Success is a Mindset

Success is a state of mind.  If you want success you have to start thinking of yourself as successful.  A positive mental attitude can go a LONG way especially when it looks like everything around you is falling apart.

A few months ago I came in contact with a young man named Andre Boyd.  He never had much to say but when he spoke, his words were empowering.  To those who have never taken the time to get to know him beyond his few words, he would come across as arrogrant and cocky.  But I saw someone who was digging down deep to uncover his true identity.

And then one day he sent me a poem to read.  I was blown away by it because it was at that moment in time that I believe I understood him and his quest and respected him for the journey he has taken.  I could see him digging deep down into the crevice of his soul to find the answers he's been seeking.  When I asked him why he wrote the poem this was his response:

I was working at the Wake County Detention Center.  Amidst all of the depression, violence, and insanity within the confines of that facility, I began to question all of the decisions I made in life that landed me in this position of employment.  I felt that I was better than my surroundings.  This poem crept into the forefront of my mind as a conscious effort to motivate myself to move forward and to vanquish the pessimism surrounding my regret for the path I chose.

And here is the poem he wrote.....

Ramifications of remembrance, stemming from errors we wish nonexistent
Dwelling within a subconscious realm tucked underneath reminiscence...

Here lies that shadowed doubt.  Could success be gained without falter?
With hindsight appearing in perfect vision, how so would our paths be altered?

Yet the challenges lie within mystery, for omniscience shall remain unattainable
If granted the wisdom of infinity, would the joy for the quest be sustainable?

Would there be such a term as motivation? Or an innate desire to persist?
Because if we really knew then what we know now, our NOW would never exist. 



So whether or not you understand this poem, understand this:  If you can imagine it, you can achieve it.  If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it.  Just ask Andre.