Road to Riches

I stay up late thinking of success.  As a human its only natural for me to worry about making it and will I ever be successful. Although a lot of my daily thoughts are those that scream positive feelings at nighttime I become human.  My homeboy Marley told me the other day God has a plan and he will take you where he wants you to be.  I believe that man, that was the juice I needed at the moment.  Sometimes I don't know where to begin with my thoughts my mind works in a mysterious manner, I swear I might be crazy, but I know I'm just motivated.  I used to worry about what people thought about me and what not but I guess since I'm going to ramble I might as well have my moment of clarity.  If you have nothing to bring that's positive to my life I have no time for your thoughts, if your not lining my pockets, my shorty or my family then your opinion doesn't really matter.  I needed to get that off my chest my bro Brian Cade told me to write my thoughts down so I figure I might as well keep spitting what's coming to the brain right now.  Lord knows I'ma make it and I know everyday that I struggle it's just for a cause a cause that's bigger than me. I'm FFB certified forever and until I drop in a grave them plus the teams that Marley and my bro Millz Mula are combining for the movement is what I do it for, we're all gonna live that penthouse life, that Californication/Entourage life that Moet/Ace of Spades looking down on the city life. When I make it I'm giving back to everyone I can, not everybody has been given what I have been blessed with and I want those who are disenfranchised to have the chances I have. Robert Halliman Foundation is going to be real I promise that. I promise to God and put it on my life it's gonna happen I promise to God my Great Aunt and Grandma are going to see me graduate from Lehigh, I promise to God I'm going to pay my sister's way through college, I promise to God I'm going to make life easier for my mom and pops and allow them to retire early.  They worked so hard and I think about the stuff they went through to get where they are all the trials and tribulations and BS my family has seen just to get me to this point in my life I thank God everyday for this life man.  I didn't appreciate it when I was younger but lord knows I've never wanted for anything and I'm going to give my family that same feeling.  Music has helped my evolution as a man and this Nipsey Hussle Road to Riches inspired this post. I love those who support me and take the time out of their day to read my blogs, I'm just a young man trying to find his place in this world and those who support me will get nothing but support from me.  Real Rap if your reading this thank you I appreciate you and were gonna get this money together we're all gonna shine.  Like they said in Hustle and Flow every human being has a verse to contribute to society this blog is my book of rhymes

Currently Jamming for the 15th time in a row Nipsey Hussle-Road to Riches

Positive Thoughts

This may seem outlandish but I don't remember the last time I've had a bad day.  My outlook on life has changed dramatically over the course of the year, and I've learned that part of growing up is learning how to take the good with the bad.  One thing I've learned about life, is that within each individuals personal experiences there's always something positive to take from it even if the outcome is deemed negative.  This belief comes from the fact that in each situation we put ourselves in we are given options and the outcome of our choices are in fact pre-determined by the man above and i'll say this, God doesn't put you through anything you can't handle no matter the circumstance.  I'm by no means the most religious person in the world but I do believe that a higher power is looking out for me and by working hard and working smart he will help me achieve the goals I've set for myself. In closing i'll say this our time on this earth is too short to have bad days, and even though life might throw us Mike Tyson 92' heavyweight title punches, we must stand in its face with a smile and continue to dream, and achieve.  Keep your head up and your ambition limitless.

Currently Jamming:  Wale ft. Meek Mill &Ricky Rozay-Ambition

Motivation is the fuel to my fire

Motivation is self-examination of why you wake up every day and do what you do.  This word means so much to me because in essence, motivation is hunger.  What is hunger?  Hunger is what drives one to wake up every day and strive to be better.  Without hunger we tend to coast and we tend to go through the motions, we forget what motivates us and we lose sight of our goals.  It took me 19 years to figure out what motivates me, but this summer I finally figured it out.  Personally when I get out of college I want to be the one of the most successful Sports Agent's to ever grace the planet, not only that I want to eventually start my own sports based magazine and have my own radio show.  When I tell people my plan they look at me in two ways, either they say damn, this dude's serious he might just pull this off or they look at me in bewilderment and think I'm crazy.  I'ma tell you from the jump, I'm not crazy, I'm hungry and it's going to take a million buffets to feed my appetite.  

I figured since I told you my plan I might as well tell you what drives me to make this happen.  My father and my great aunt are the two most influential people in my life without them I don't know where I'd be.  My father for one has gone through hell and back to provide for me and my sister, he's made it through tragedies and adverse circumstances I couldn't even fathom.  I've never wanted for anything, never not had or been without so for me repaying him with success and being a good human being is the least I can do, because even though I may not always show it I know what he's done for me hasn't been easy so sooner than later I'm going to make it easy for him.  Secondly, my Great Aunt Corinne McGhee is the most important person in the world to me.  How she held my family together through times of tragedy and loss is the most amazing thing one human being could ever do, she is the matriarch of my family.  Me attending a top ranked school like Lehigh University has made her so proud, every time I visit her she wants me to wear my University sweatshirt or something with my University on it so she can show me off, and when she picks me up from the airport she always has Lehigh stuff on. For her to see me walk across that stage with a degree would be the biggest accomplishment I think I will ever have in my life.  She means that much to me that I can't fail I have to succeed,  I love that woman to death and I'm not even gonna lie I got tears touching this keyboard just writing about her impact.  

With this being said about my family I also want to tell you about my other family, my brothers, FFB is what we call ourselves.  We’re a not just best friend, that’s my family blood couldn't make us any closer and for those of you who don't know who’s in FFB; FFB is comprised of Hysom Zarroug, Kacy Rodgers, Brett Maxie, Tim Munson and Mosab Zarroug. They've been there for me through some of my darkest hours and their families have been a big part of my growth as a man.  If you've ever seen the show Entourage that's what we're going to be, brothers who through thick and thin strive for a common goal.  Ya, we're going to do it real big I promise you that and I'll die before I see the goals of my team not reached.

At the end of the day I just wanted to let people know what keeps me motivated and hungry, I can't let these people down, they mean to much to me ,and with them in my mind  I won't fail.  Every morning I wake up I have these people’s names written on my sticky notes, along with the saying "be better every day," this motivates me to make it. I encourage you reading this if you haven't already found what motivates you to look deep and find it and think about it every day when you wake up, success is a mentality, so when you think about the pain it takes to succeed think about the factors that motivate you to do it.

Currently Jamming:  J. Cole- Dollar and a Dream III

Dreamchasers

Meek Mill's mixtape Dreamchasers is one of the more inspiring collections of music I've ever heard. Just like in Big Krit's Return of 4eva mixtape, I learned valuable lessons that I feel will be a part of me for the rest of my life.  While analyzing the content of the lyrics in Dreamchasers I discovered that there are two different types of dreamers, there are active dreamers, and there are those who dream for the hell of it.  Being an active dreamer is what drives many to succeed.  An active dreamer visualizes his/her goals and believes that one day that dream will be their reality. Although, there are various components that turn an active dreamer into a successful human being, I feel that the world belief is the most important component to the formula of success.  When you believe something you train your brain to obtain.  More simply said, when you believe you will be successful you train yourself to ultimately become successful.  To me failure is an unfamiliar word, because at this stage in my life I couldn't even imagine what failure looks like, I wake up to get my cake up in my best Lil Boosie impression(for those who don't understand the reference listen to Out here Grinding by Dj Khaled).  My goals for this blog are to inspire people through the way I see life and to inspire dreamers just like me to be active and go ahead and get what you want, there’s no shame in success like Young Jeezy says, "Scared money don't make no money", so while you get to enjoy the opportunity to live, go out there and turn your dreams into reality.  With this being said, don't be afraid of a chance and don't be afraid to take risks one quote that will always be with me is one by Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus, "Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy."

Currently Jamming: Drake-Club Paradise

No Days Off

"No Days Off" is the anthem. This quote, the motto of one of my favorite rappers, the poet, Wale Folarin otherwise known as Wale, Wale Ovechkin etc. is one that I'm learning to live by. When living a life filled with ambition you can't afford to take any days off. You can relax your mind and rest your body, but everyday must be one of production. Even if there's little to do one should focus on finding a way to better themselves. Life is a process, in which every day we are given a chance to better ourselves and take a step in the direction of our goals. We must understand that our ambition is driven by dreams and in order to turn these dreams into reality we must take advantage of everyday. Not one single day can be wasted. This world is competitive and if you’re not going to choose to grind and take the necessary steps you need to take to achieve your goal somebody else will. This saying I'm about to use is rather cliché but very true, "Every day is a gift and that’s why it’s called the present." So while we are allowed to live in the present and receive the gift of life lets choose to make everyday a day in which we grow and stimulate not only our minds but our bodies. The future is amongst us let’s go moonwalking on the stars.

Currently Jamming Meek Mill-Middle of Da Summer

Sacrifice

Through each stage of our personal journey we pick up a new piece to solve the puzzle of life. This piece no matter what it may mean helps us try and complete our personal puzzle for success. Although this puzzle may seem complex, we must understand that as long as we are living, it is impossible for us to complete our puzzle because mental growth never ends. This summer, 2 weeks ago to be exact I discovered a huge piece of my personal puzzle. Like most nights I was kicking it with my boy Hysom Z otherwise known as Freako Suave listening to music cruising, when Dom Kennedy and Currensy's Song "Hennesy Beach" came on, during Dom's verse he spit the line, "going to the pros I'm tired of playing d1.". Now to you this may be nothing more than a simple rhyme but, the way I see it this rhyme means one word, "sacrifice." In order to make the next jump in life toward our goals, we must make sacrifices and rid ourselves of habits that may weigh us down. Not only must we rid ourselves of bad habits, we must learn to work smarter. As many see it hard work is the remedy to success and this is true, but working smart is what separates the good from the great. In a society that places emphasis on being "cool" we must understand cool is not going to make you any money, because at the end of the day were not being judged on how cool we are, we're judged off our performance. In closing make the sacrifices that allow you to perform on a higher level, it may not always feel like the coolest thing to do but in the end your mind should be solely focused on obtaining your goals. Currently jamming The Weeknd-Loft Music

What makes comfort an enemy

As human beings we are taught that being comfortable is ok.  Not saying that it's not ok but while you're young being comfortable and complacent is not the most ideal way to live.  We all have dreams that we strive for and many of us have big dreams, dreams that don't fit in a box, world changing, and lifesaving dreams. But, for many of us being comfortable is more acceptable than putting in the effort of pursuing our dreams. We live in a society where it’s ok to be average, its ok not to dare to be different, and it’s ok not to challenge things that have already been done. In my eyes that mindset is not real life we were placed on this earth for a reason and while we have the blessing of being able to live why don't we seek the most out of life.  The concept of life allows us to explore our inner greatness because everyone has a sense of greatness within them, even with our talents and our gifts all varying why don't we take the opportunity to be great at whatever we do.  Why don't we use the motto Dream Big Achieve Bigger and apply it to whatever we decide to do in our lives.  The world is ours it’s our oyster and the goal of this life is to Hustle, Hustle, Hustle, Hard.

Currently Jamming Meek Mill-Middle of the Summer, if you haven't copped or checked out Meek Mills new mixtape Dreamchasers go check it out