not the time to show contrition, but the time to show confidence. True humility displays true confidence, for in having the right outlook, the true power of being humble will reveal itself.

God Bless

I'm going to do.......

Isn't it funny how we wait for the right time to do things, when time itself doesn't wait on us at all for anything. "'Going to do it' is the law of procrastination," said Julia Steton. We (including myself) have told the world plenty of times what we were going to do. Basically, we should just tell the world what we are not going to do because action is identified only through action. Let's not be practical in words instead let's be proactive in works.

God Bless

Be careful! when it's easy

This is an anecdote that I read while reading The 48 Laws of Power. It comes from the Essays in Idleness, Kenko, Japan, 14th Century.

A man who was famous as a tree climber was guiding someone in climbing a tall tree. He ordered the man to cut the top branches, and, during this time, when the man seemed to be in great danger, the expert said nothing. Only when the man was coming down and had reached the height of the eaves did the expert call out, "Be careful! Watch your step coming down!" I asked him, "Why did you say that? At that height he could jump the rest of the way if he chose." "That's the point," said the expert. "As long as the man was up at a dizzy height and the branches were threatening to break, he himself was so afraid I said nothing. Mistakes are always made when people get to the easy places."

God Bless!

Limitless

A few months ago, I went to watch the movie Limitless, which was about a man (Eddie Mora) who was introduced to a pill that allowed him to utilize 100% of his brain vs. the normal 20%. This pill gave Eddie extraordinary access into his own brain where he was able to enhance his ability to focus, retain and analyze information unfathomably, recall years of information that was all but forgotten, read rapidly, and pretty much do everything that the brain is ever capable of doing. This was an extraordinary movie in the sense that (outside of the suspense and action) it presented a picture of the unlimited abilities that the brain has and even more importantly of the unlimited doors that can be opened if we were to utilize more of it. Though presumably, there are no pills that allow us such access to our brains, there are products that claim, if not anything else, to enhance focus and the likes.

However, in today's society one of the main reasons many people are not able to effectively utilize more of their brains to broader capabilities is that we do not effectively exercise our brains to do so. There is not enough brain exercise going on that allows the brain to get stronger in a sense. Like a muscle, the brain needs to go through rigorous training such as constructive reading, problem solving, and engaging in thought provoking activities. Instead we fill ourselves with the gluttony of television, gossip, and other sorts of rogue entertainment. We become more concerned with entertaining our brains than "intertraining" it. I personally believe that many people fear what their brains are capable of; in essence, they fear success. Throughout history, many great people were outcasted because of the limitless abilities that their minds possessed, and moreso their willingness to bring forth such abilities.

Nowadays we speak of innovation, and if we allow ourselves to tap into once uncharted territories in our brains, we can begin to remove boundaries. We are always told that the "sky is the limit" but our brains are capable of the limitless. I challenge each person to challenge themselves a little each day with an exercise for the brain, and lets see how far our brain will take us.

God Bless

Looking in the Mirror

It is an extremely human response to not look inward after a mistake or crime, but rather to look outward and to affix blame and guilt on a convenient object. -Robert Greene The 48 Laws of Power

Criticism is one of the most difficult things for many people to deal with especially when it come from others. But more importantly, self criticism is even more difficult to face.Whether we are affected by the guilt of shame or by the shame of guilt, confronting the realities of our imperfections and inadequacies  is an arduous task. To rid ourselves of the guilt and shame, we choose to paint a pretty picture of ourselves for the outside world to see. We placard ourselves with a facade of false strength and confidence. We portray an exaggerated image of who we really are by embellishing our appearances, qualifications, and personalities. For example, when we interview for a job, we doctor up our resumes to highlight our qualities, dress up professionally to send a good visual impression, and alter our personalities to make ourselves fit for the job. 

A good friend of mine once told me that to make an incision is to cut into and to make a decision is to cut out. We must first make the incision (cut into) by looking into the mirror to discover and/or confront our insecurities. Then we must make the decision (cut out) to remove such insecurities by holding ourselves accountable for our actions and coming to terms with our imperfections. The power of the mirror is that we see a direct reflection of ourselves. Eye to eye; face to face. Instead, we are more comfortable presenting to the world (and ourselves) our shadows which is a distorted representation of us, hiding all of our features and changing size and shape when the light shines and angle shifts. The same happens when we are under scrutiny.  As the light is being shun on us and we are being evaluated from different angles, we change who we are, hiding our true features.We remove ourselves from any wrong doings.With many of our shortcomings, we easily pass along the blame elsewhere . We eliminate all sense of accountability. But for all the insecurities that we have and for the many pitfalls we blame others for, we must first look inward. The mirror shows us our imperfections, it displays our blemishes, and believe it or not, it reveals the expression of shame and guilt that we are otherwise attempting to hide from the world. 

So before the decision to hide, make excuses and blame others for our imperfections, insecurities, and inadequacies, lets first make the incision by looking into the mirror and peering inside ourselves to discover and come to grip with such factions. Change begins inwardly and impacts outwardly.
God Bless

Rich or Wealthy

Win a million dollars: you're RICH.
Build and multiply a million dollars: you're WEALTHY.

Many people see the words rich and wealthy as having similar meanings. Rightly so, they both signify an abundance of some sort, particularly in possessions of value. However, I associate the two words to different states: physical and mental. I personally associate being rich as a physical state and being wealthy as a mind state. To me, being rich doesn't entail that one is wealthy. The reason for such a distinction is that to have wealth is to have a certain mentality. Many people have come into large sums of money or possessions of value only to lose it all in the blink of an eye. Some may point to such events as the economic downfall that is sweeping throughout the world, but aside from that, many of such loses can be attributed to people's lack of knowledge and discipline which contributes to the carelessness that is displayed.

On the other hand, wealthy people have those two very important traits, knowledge and discipline, to allow their money to work for them. Wealthy people can lose all their riches and find their way back to the top because they developed the process of wealth building. They turn their fears into their greatest assets and they capitalize on what others are afraid to take a chance on.

If you turn on the tv, the radio, or the internet, pay close attention to people that you consistently see in the media. Rich people talk about spending money. Wealthy people talk about building money. The difference is the mentality.

God Bless.

THE VISION

Often times, when people think of vision, it is defined as such as being a dream. So when we hear people say follow your dreams, we do just that- up until the time it is to "awaken". The problem that arises is that, for many, dreams are closely associated with fantasies, so in many instances we are encouraged to wake up and get back in tune with the "real world". Therefore, our 'dreamcloud' dissipates and along goes our aspiration, inspiration, and determination. In order to shift from fantasy to reality, we must be encouraged to work, to be diligent, and to be persevering towards our dreams. In the "real world," we are taught to work but we remain stagnant because we are unsure of what we are working towards. We lose sight of our own vision and become overly consumed with other people's visions that we are too willing to adopt.

I view vision as peering through a looking glass where the fortunes of the future are revealed. I see it as a seed that is ready to be planted and fertilized enabling it grow into an entity of endless possibilities. 

Personally, I envision a world where the masses are able to break free from the mental grip that are clamped around such minds. However, I do understand that it is a grand task to have such a vision for the world, so I start in my own communities. I start with encouraging the young boy or girl who aspires to be great. I start with patronizing the local small business owner that becomes the link to business expansion in downtrodden neighborhoods. I start with ways to reach schools that will allow them to operate on level playing fields. I believe you can promote vision by giving people hope to envision. Only then will I feel my vision will be achieved. It will be achieved exponentially. Not just one hand doing all the work but many doing there own work in their own way to achieve a common goal. I choose to use the Law of Exponents.

I encourage you to carry out your vision and make it reality! Link yourself with those in line with your vision because there is strength in numbers. God Bless.

DO YOU HAVE A MISSION STATEMENT?

My personal mission is to determine purpose in all of my endeavors, pursue passions that have been revealed to me, and demonstrate integrity in my life. The mission also consists of living a fulfilled life by taking advantage of new opportunities and continuously pursuing my quest for knowledge - by meeting new people, traveling to new places, and being receptive to new ideas. My ultimate goal is to place a hand in impacting and enhancing the lives of others. In all, I recognize that my personal mission cannot and will not be fulfilled without the grace of God; the source of my strength, my happiness, and my life.

I wanted to start my first post by sharing my mission statement. I am a firm believer in making things tangible (or real) in our own eyes. Many times do our thoughts just wash away in our minds because there is nothing tangible associated with them. Therefore, like the mere shake of an Etch-a-Sketch, the  precious thoughts and ideas in our minds can be lost. The same can be said in how  we position ourselves to lead our lives. If we have nothing tangible to grasp, we too can lose focus on the goals we have in our lives. I believe a written mission statement only aides in holding ourselves accountable and strengthening our determination in obtaining our goals. With this being said, I ask, "Do you have a mission statement?" If so, I would love for you to share. If not, I definitely encourage that you take the time to develop one. (I would like to note that it doesn't have to be done overnight, but I strongly recommend that you take the time and really think about what your mission is. If you do have one, it can always change and be strengthened).God Bless