I've never really had an epiphany. But I have had plenty of little moments in my life where I've realized I need to make drastic changes in order to push myself to grow. There are a lot of distractions that hold people back from pursuing whatever it is they're striving towards. Flaky friends, bad habits, junk food, television, listening to horrible music. All things that we cling on to that only make things harder on ourselves. Not everyone is born with that constant desire to want more and be more. Some people need added motivation. Some people need tough life lessons. And some people need to hit absolute rock bottom before they turn their life around. Regardless of what point you are in your journey right now, I promise you it's not too late. And I promise, you need it. Take a second to think about everything that is weighing you down right now. It could be something as big as getting laid off. It could be credit card debt. Or it could something as small as your lawn not looking the way you know it should and you're terrified that your landlord is going to be pissed when they see it. No matter what it is, it bothers us all the same. It sits in our brain like a hurricane, flooding all of our other thoughts. Drowning out all of the positive things in our lives. In reality, we have a million more good things going for us than bad things. We are alive. We have food. You are probably reading this on a phone or a tablet or a laptop, something billions of people on this earth can't dream of owning. Yet, we still go back to those negative thoughts. Telling ourselves we won't amount to anything. Asking ourselves how we are adults and we still don't own our own home. Somehow convincing ourselves that the life choices we have made are mistakes. Everything that is happening in your life right now is by design. It was all meant to be. If you are hit with obstacles and challenges, it is because life is telling you that it's time to be tough and push through. If everything is great, then that means you need to take advantage of this time in your life. Too often we look to the negative and use it as a reason as to why we aren't the best versions of ourselves. In our society, it is more popular to hate on what others are doing and doubt their decisions. We need to take a look in the mirror and ask ourselves What am I doing to better myself and those around me? And I think yelling at others or just telling them to be better isn’t the way to get through to them. The hardest part about helping others, is understanding what is going on in their life. They could be battling all kinds of negativity at home, at work, at school, or even within their own mind. It becomes difficult to have tough conversations with those around around you. But as I have navigated through life, I have learned that spreading positivity is never a bad choice. Making yourself an example to others on how to treat yourself and the people around you is never a bad choice. Being nice is never a bad choice. I know that I'm not always the nicest person. I have to constantly remind myself to treat others the way I wish to be treated. Being a positive influence on others can become uneasy when I look at myself and know that I'm not where I want to be in life. How could I possible influence others? So I have a suggestion for all of you reading this. Do just one nice thing for someone else everyday. Whether its surprising your best friend with tickets to a concert, or just sending a "Hey, how are you doing?" text to someone you haven't talked to in a while. The way I am going to be sharing positivity with others is by sending people postcards with an inspirational quote. Every person who shares this article will get a postcard. Just message or text me your address and wait for some positivity to come your way. It's all about Positive Vibrations...
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Here's the story about when my wife told me that she is pregnant with our second child... Being able to raise our first born together has been incredible. My wife and I have grown so much as parents. We have learned from our child how to truly love life. Being a father has been the greatest era of my life, I cherish every moment with my son.
However, this is not to say that this shit isn't rough. Some days I find myself asking the question, "How the hell did my parents make it out alive with my ungrateful ass." Kids are the greatest, most terrifying, disgusting, beautiful, and foul creatures to ever walk the planet. They run shit, and I can't do shit about it. My son is so damn cute, he gets whatever the hell he wants. He could literally fling a piece of his own crap on me, and an hour later he'd somehow convince me to give him a bite of my ice cream. I can't believe I love this kid. I love being a father, but the thought of another child still scared me. Raising another human while still trying to raise another little human while growing together with my wife while continuing to grow as an individual while living in this world. It's some heavy shit to think about. So when my wife told me that she was pregnant, my initial reaction wasn't quite the same as the first time. I have to be honest, I was terrified. I was trying to convince myself it wasn't true, knowing damn well I was well aware of the risk I took when we were, uh, ... making the child ... Sorry mom. The next two days, I swear I didn't say a word to anybody. My coworkers would be talking to me and it felt like everything was silent. The only thing I could hear were my thoughts. They were loud af. Asking myself a million questions. But they all ended with the same answer. The bottom line is that I wouldn't trade this life for anything. Reminding myself that everything happens for a reason. It scares me for all the right reasons. Having another child means that I will grow more as a man. The experiences will push me towards something better for my family. It will continue to drive my inspiration to be better. And I know this, because it already has. While I am still terrified, being able to look at all the blessings it will bring makes it pretty hard not to be excited. Bringing another life into this world is honorable to those who cherish it. Who know that they will truly do whatever it takes to give this child everything it needs to live an incredible life. It's ok to be scared of change, as long as you are accepting of it. Life is going to continue to surprise you, you just have to continue to grow with it. Think about all of the things in your life to be grateful for, and know that this is all just a simulation. I miss Derrick Rose in his prime. The Chicago Bulls were one of the best teams in the league at the height of his career. They created a young and gritty contender for the Miami Heat when they had their Big 3. The Bulls now see themselves as a part of trio of teams that will be the worst in the league next season. If only they had a genie to wish for one player that could turn them into contenders again. I wouldn't say I'm a genie, more of a dreamer. I was looking for a nice picture that would encapsulate the team that they will be putting out on the floor next season. But this ended up being the most revealing picture I could find. This would be their only chance at winning games. Tackling players. Too bad it is not legal. However, we don't care about rules here. But there is one guy that could make this team instantly a contender without breaking said rules. Let's dive into the Bulls roster and style of play first and ponder who would be the perfect fit. Fred Hoiberg hasn't done much since he made the jump from coaching college basketball. But in all fairness, he hasn't had much to work with. It is difficult to win a championship without one of the three best players in basketball, let alone get to the playoffs without a superstar at all. The Bulls have made a decision to try to build the team through youth and depth. Similar to with how the Atlanta Hawks are trying to build their team, the number one ingredient is patience. But even in failure, they have made a few moves to try to make themselves a destination in the near future. The acquisition of Zach Lavine is going to be a homerun. They took a chance on a young and injured budding star, and it looks as if it will be favorable for them. In the 27 games that he did play, he was the teams leading scorer in terms of points per game with 16.7. Free agency went about as well as it could for a team that won just 25 games last season. Jabari Parker was once looked at as the future of the Milwaukee Bucks. Until the future of the Bucks actually showed up and proved to be a terrible fit for both Parker and the team. So he chose to go back home to Illinois to try to play for a new contract in a place that looks to be a perfect fit. With him and Lavine both heading into their 5th season, they will be the veterans on a young team. Last season they were 9th in terms of Pace of Play, which is pretty interesting considering the fact that they were terrible at everything else. Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen both add versatility and shooting to their respective positions. And the most recent draft pick in Wendell Carter Jr. makes their young squad filled out at every position. But there is one position they haven't filled, The Killer. Kevin Durant could not only fix the Chicago Bulls, but he could fix his own legacy at the same time. Similar to how when Lebron was done in Miami, he chose to go to a terrible Cleveland team and bring a championship to a city that hadn't seen one in decades. Sure he can do it with a great squad, but can he do it with anyone? The Bulls really are a squad full of anyone's, but Kevin Durant is 100% ungaurdable. And his two Finals MVPs solidifies his rank as one of the top three players in the world. And a move to the Eastern Conference would make him instantly the best player amongst his conference opponents. As the Warriors and Bulls were completely on opposite ends of the spectrum, one thing they were similar in was Pace of Play. The Warriors were slightly faster than the Bulls as they were good enough for 5th in the league. So the transition of style would be no issue for Durant. Durant shot an unbelievable 51% from the field last season and 42% from three-point land. Pairing him with another lengthy forward in Lauri Markkanen would stretch the defense in ways unimaginable. Markkanen broke the record for fastest player ever to make 100 three-pointers. Having two 7 foot guys who can shoot three's at an efficient rate would create headaches for opposing defenses. The biggest question mark for this team would be the point guard position. But Durant was one of the best players in the NBA last season in isolation. So essentially, in a worst case scenario, Durant could just run the entire offense. And if that is a team's worst case scenario, they have a pretty could chance of being legitimate contenders. The team who led the league in attendance last season would have their best player since MJ. And the crazy Chicago fans would show nothing but love for KD. Kevin Durant could fix the Chicago Bulls, but unfortunately he wouldn't be able to fix DRose's knees *crying emoji* I miss how KD used to make me feel... With Lebron choosing to go to the Los Angeles Lakers, it got me thinking about which players could instantly turn non-playoff teams into winning teams. We’ll go through each team that didn’t make the playoffs last season and add one superstar that could help them get to the playoffs in the 2018-19 season. Since Lebron and Lakers already linked up, we’ll leave them out. But all you other crappy teams, get ready to live out your fantasy. The Atlanta Hawks are going to be the worst team in the NBA next season. They may get some competition from the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, and Orlando Magic. But don’t worry, they’ll be the terrible-est. But they don’t need a superstar, they traded for Carmelo Anthony... HA! The highest paid player on their team won’t play for them this season, or ever. So who could in theory fix this terrible team? Well first, let’s dive into their style of play. The Hawks are looking to start from scratch, and that starts with a new head coach in Lloyd Pierce. Pierce was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers for the last 5 seasons, pretty much the entire existence of The Process. He helped build a playoff team through the use of analytics, developing three-and-D players, and (most importantly) patience. It is going to take a lot of patience with this young squad, but youth could actually be a positive when paired with the right superstar. Besides Vince Carter, the most experienced player on the team next season will be Jeremy Lin who is heading into his 9th season. I’m a Lin supporter, but he’s not exactly the veteran guy to build a team around. And for a team that was dead-last in attendance last season, he won't exactly move the needle. With the last three draft picks of Taurean Prince, John Collins, and Trae Young, it’s obvious that the team is trying to build a corps of athletic wings and guards who can space the floor. This youth will lead to some very fast-paced play. And with the anchor on the defensive end in Kent Bazemore, they will need a big time scorer who can control the court on the offensive end. With a squad full of young and underdeveloped players, the only thing that could help this team is one of the top two players in the world. And with Lebron out of the question, Steph Curry is the only answer. The Eastern Conference doesn’t have any of the top 5 players in the world, so the addition of Steph would instantly make them one of the 3 best teams in the East. Only 6 other teams shot more three-pointers than the Hawks last season. With the addition of Steph and Trae Young, this number would only increase. They also played at a pace of play that was fast enough for 9th in the league. Three-point shooting and speed is what made this team last year, and in order to make them successful they would have to continue to do the same things. Just at a much higher level of efficiency. Its obvious to say that you can add Steph Curry to any team and they will be good enough to be a playoff team. But this team is bad, like real bad. On paper and in real life. But it’s the winning culture that he would bring that would be the driving factor in pushing this team to the top. The two-time MVP and three-time NBA Finals Champion instantly raises the level of play for the entire organization. If Trusting The Process is something you believe in, this would be the complete opposite of that. This would be like a cheat code in a video game. The Warriors are an incredible team even without Steph... but are they really? His On/Off numbers are staggering considering the teammates he has on the floor when he's off the court. The Offensive Rating is the stat that jumps off the page, as the Warriors were 122.8 with Steph on the floor compared to 107.9 with him off. The Hawks as a team were 25th in the league last season in Offensive Rating, and only The Baby Faced Assassin could do anything to fix that. Trae Young showed his range in college and in the NBA Summer League. If you could pair that up with a guy who can make half-court shots routinely in Steph Curry, they could fix the Atlanta Hawks. Steph Curry once dropped 30 in a half in the NCAA tournament... "I'm finna spit it, with a clear tone, Get yo attention, The biggest thang since the T.V. invention" Mac Dre's words still flow through our brain as time continues to pass. His music is standing the test of time, as he can still stand with all the greats in the history of Bay Area artists. His presence alone made an impact on an entire generation of artists. He helped pave the way for young artists who represent the sound of the bay. Although this sound has drastically changed over time, we can still feel the rhythm and soul that he perpetuated. And we can see the vision that Mac Dre had dreamed of for the land he loved. The Sound of The Bay lives on. P-Lo of the Heartbreak Gang has been the living, breathing, hyphy'ing example of what it means to represent the Bay Area sound. His younger days as a producer showed that he had the ability to create a new fresh style to the Hyphy sound. Mac Dre was always about going stupid, but he could switch it up and bring you some pimpin' advice. He could teach you how to dance while on Thizzles, and then switch it up and tell you about how the justice system is fucked up. This versatility is now the bar that is set for these young artists. P-Lo offers everything needed from a successful Bay Area artist. And his latest hit gives the listener a chance to remember what got us here. P-Lo and Oakland native ALLBLACK created the Bay Area hit of the summer for 2018 with "no idea" off of P-Lo's new album prime. The music video has many visuals of what keeps Northern California unique. Art, dance, cars, and sights of the Bay Bridge that brings us all together. Whenever you hear "P-P-P-Lo... Time to bring the bass back" you know it's about to be a banger. The heavy use of claps gives the listener a chance to go dumb to the sound. The smooth piano allows the artists to tell their stories over the beat. It feels like it could have been released at any point in the history of Bay Area rap music and people would still move to it. The opening line of the song sets the tone for a positive self image. Ain't nobody like me, bitch I'm custom The chorus feels like it was inspired by the stylings of E-40. The use of Bay Area slang can be traced back to man who used the hyphen in his name first. If you don't think that the sound of the bay has improved drastically over time, just think about the chorus to "Tell Me When To Go" and compare it to this one. Don't you know I got the city on lock? The beat itself offers so much versatility that it was able to maintain a beautiful sound with two artists who have completely different flows. ALLBLACK came into the beat hard, similar to what we've heard from other young Bay Area artists like SOB x RBE. The mixture of these different cultures of hip-hop coming together for a Bay Area hit shows what Northern California has to offer to the world. Not only in music, but in the future of how we treat each other. We have seen diversity of races begin to tear our country apart, but Northern California won't allow it to affect them. Not only are we seeing different races begin to come together, but we are finally starting to see life through each others eyes. And ALLBLACK represents that in his verse here. She support me when I'm down, won't quit when it's tough I think at the end of the day, most of us have no idea what the answer is to a better future. But coming together is probably a good place to start. This song helps represent what makes the Bay Area unique. The sights, the sounds, and the feeling you get when you're blasting this music in your house while cleaning and you're shaking your dreads that you don't have. It all brings us back to what Mac Dre once said, "Servin' fat game that you couldn't imagine, Boy I could talk a cat off a fish wagon, or sell an eskimo ice at a high price, and get him twice, man I'm nothin nice, and Game is my merchandise," That has nothing to do with this, but I just always thought it was crazy that he said that. Humans have naturally had a battle between older and younger generations. "Back in my day" is a saying that probably dates back to the beginning of mankind. Time continues to pass, and the disagreements between the youth, the elderly, and everyone in between never stops. As younger generations continue to grow into adults, we are beginning to see that some of them are finding a way to take the torch from the old heads and run with it. And as we dig deeper, we see that a lot of us really have the same goal, which is trying to make a better future for ourselves and the people around us. The culture of rap music is constantly evolving, yet it is also cyclical. If we go back to the beginning stages of hip-hop, we got the very simple lyrics when Wonder Mike said "I said a hip hop the hippie the hippie to the hip hip hop and you don't stop the rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat." And now in 2018 we've got guys like Lil Pump bringing the simple lyrics back when he says "GUCCI GANG, GUCCI GANG, GUCCI GANG, GUCCI GANG, GUCCI GANG, GUCCI GANG, GUCCI GANG! SPENT THREE RACKS ON A NEW CHAIN (YUH!) MY BITCH LOVE TO DO COCAINE (OOOH!)" In history we have also been blessed with pure street poetry by guys like RZA, Nas, and Tupac who brought incredible lyricism to rap music. The ups and downs of rap music have been so incredibly drastic that we have seen it die and revive at least once a year since its birth. But that is what makes it beautiful. It is not supposed to be perfect, it's not supposed to be accepted by everyone, it's not even supposed to always have some underlying message. Rap music is a living, breathing organism that is forever changing, and a new young artist is trying to do his part to help it's growth. YBN Cordae is a 20 year old rapper out of Maryland who is attempting to show the world that there is promise for the future of hip-hop. He dropped his first few tracks in 2016 onto his Soundcloud, which showed just a small preview of what is to come. His first track "About Me" is somewhat of him contemplating what it is going to be like once he blows up, as if he has already envisioned it a million times over and knows it will come to fruition. Moved to the burbs necessary bettered the living As I mentioned earlier, guys like Lil Pump are taking heat from the older generations for simply what has been done since the beginning of hip-hop itself. J Cole recently released a diss track to Lil Pump, trying to teach him a lesson on how to carry himself as an artist and how his words impact the youth. And in many ways, he is right. But YBN Cordae told Cole why he should pump the brakes on all the judgement on his track "Old Niggas." Bridging this gap between generations is going to be extremely difficult. Especially when many of these kids are dressing as crazy as they are, or have tattoos and piercings all over their face, or their hair is in some whacky fashion. But as we look back in time, rappers have always looked stupid, this is nothing new. RUN DMC made it cool to wear tracksuits, Flava Flav wore a clock as a necklace, Busta Rhymes had some of the wildest hair styles in rap history, Nelly wore jerseys ten sizes too big, Soulja Boy wore Yums shoes, New Boyz made it cool to wear tight fitting clothes. Like I said, this is nothing new. And honestly, my boy J Cole looks like a rich bum right now. So he can't really talk about how any of these kids are looking. But YBN Cordae found a way to respectfully respond to Cole while still dropping major facts. In this video he says "Let's take it back when hip hop originated and old niggas said it was wack, they couldn't take it and called it a little trend, said it wouldn't last now it's the number one genre as the time passed." But this is just the beginning for the kid. What actually originally put me onto him was his freestyle he did with the LA Leakers. No pen. No notepad. No phone. All off the top of his head. Even if it was bars he had written before, he spit them on the spot over three separate beats just to show his versatility. One of those beats being Lil Pump's banger "Esskeetit." Someone had posted a one minute clip of the video with your typical "OMG this guy killed this *fire emoji*" caption. Most of the time I won't even click on them because of how often these posts are terrible. But it was early in the morning and my son was still asleep so I decided to click on it and listen to it at a low volume. The caption was right, the kid bodied it. So I watched the video in it's entirety which you can find here. He is longevity chasing while all of these other artists are out here chasing clout and viral fame. This guy is in it for the long haul, and his most recent single is about him kicking the door down and imposing his presence onto the scene. Produced by Take a Daytrip, "Kung Fu" could be the first page that is turned onto a new and improved generation of hip-hop. This track is a perfect mix of simplistic rhymes and lyrical bars. The melodies flow smoothly over the beat as if the vocals are a part of the beat itself. I'm a thief in the night, pray to Jesus to Christ The story telling ability is one of the rarest traits to find in hip-hop. Guys can really be from the streets and rap about what they've seen and gone through, but if they don't have the vocabulary or linguistics to bring to the track, it becomes hard for us to see their vision. YBN Cordae paints a vivid picture with his lyrics, and considering his age and the small sample size we currently have, it is only right to believe that he is only going to improve as time goes on. As he attempts to shatter all judgements of this new age of rap, he will have to fight for respect from people of all ages, backgrounds, and musical taste. I have recently come to realize that it is time to stop judging these kids on their musical stylings and how they choose to express themselves through their art. As the world is constantly evolving, music will continue to do the same. And I hope I'm on the right side of history with YBN Cordae. Play this shit at the highest volume possible... As we go through life, we start realizing characteristics about ourselves that help define our self-wealth. We begin to reach acceptness of who we are and why we exist. We learn about what it is like to grow within our own mind and use our knowledge to help our future. I have reached acceptness with what has defined me, and I can admit that Yes, I am a real life basketball nerd. As I sit here and watch NBA Las Vegas Summer League, I realize that I have an addiction. I can’t remove myself from basketball for a single day of my life, it’s fucking annoying how much I love basketball. My wife probably thinks I’m some fucking basketball dweeb. And it may be so. But I can’t stop. I never could. I have loved basketball my entire life. My mom was very intrigued by the game of basketball, and I learned to watch the game through her eyes. She loved all the legends, but she would get excited over things like guys setting good screens, or a nice give and go, or the energy a guy may bring to the floor. It was all about the respect for the game. Anyone who played the game, she showed love to if they played the game the right way. Her eye for the little things on the court was passed onto me, and I am thankful for that. I see the game and the impact it has on the world and the opportunities it creates for so many people’s family, and I love it. I enjoy watching others succeed, because honestly I don’t think Mother Earth can sustain any more hate. She might explode. It all started when my mom put me in a YMCA basketball league, I think I was like 6 or 7. But it’s one of the oldest memories I have that is still so vivid in my mind. My mom is on the sideline watching me play basically recess basketball with 18 year old volunteer coaches. My memory is so clear that I can recite it play by play. My mom going hard in the paint My team misses a basket, I retreat back to defense as I have seen Charles Barkley do in my very young life. He was my idol at the time. As far as I was convinced, he was the best player in the world. I tried to emulate the things he did on the court, so I prided myself in guarding my opponent as tight as possible. I wanted to be the “hustle guy.”
The 2018 NBA season has already begun. The NBA Draft has passed, Free Agency is already crazy, and the Las Vegas Summer League is already heading into the second round of their tournament. As the young rookies are now facing NBA level talent, the hot takes are already flying in July. The NBA has essentially become a 12 month a year show, and I couldn’t be happier about it. The hottest hot take brewing in Las Vegas right now is the imminent failure that is on the horizon for Trae Young. The Atlanta Hawks took a chance on him instead of Luka Doncic who has already proven that he can play professional basketball. This was definitely a risk, there is no discrediting that. But such a risk shows that the Hawks believe in what Young could potentially be, and not what he is right now. Trae was arguably the best player in college basketball for most of the year. Even with an Oklahoma team that did not have any double digit scorers outside of him, he still managed to average 8.7 assists thanks to his passing ability. His offensive game was incredible, almost unstoppable when he was making his 35 foot pull-up jumpers. But his shooting percentage and turnover rate are both alarming, but it is to be expected of a guy who was the entire offense for his team. His game will have to improve, there is no doubt about that. But such is true with every player who has ever played the game. This season is definitely going to be rough, but man it will be fun. The biggest challenge he will have to face is the comparisons he has drawn since high school. Too many people have compared him to Steph Curry, when that is totally unrealistic. Nobody is Steph Curry. Curry himself isn’t even always as good as he could be. So to compare any player to him is just silly. Trae Young is not Steph Curry, and he never will be and I don’t know why anyone ever thought he could be. But that balloon he has been put in has so much pressure that it is near exploding. Yet all we have seen him do is stay humble and continue to work on his game in just the few Summer League games we have seen. After taking a night off due to soreness, his last two games included a pair of 20+ point performances, 14 total assists, and two wins leading them into the second round of the tournament. This first season will be all about working to sharpen his game, as the Hawks will be nowhere near a playoff run. This could be the perfect scenario for the kid who may be the second best balding rookie ever according to my best bud Sam. I like the hot takes, I hope they keep coming. The kid is going to be one of the most exciting young players in the league, and if you got the NBA League Pass, you’ll be watching. Trae Young could be the 4th Migo, they need a light skin anyway... What happens when you let go of the pain? The thing holding us back from having a sense of feeling something real is our unwillingness to let go of the past. Why do we continue to allow ourselves to feel the pain that once made us reach the furthest depth of our inner evils? Adapting to live in the present and denying the dark thoughts of the past entry into our mind state may allow us to finally feel... Freeee Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2) Performed by Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign, Anthony Hamilton Produced by Scott Mescudi, Kanye West, Russel “Love” Crews, Boogz, Andrew Dawson, Andy C, Dot Da Genius, Jeff Bhasker How often is a sequel better than the original? Besides in the Toy Story series where they somehow continue to get better every time, sequels usually seem to be a shell of its original creation. But in this particular instance, the sequel outshines its predecessor that was featured on Kanye’s solo album ‘Ye. The ability to obtain freedom feels like a triumphant moment in the life of these two artists. Releasing the pain of the past feels like somewhat of a superpower. While in the ultimate pit of pain, it is almost unfathomable to think of ever feeling anything but pain. But time continues to go on, and the dedication to allowing oneself to release pain becomes more and more vital to achieve a fulfilling life. I'm so complete in the mode As we see multiple times in this album, the gospel is being preached as if the listener is in church listening to the choir. Referring to He as the one who lifts them up in times of hardship and pain. Yet, we have heard Kanye talk about being a God before. Some may view it as the “God Complex,” yet this is something not too far from the truth. We are in control of our mind, body, soul, and future. Within ourselves, we are the God of our own life. We control our temple, and only we can allow ourselves to set our minds free. So you are technically your own God when you think about it, and feel free to think about it. When nothing can hurt you anymore, that is the moment when you can feel freedom within yourself. We all have outside influences affecting our “freedom,” but freedom of the mind is something that can’t be taken from us. A true knowledge of ourself can take us a long way. I don't feel pain anymore Death has been something man has feared since the beginning of time. More than just losing your life, the thing that may scare us the most is not knowing what is on the other side. If life has taught us anything, it is that when we get through our lowest points in life we are rewarded with bliss when we find a way out. So why wouldn’t the same be thought of when we reach death? If we can let go of fear, we may be able to channel our inner superpowers. This song allows the listener to understand what it’s like on the other side. Not necessarily after death, but after pain. We all handle it differently, but we can learn something from this piece of art. If we can achieve freedom, we may just find a way to be reborn. You should quit your job to this... Following my dreams has been rough. Always trying to push through even in the face of failure has been a challenge. Losing sleep over wondering whether or not I’m making the right decisions in my career. If what I’m doing is right for the future of my family. I’m officially 100 articles in and I hope I can inspire everyone who has read anything I’ve ever written. Today is Mac Dre’s birthday, and it reminded me of the personality he shared with the world. He was driven. He was unique. He was an inspiration. He was himself. I was only 13 year’s old when he died, so I had no idea who he was until he passed. But his art lived on after his death, and for that I am thankful. Dre was an artist who never gave in. We’re talking about a guy who made music for over a decade. He was popular enough to become a local legend, and his sudden death sent shockwaves through the Bay Area and the music industry. I couldn’t fully understand his stature until I got into my early 20's when I really began listening to things he was saying. He always remained true to himself, even if it meant he wasn’t going to make the most popular music. And today, on his birthday, I see his message clearer than ever. He sent a message in his music that encouraged people to be themselves. Being “real” isn’t about how many times you’ve been locked up or who you’ve robbed or how many drugs you’ve sold. It’s about doing what you gotta do to be a better person for yourself, your loved ones, and your community. I realized recently that I may have been chasing my dreams for the money, which isn’t a dream at all, its a fantasy. Being able to chase my true dreams is the dream itself. And as Mac Dre chased his dreams to his final breath, I want to do the same. On my 100th article, I just want to thank you for all of your support. There have been plenty of times where I wouldn't post for a few weeks and someone would tell me "Hey, I haven't seen you post anything in a while." I'm always shocked when people say that because I just can't believe that people actually care to hear what I have to say. And then I'll look at the numbers at the end of a 4 article week and I'll have over 1,000 page views. And it's all because of your guys support, and for that I am extremely grateful. Here’s to another 100 articles... Don't Stop. Won't Stop. Wont Quit... |
Anthony VallesterosJust a man trying to make the most of his time on this planet. Categories
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