Tonight I was inspired by my man J. Sakiya Sandifer (if you have a chance check out www.wethinkllc.com and purchase one or all of his books; they’re all good… one of which is co-written by Kanye West.) Okay, so in one of his interviews someone asked him what his motivation was. He said, “The hate in me is a great motivator. It’s my disdain for what I don’t like in life that is a variable that drives me to create the change that I see.” This guy said “the HATE in ME.” We all have it in us. Human beings have as much capacity for hate as they do for love, which is crazy when you actually think about it. How does someone take that word and spin it to make it positive? The word HATE. There’s so much we go through every day and we end up reflecting our experiences onto others whether we know it or not. For some, instead of making a change within themselves, they look for revenge. Others use hate to foster change within their surroundings and make a better life for themselves and possibly others, too. I’m guessing these 2 categories make up about 50% of the human race. Going back to what I said about humans having the capacity for both love and hate. So the United Nations estimates the world population will reach about 7,000,000,000 in 2011. So if my ~50% assumption is correct, that will leave 3,500,000,000. Now split THAT figure into 2. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say 50% of THOSE people use hate to produce a positive outcome. So, according to my calculations, by 2011 this world will be full of 1,750,000,000 people who hate and do nothing about it but reflect that hate back onto others, another 1,750,000,000 people who use HATE to make a positive change in themselves and others, and another 3,500,000,000 hippies who love everything and everyone.

The end. :) 

After about 2 months of not posting anything and being completely aware of said lack of posting, I have some things to talk about. And, I’ll be talking about the strongest opponent I’ve ever had to encounter; me.

Not so long ago I was in a situation where I thought I was right about something, but I ended up being wrong. Making a mistake and acknowledging it is hard to do but it is the most humbling experience. A particular friend of mine has recently helped me grow as a friend and as a man. I never expected this particular person to make this type of impact in my life but inadvertently this person has opened up my eyes and helped me take a step back so I could take a step forward and understand the real reason behind what I do in my life. No matter what, be thankful for the friends you have around you. The ones who aren’t afraid to pull you aside and tell you that you’re wrong. And remember the big picture; you’re put on this planet to learn, grow, and pass on your knowledge to those who need it. The most important friends you keep are the ones who test you and understand your abilities and want the best for you. Those are the friends that will stick around forever.

I had a few presentations/meetings today. Not going to go into details here but I still get that butterfly feeling in my gut every time I have to present an idea or have an important meeting. I always anticipate what’s going to happen. I plan answers for questions and think of questions to ask the person/persons before me. Then, when the actual moment comes, I forget everything. All that preparation goes out the window and my creative side takes over. There is a moral to this story: No more anticipating. There is no doubt in my mind that the business structure I am being taught is to keep everything in line and keep my thoughts focused and my ideas balanced. Nevertheless, my creative side is what gives me the edge and allows me to make choices with authenticity which I trust will direct me to where I need to be in my life.

Today my opponent is excess. More specifically, bacon. Yes, bacon. By the way, did you know that if you say beer can with an English accent it’s like saying bacon with a Jamaican accent?

But I digress, the reason I use bacon as an example is because some bacon has excess fat. Now you and I both know that this depends on where the bacon is coming from and I’m sorry if you’re vegetarian; I promise I’ll make my point shortly. You see, a little bit of fat in bacon is not bad because it helps cook the bacon. However, we’ve all eaten a soggy/fatty piece of bacon. Just doesn’t taste good. The texture is weird. But on the other hand, a little bit of fat helps fry the bacon without using an outside source and makes it crispy/crunchy. So, a little bit of fat is acceptable and many (like myself) would argue that it’s necessary.

Where am I going with this? You can apply this thinking to other aspects of life: Cut out the excess but remember to leave enough to keep things crispy/crunchy.

yhf:

If you stand up for something you believe in, even if it goes contrary to status quo, then I really admire you for that. If there are moments you doubt yourself for it, don’t. Staying true to yourself is more important — and more permanent — than being snugglehuggedpookersnoogied by, basically, strangers.

Today my opponent is compromise. Every weekend I play soccer with a bunch of guys in Caldwell, NJ. By the way, if you’re interested in playing please let me know and I’ll give you directions. Any who, one of my teammates wore a shirt that said “You are your opponent.” This naturally gave me a lot to think about. Every play there is a thought process that occurs in my head and depending on my attitude, my perception changes. For example, if I’m obviously open during a drive towards the goal and the other offensive player shoots with no possible chance to score, my first thought is negative. After a few seconds I think about it from a different aspect and that helps keep the team strong. The moment someone lets a negative thought linger, the harmony of the team is compromised.

“Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

Since this is my first post I’ll take the time to introduce myself. My name is Mike and I go to William Paterson University of New Jersey. I’m majoring in Business with a concentration in Professional sales. I’m 23 and what I enjoy most is traveling and meeting new people. The reason I started this page is so I can keep track of the challenges that I face on a daily basis and the inspiration I used to overcome those challenges. The point of this page is to help myself and maybe help someone else in the process. Every day I will post an opponent of mine. This will not necessarily be a person or a thing. It very well may just be a thought. Why should you care? Because you may face the same challenges and vise versa. With that being said, today my opponent is…

Fear. Fear of being turned down. Fear of being humiliated. Fear of fear itself.

Fear is something we all go through. But what is fear? It’s a feeling we get that stops us from overcoming obstacles and facing our opponent(s). As long as you are prepared for anything, nothing will surprise you. And being prepared is being fearless.