<p>It&#8217;s currently 5:09 a.m. and I&#8217;m in the airport. I came to Miami Wednesday evening to see J. Cole in concert and now I am preparing to leave and return to my regular routine back home.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s always nice to get away for a few days even if you don&#8217;t do much during that time. I caught up on some much-needed sleep, watched shows that gave me major nostalgia like <em>Sister, Sister, The Parkers,</em> and my favorite <em>Moesha. </em>To some that may not seem like much but to me it was a much-needed break from routine. You never really realize how repetitive some aspects of your life are until you&#8217;re away from the routine. But this isn&#8217;t about that.</p>
<p>I was thinking last night about how easy it can be for us to give up.</p>
<p>Things don&#8217;t go our way&#8230;</p>
<p>People giving us a hard time&#8230;</p>
<p>Someone says an idea we have isn&#8217;t as good as we imagined it to be&#8230;</p>
<p>For many of us, those things are confirmation that our thoughts, ideas and sometimes us as people, aren&#8217;t adequate. Like what we have to give isn&#8217;t good enough. Well, I&#8217;ve come to be the bearer of bad news.</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>You, along with your ideas and thoughts are good enough. </em></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>While that may sound like good news, it isn&#8217;t. It&#8217;s terrible news because I believe that we have a natural inclination to lean towards things that are easy way outs. If someone tells us that something isn&#8217;t good, the easier it is to retreat and not push the envelope.</p>
<p>We have dreams and aspirations but for many people, when one person says no to them, it&#8217;s over. Fear of rejection and bruised egos have held so many people back from achieving their highest potential. That&#8217;s why they say the richest places on Earth are graveyards. We carry things with us until the day we die because we&#8217;re too afraid to shake the table. Too afraid of what others will think and say. As if we were created for the approval of others.</p>
<p>At the concert, J. Cole kept saying that nothing is overnight. He went from doing shows in clubs and being asked by industry heavy weights if he could make a hit. He even said that he questioned that for a while. &#8216;<em>Can I actually make a hit?&#8217; </em></p>
<p>Years later and he&#8217;s in a packed out arena in Miami with screaming fans. Imagine if he&#8217;d have let that question plague him his entire life. We would have missed out on such a talented and thoughtful artist.</p>
<p>What you have to add to the world is equally important. You don&#8217;t have to sell out arenas or be a New York Times Best Selling Author to have an impact. What you have to give is special and needed. Always believe that and rest assured that if you get back up every time life throws you punches on the path to dream fulfillment&#8230; you&#8217;ll rise 10 times stronger than before.</p>
<p>Trust me. Keep going.</p>
<p><strong><em><span style="color:#800000;">From Me to You, Love. </span></em></strong>
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Never Fold Under Pressure
