Personal Legends

I believe I have already started on my way to live out my Personal Legend.  Part of my struggle in life has been not knowing what I want to do in life.  For the longest time, I didn't know what I had to offer. This made it hard for me to go on through day to day events.  Today, knowing who I want to be, what type of member I want to be in society, and knowing my strengths in order to live out who I want to be is helpful.

I believe my Personal Legend is to truly help people.  The caveat of knowing about knowing what my Personal Legend is that more will be revealed to me.  I say this because I do not yet know how exactly I want to help, and who.  But I do know, based on my experience, the way I articulate things, and the way I communicate and connect with people, it is my mission to be helpful and useful to the universe and its inhabitants.  The most convincing reason I know this is my life's mission is because of the way it makes me feel when I do something for someone else.

I want to be remembered as someone who was altruistic and did things for other people.  While I do not thrive off of other peoples approval nor seek it, if someone were to think about me after I pass on, I want them to think about how I always treated others with dignity and respect, always offering to give them what I had.  I want to leave that type of mentality and way of life as an example for my children and grandchildren.

A man who always believed he could,
Even when no one else thought he would.
They say "for it is by self-forgetting that one finds",
This was a gentleman that was ever-so kind.
Thinking rarely of himself and frequently of others,
He looked at God's children as his sisters and brothers.
He seemed to always give so freely of himself,
He often put his own wants and needs on the shelf.
While going through struggles in his earlier years,
He overcame all, conquering his fears.
Yet he stayed humble, selfless and free,
For he believed that these principles were definitely key.
To his friends and family he would always lend,
Because he believed that relationships were all we had in the end.
We will miss his presence every day,
But in his heart he is here to stay.

Gratitude

This is a great topic for me to write about right now - gratitude.  I have so much to be grateful for, and more specifically, the post will talk about gratitude concerning past job experience.  I had a job at a treatment center in Tucson, Arizona, working with adolescent boys through their journeys in drug addiction and abuse.

While it was a hard job that drained me emotionally, it opened me up to having future opportunities.  For example, the other day, someone who was aware of my work in treatment just asked me for my resume because she wants to recommend me to several rehabs in the New England area.  This was huge for me, and something that I couldn't have the opportunity to have had I not done what I did in the past.  Therefore, I definitely am grateful for it.

I definitely found it hard to be grateful in the moment at my job.  This is because, like I said, it was very emotionally draining, and I definitely butted heads with my superiors.  However, the experience was obviously helpful and useful for my future.

Writing raps for me is a breeze,

All I need to do is kick back,

Relax, and tell you how I do.

After it's over, you'll ask me how I do it,

I'm free for interviews, but try and copy or ya through.

No ones got the passion I got about this rappin stuff,

Everybody's frontin', tryna act all tough.

No one's got the knowledge or the skill when it comes to ballin like me,

Catch me at Peter's Park in South End swishin threes.

Then ask me about any baller,

What team, how many rings, how many points a game,

I say "psh, I can name everyone in the Hall of Fame".

I've got the intellect,

I've got the drive,

Everything I've got,

Is everything ya strive for,

Sorry for leavin this killer raps at your front door.

Who's got more style than "Rick the Ruler" Slick Rick?

An all-time favorite rap duo of mine, called Smif-N-Wessun.  Their album "Dah Shinin'" is known as one of the best hip-hop albums of all time.

Short Stories

My Future

In my future, I'd like to be a business owner.  I just don't know what type of business yet.  I'd like to live in a big city like Boston or New York, but a place I haven't lived yet.  I wouldn't be opposed to living anywhere around the world in a big city.  My ideal financial situation would be making enough money to take care of my family comfortably and letting them live, as well as myself, a life of luxury.  This is how I grew up and I don't want anything less for myself when I grow up.  I would want a family of 4 or 5 (myself, my wife, and two or three kids).

Change of Fate

A change of fate that could happen could be me finding myself in a tight financial predicament.  My business is struggling and I find myself facing family struggles because I feel stress that I am not doing well in my job.  I then come across a friend from high school that has a business TV show and would like me to come on the air.

Alternative Future

I have my own television show talking about business.  I'm making more money than owning a business.  I interview some of the most famous business men such as Donald Trump and others.  I travel all over the world and have a way different social life because of my different job.


Grace

Life can be hard,
Life can get tough.
I can over-complicate things,
And make life unmanageable for myself.
When I rely on my friends,
My family,
And my spirit,
I can deal with life on life's terms,
With dignity and grace.
The universe is looking out for me,
If I look out for myself.
Doing what I need to do,
With grace and power,
Opens me up to the universes rewards.

Affirming the Future

All of these images are of significant importance to me.  The images include travel, healthy living, and spirituality.  These are all staples of my living and things that I would like to make more important in my life.  For instance, I struggle with healthy living, so my intention with making this visual board too is that it focuses healthy living in my life more.  I had a hard time due to image formatting to make the board look more artsy.

Poem:

I see myself with much success,

Many experiences,

Many friends,

Flowing in and out of my life.

I see myself shaped by the experiences I have had,

Recollecting on my past.

Passion

Passion at its finest

I am passionate about many things.  I believe everything I take up as an interest and a hobby I am passionate about.  I find that taking up my interests and hobbies with passion is the best way to go about partaking in these things.  Something I am really passionate about is basketball.  More than playing the sport though, I am interested in the game itself, the statistics, the numbers, and just the sport as a whole.

I have often thought about taking my passion for basketball and making it into a career.  I could certainly look into getting into sports management and working in the front office for a team.  I could also be a scout that finds talent at either the college or professional level.

The population I would be serving would be obviously either those looking to get recruited into colleges or onto a professional basketball team.  The passion for my work would serve the team that I would be working for.  Because of my passion for the game and for the work I would be doing, I'd spend a lot of time and effort doing the best job I could, and this would be a huge asset to whoever I would serve.

Wes Unseld playing in Washington, D.C. during the 1968-1969 season.  One of my favorite players

Following the lead of my passion,
Could take me to endless heights.
Without passion in life,
I don't have much worthwhile.
Taking what I love,
And making it an important part of my life,
is important to me.
Doing what I love,
Dancing with my passion,
Is something I must do,
To maintain peace,
As well as happiness.
Staying true to what I love,
And following my dreams,
Is something I will always do.

Alchemist

 Paulo Coehlo's The Alchemist is an awesome book.  In essense, the book is about a young boy named Santiago that goes on a quest for treasure that he had dreamed about.  His journey was shaped by the people he met and the things he learned along the way.  By the time Santiago had reached the treasure, he was a changed man, with a different outlook on life and the world around him.  He learned a lot about alchemy, he learned about different walks of life, and he also learned a little about love.  All of the experiences he had re-shaped his entire life.

The part of the book that really hit me was when Santiago met Fatima at the well in the oasis, on his way to the Pyramids.  This probably has to be that I'm a sucker for a good love story, so I found myself paying extra attention.  In addition, there were some ideas that were introduced when Santiago and Fatima spent time together that were introduced for the first time in the book.  The ideas of love without ownership and true love were something introduced at this time.  These were ideas that really made me focus in on the reading.

Overall, I really like the book.  It's many themes and and symbolism kept me interested throughout the reading.  The character development of Santiago throughout the book is awesome too.  Watching him transform and learn was inspiring.  He is an admirable character from the get-go, and watching him grow was awesome.

I'd recommend this book to anyone that wishes to have a good read.  I think it's a good read for anyone, because it is easy to follow along and can keep a reader interested.

An interesting book indeed,

Containing a lot of symbolism.

Lessons can be learned,

As long as you pay close attention.

Santiago was an admirable character.

He showed desirable personality traits.

He showed willingness,

He showed strength.

He showed courage,

He showed love.

His openness to life and all of its lessons,

Is an example for all of us.

He persevered when times were rough,

He showed faith during times of tribulation.

He was open to getting more in touch with himself,

And getting more in touch with his spirit.

He let the people around him mold him, 

And make him into a better man.

He triumphed at the end,

Finding his treasure,

And discovered that God had a funny sense of humor.

Gratitude

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." - Thornton Wilder

Gratitude is something I did not get a handle on until very recently in my life.  It was something for the longest time I was not able to feel.  It wasn't until I was stripped of everything that I placed meaning on in my life and then slowly started getting those things back that I became grateful for them.  It is something to even have a good handle on today, because when I get so consumed by everything that is going on around me, I often forget what is important and to be grateful that I have it.

I tend to take for granted the friendships and relationships that I have.  Because they are such a constant in my life, I often forget to honor them, and act selfishly and inconsiderately of their feelings and struggles.  It is important for me to remember what type of person I am capable of being - selfish, inconsiderate and dishonest, leading me to not have the relationships I have today.  I have the relationships and friends today because of the way I carry myself in day to day life.  I honor myself, honor others, and act selflessly.

I am really grateful for the people in my life.  Notably my friends and family.  They are always there for me through my ups and downs.  I feel like I can be honest with them and open up to them so that I can properly be helped.  I couldn't imagine a life without people in my life that could help carry me through hardships.

I believe there is a lot I could soak in from life.  Something I can better soak up is the attributes of others around me.  I often see others doing great things and doing things that are helpful for them and help them achieve in life that I lack in my own life.  For example, a trait I admire in my father is his organization, diligence, and overall responsibility he has regarding getting things done like paying bills, doing his laundry, etc.  These are things that I struggle with on my own.  I often keep to myself and try and figure these things out on my own instead of trying to get help and copying what my father does to fix my issues with this.

Haiku 1:

Having my dog is,

a simple joy in my life.

Continual peace.

Haiku 2:

Living on my own,

My first time in solitude,

Peace and silence.

Haiku 3:

Unfortunately,

This world is run by money,

Something I lack.

Haiku 4:

A bed to sleep on,

Much food in my stomach,

Taken care of.

Haiku 5:

Not much to ask for,

Not much to complain about,

I am looked after.