When You Gone Get Up?

Jamming to my neo soul playlist the other day, I came across an admired song by Amel Larrieux titled Get Up.  In this particular song, she sings, "I know you're down, when you gone get up?"  That chorus alone sparked a much needed fire in me.  I instantly got inspiration from those words.    

A lot of us are not in the positions we want to be in and haven't been for quite some time.  Although everyone wants to accomplish something, not everyone wants to put in the work.  But as my intelligent friend so eloquently communicated to me last week, how do we expect to have a seat at the table when we haven't made reservations? In other words, how do we expect anything to change in our lives when we haven't made the effort to change them?

Some people wallow in being down.  They make 356 excuses as to why they can't get up and do what they've been meaning to do for years.  They love to tell any and everyone that will listen about how life has dealt them an unfortunate hand and blah, blah, blah, blah.  All that is cool or whatever, but when are you going to get up? 

I'm learning more and more on this journey called life that it only works when we work it, and what we can't handle is left up to the Higher Power. We have the ingredients in us we need to succeed.  All we have to do is tap into that greatness.  Complaining about being down is just like panicking when you've fallen in shallow water.  Sometimes you're in a situation you feel is too deep and could possibly drown you.  However, if you just calm down and stand up, you'll find that you're actually in shallow water and getting out and back on your feet is easier than you know. 

When you gone get up?

Peace and Blessings,

- Samjah Iman

Photo Credit: shotbyclipz@gmail.com  

Free Yourself

I had a guy friend once tell me that his success rate with getting the women he approached was high because his rejection rate was even higher.  He said once he renounced his fright of being rejected, he had no problem going for the gold because the fear of being turned down wasn't holding him captive any longer.  Failure didn't scare him, it actually freed him. 

One of my favorite former players of the NBA was Allen Iverson.  He obviously was an exceptional basketball player, but that was just one of the many reasons I admired him.  He was partly my favorite player because he displayed this dogmatic, no fear kind of attitude on the court.  He would try any move or shoot a shot from anywhere because he wasn't afraid to miss.  The result?  A Hall of Famer.  Same with Babe Ruth, he had the most home run hits during his time because his strikeout record was even higher.

My mother once said to me, "when you're not afraid to fail, it frees you."  And I'm saying to you all today, free yourself.  Jump out there and swing.  If you strikeout 30 times, I guarantee you will hit it at least once.       

“A mistake is evidence of effort.”

— Unknown

Peace and Blessings,

- Samjah Iman

Shut Up

Have you ever had a wonderful idea, exciting news, or new companion that you were super stoked about and as a result you decided to share your enthusiasm with someone, and they killed your vibe on the spot?  Yup, that has happened to me too - a number of times, and then I finally decided to apply some advice my grandmother gave me several years ago....shut up.   

“Don’t tell the dishwasher what you did with ya dishes.”

— Jeezy

My grandmother once told me that you can't tell everyone what you're doing.  Boy was she so right.  You see....everyone has an opinion.  Everyone will tell you what they would do if they were you, but the key factor is - THEY ARE NOT YOU!  I've learned over the years that it's okay to talk to a chosen few but not everyone because some people only want you to live a certain way that makes THEM feel comfortable.  They don't want you to do too much, go too far, or be too great because it makes them feel bad about their circumstances.  Everyone doesn't need to know your every move or your next move because not everyone has your best interest at heart, not everyone is satisfied with themselves so they project their negative vibes on you (misery loves company) and, most importantly, not everyone understands YOUR destiny/journey. 

“Never let ‘em know your next move - don’t you know bad boys move in silence? ”

— Notorious B.I.G. (Ten Crack Commandments)

I once heard Bishop TD Jakes say that we need to stop receiving counsel (from people) that doesn't line up with our purpose.   You could have a brilliant idea or new interest, but you let your idea die or interest fall by the wayside because of how someone reacted when you told them about it. And now that person who reacted negatively to your idea is living his or her life while you are stuck not pursuing your goals or living your life.  Just SHUT UP!  Bring to fruition whatever feels good in your soul and then share it with the world.  Just remember to guard some of your passions and goals before you birth them because not everyone needs to put their energy on your dreams, and not everyone can see your vision like you can see it.

Get your purpose, keep it to yourself, and carry it out.    

- Samjah Iman