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.

Are You a Chicken or an Eagle?

We all want to live life to its fullest potential. Nobody wants to struggle through life with less than what they could have achieved. Wouldn't it be the greatest shame to go through an entire lifetime wondering what it might have turned out like if we only followed our dreams.

There is a wonderful story about an eagle that illustrates this point well. Once upon a time, there was a large mountainside, where an eagle's nest rested. The eagle's nest contained four large eagle eggs. One day an earthquake rocked the mountain causing one of the eggs to roll down the mountain, to a chicken farm, located in the valley below. The chickens knew that they must protect and care for the eagle's egg, so an old hen volunteered to nurture and raise the large egg.

One day, the egg hatched and a beautiful eagle was born. Sadly, however, the eagle was raised to be a chicken. Soon, the eagle believed he was nothing more than a chicken. The eagle loved his home and family, but his spirit cried out for more. While playing a game on the farm one day, the eagle looked to the skies above and noticed a group of mighty eagles soaring in the skies. "Oh," the eagle cried, "I wish I could soar like those birds." The chickens roared with laughter, "You cannot soar with those birds. You are a chicken and chickens do not soar."

The eagle continued staring at his real family up above, dreaming that he could be with them. Each time the eagle would let his dreams be known, he was told it couldn't be done. That is what the eagle learned to believe. The eagle, after time, stopped dreaming and continued to live his life like a chicken. Finally, after a long life as a chicken, the eagle passed away. The moral of the story: You become what you believe you are; so if you ever dream to become an eagle follow your dreams, not the words of a chicken.

How often do we let ourselves be defined by other people, we let them determine our self worth whether we realize it or not. Or how many times have you decided to give up on a dream or idea you had because you just didn't think it would work?

In order to live your full potential you must first believe you were born to be more than you are, you must believe it with such conviction that you follow your dream no matter how often you may be ridiculed or how often you stumble. For it is in the act of following ones dreams that your potential will be realized.

The worst thing that could happen in life is to wake up one day and realize too late that you have been held back from your dreams because you were too afraid to lift yourself out of the chicken pen and from the small thinking people. Some people do mean well but can only see possibilities through their limitations and not from your probabilities.