Via Flickr:
Make sure the circle you’re in is growing with you and not trying to close on you. Most people can’t get ahead because they’re holding on to people who lack ambition. You’ll never reach the mountain top if you have to carry everybody on your back. Have people in your life that can inspire you but still know how to motivate their self. If you’re trying to go places in life you, you need people around you who have actually been somewhere. It’ll be hard to follow a dream if all you have is closed minds in your circle, what you recognize as real, they see as impossible. Some people you’ll just have to be cool with from a distance. You don’t need certain people in your everyday life. Not everybody will understand what you want to do and where you’re trying to go, and if you’re not careful you’ll get distracted. My mindset is this: You can’t antagonize me and influence me at the same time. So if you’re not concerned with helping me, I’m not concerned with you judging me. Don’t get discouraged thinking that things will never work out; things begin to work out once you start to put work in. Show me a problem and I’ll show you a promise. There is no trial too big for you to triumph. Understand that delayed does not mean denied. When the timing is right, what you want will coincide with what you need. Just make sure your circle isn’t in the way of that.
Via Flickr:
If you’re looking for a convenient love; it doesn’t exist. Real love comes with terms and conditions that you’re going to have to up-hold. It’s going to ask you to step out of your comfort zone, to sacrifice, and to compromise. If you can’t agree to those; love won’t agree with you. Ask yourself what it is you really want; do you want convenience or happiness? A hurt woman will recognize a good man but won’t know how to accept him if she’s allowed her pain to divide her. A scared man will easily miss a good woman because he knows what to run from, not what to look for. We all have this warped perception of who we’re supposed to be with. We try to find our partners based off of our past mistakes instead of the Universe's direction, and that’s why we’re lost. Don’t ever confuse being different with being better. Every person you have a connection with won’t be the person you’re supposed to have a relationship with. Everybody isn’t meant to last a full season in your life. Some people are just a sign that there’s still a chance for those romantics the world calls hopeless. Don’t be fooled into thinking you can make love appear and disappear when it benefits you. Love doesn’t happen on your time, it happens at the right time; and only the Universe determines that.
Via Flickr:
Sometimes the hardest part about following your dreams is convincing everybody else that you aren’t crazy. Harder than that, is when you’re trying to be better in life but those closest to you accuse you of thinking you’re better than them. As if deciding to stand alone or standing for something different means that you’re saying you stand above them. A small mind cannot fathom big dreams so expect to be doubted when you decide to change. Trying to be a better you today than you were yesterday is not a crime. Changing, improving, and learning is what life is all about. The worst thing a “friend” can do to somebody trying to be better is to throw their past mistakes in their face. Don’t remind them of their failures before you acknowledge the universes favor. When people feel insecure about what they lack, they feel threatened by what you have. That’s why envy is the highest form of ignorance. Nobody knows what universe has placed in you like you do and nobody knows what you had to go through to get where you are. The reason you struggled before and the reason you fight today, are for your testimony and not to be tested by the phony. And it’s not always that people don’t believe in you, it’s just that sometimes the freedom of your courage reminds them that they’re chained to their fear. So continuing seeking greatness, be brilliant, be bold, and be beautiful because in the words of a great poet, “Who are you NOT to be?”
Via Flickr:
Be unforgettable. Live in such a way that people’s lives are forever changed when they meet you. Do you in such a fashion that it can’t be duplicated. Be treasured. Don’t let anybody just take up space in your life. If they aren’t motivating you to do better, they’ll be distracting you from getting better. If your life is exactly the same after a person as it was before them, then you’ve wasted your time. If you have to question what somebody brings to the table, then you probably shouldn’t be eating with them. Be passionate. You have to live your passion. Part time effort will never get you full time success. A life without passion is a life that is lacking. You have to believe in something, someday. Be ever growing. With every situation, no matter good or bad, you have to find a way to be better from it. Getting older is inevitable but growth is optional. Live in a way that matures you. Be ambitious. To have drive is to have a sense of purpose. The essence of ambition is found when you recognize that you are on a mission. Success embodies three aspects that can never be compromised: love, passion, growth. When you have these, you attract greatness.
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A beautiful thing is never perfect. Actually, flaws are the only thing that gives something enough distinction to even be qualified as beautiful. There’s deception in perfection. It gives the illusion that everything is all good when it really isn’t. For most people the ability to hide flaws is more important than having the patience necessary to become better. However, the ideal person isn’t without flaw, the ideal person is somebody who’s been through something real, got scarred, but survived. Don’t go for perfect, go for purity, seek substance, and get something genuine. Some situations need to be tested, some people will need to be pushed down and bruised. Life isn’t nice; you have to be able to handle the ups and the downs. Your love requires a process. Deserving your time demands some real effort. Perfection doesn’t understand the idea of work. You will never need a perfect relationship to experience perfect joy. Learn to appreciate moments rather than stressing time. Learn to invest energy in your weaknesses and that will allow you to reap blessings of strength. The idea of perfect is a fallacy, instead seek excellence and enjoy the reality of greatness.
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The things you feel you have to control are the things you don’t trust. You may feel secure by dominating situations and manipulating people but you can’t run from the true insecurity that comes with being alone. Everybody has trust issues but you’ll never learn how to trust if you don’t give anybody a chance to be trusted. If being hurt is what you’re worried about then you have to get over it and realize you’re only hurting yourself. Our thoughts directly influence our actions so continuously thinking about hurt only creates pain. A closed mind and a cold heart do more damage than any liar ever can. So stop pushing people away that have proved that they deserve to be in your life. A conditional friendship is a condemned one. If you want to trust then pay attention to the small details because in the end they’ll be what made the big differences. Learn through pain, don’t run from it. If you never face the challenges you can never claim the victory. The key to being trusted is simple; just make sure your actions align with your words. Consistency earns trust, inconsistency earns doubt. You can either be trusted or you can be doubted; your choice.
Via Flickr:
KoKyu is an International BBQ inspired food truck serving the Triangle area of North Carolina. Tacos - Sliders - Duckfat Tots - Quesadillas.
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If you have the ability to dream, the courage to believe, and the guts to make it happen, nothing can stop you. Good people wait on opportunity, great people create opportunity. Take a chance and invest in your future, believe in your dreams, because you’re the only one who can make them happen in a way that they will last. The fruition of your dreams will always reflect the effort you’ve invested in them. If you waste your money then you’ve only lost some money but if you waste your time, you’ve lost part of your life. Waiting on tomorrow is the worst gamble. It’s never wise to wait on something that was never promised. Stop letting life pass you by waiting on the perfect timing because no matter how long you wait, time never will.
Thoughts trapped in my Android..
I shot this the other night at the Durham Bulls game sitting beside a NY Mets recruiter thinking how one of the players he was watching was getting closer to his dreams of becoming a major league player.
9 out of 10 times what you get in life is a result of what you ask for. Everything you ask for isn’t coming from your mouth either. More than half of it is coming from your attitude and actions. A lot of people complain about the things that come their way not realizing that they indirectly asked for it. Unhappy people attract haters and drama. Bitter women attract game playing men. Boastful men attract gold digging women. The world gives back to you what you put into it, that’s the essence of Karma. It is important for us to be in agreement with ourselves mind, body, and spirit. When your mind wants love, and your body wants lusts, there’s no way your spirit can prosper. Understand the Universe has a never ending desire to bless you and if those blessings require pain, the Universe will give it to you, but for your benefit. You can’t ask for peace and have an attitude from hell. When your actions are inspired by spite expect to catch some slight. Don’t let what you do block you from what you want. Allow who you are to welcome what you’re asking for.
Thoughts trapped in my Android..
An older photo, but very relevant....
If you've been following some of my social media channels, you probably heard me mention a mural this past week that we've been putting together & documenting. The mural is for a Beyu Caffe in downtown Durham which if a local coffee & networking hub for locals. We'be been documenting the process & making a short video about the process & what it means to thee business, community & artist. Stay tuned for more updates...
Had the privilege of checking out Devines on cinco de mayo & sipping lager brews. Honestly I have NO idea what the holiday is about. And I'm honest enough to scribe this post before checking Google first. I just know its a huge celebrated event among various cultures, especially in the US. I heard a rumor that the US celebrates the holiday much more than Mexico itself. That doesn't surprise me, we tend to grab any holiday & turn it into a extravaganza of some type. Good ole America, gotta love it.
