So each birthday you try and set some goals for yourself. You try and say that you are going to do things different and not make the same mistakes. Just like all the other birthdays, Friday I told myself I will celebrate this weekend but when Monday comes along I'm going to be a new me. I had all these great ideas about staying focused, eating right and excercisng, and becoming a great person. Then life kicked me in the nuts! I bring my car in for brakes and it ends up costing an earth shattering $2348.60. Damn!!!
Now if it was $563.50 (which happens to be the amount for the brakes) then I wouldn't even mention it. Don't get me wrong $500 is stil a ton of money but it's not $2348. So now comes the mad scramble for cash. Is my car worth $2348? Is the mechanic being honest?
All this stuff is what rich people don't worry about. They buy cars and get new ones every 100,000 miles. If you drive a Lexus they come and get it, and take it to the dealership. This type of surprise although they can afford it doesn't happen.
After taking the kick in the nutz, I eat a big piece of chocolate cake (compliments of my girlfriends Mom), and watch Jay-Z's new video, and now I'm back. What ever it takes to inspire you and keep the fight going. There is a bright side if one chooses to consider it. I get a day off while my car is getting repaired. I will use this day to get caught up and regroup. Get my mind right and nurture ideas. The question is not will I be a millionaire by 35, but how many times over. I have to start seeing little problems as such and think big. I have to think like a Mogul - Puffy, Jay, Gates, Buffet.
Tomorrow will be my new birthday. The regroup and refocus starts now. A Mogul is born.
Holla at your Mans.
-MJL
Monday, October 30, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
LET'S HEAR IT FOR BROTHER RAY.....
Another insightful occurrence this week has given me a paradigm shift.
While working my dream job, I stop in the cafeteria and am shocked to see my man Ray flashed up on the TV screen. The purpose of the screen is to display birthdays, quality alerts, and plant successes such as “130 days without accidents”. Well today Rays’ picture flashes on the screen and it says something to the effect of “Our Condolences to the Ray Hill family”.
WTF
I go to Human Resources and have found out, Ray has passed away. Not the best way to be notified, but it’s reality.
Now, let’s be truthful. Ray wasn’t my greatest friend. Nothing annoys me more, then when someone passes away and suddenly he or she was all things to all people. When Proof (from D12) passed away, suddenly everybody in the Detroit area knew Proof. “Aww I just seem him the other day” or “I was just kickin’ it with his cousin”. When Tupac died, everybody was a Tupac fan. When someone dies, people come out of the woodworks claiming all kind of unsubstantiated dealings with that person. Why not? Who can dispute it. The person is dead.
Let’s call Ray exactly what he was. He was a cool guy who worked on our assembly line. Not a good friend, not even a friend so to speak, but an associate. Ray was the guy who was a fatherly type, and when you walked out to the plant floor, he would take off his glove, give you a pound and ask how things were.
He was the guy who reminded you of your father and gave you the encouraging words that you needed to hear. After a difficult meeting he would tell you not to keep your cool, walk around the plant and go back and fight another day. As my marriage fell apart he let me know that I would be a better person and that I can move on knowing I tried my best. He pushed me to keep my small business up and running. With all the good advice, smiles and encouraging words, never once did he mention his Cancer. Ray lost his first wife and child in a fire years back, but you would never know from his demeanor and attitude.
These people are few and far between. Now I’m not necessarily over saddened by Ray’s untimely departure, but it has thrown me into one of my deep thought sessions. I know Ray would be telling me to keep my head up, keep pushing until I reach my goals.
Once you are an adult no one keeps pushing you to become a better you. Children in today’s schools are told they are doing a good job when they are average. At work people are told they are working hard, and doing a “Great Job” when in fact they are just performing their jobs to expected levels. Whatevery your trying to accomplish, Ray would remind you that people who aren’t nearly as talented, or smart, or driven as you have already accomplished what you are trying to do, so you have no excuse.
You can go years without hearing anyone telling you that you can work harder, that you can do more, exercise more, think more, plan more. Where is that motivating push in society. We have become pansy asses, afraid of criticism and failure.
Ray’s spirit will be another tool in my arsenal to keep pushing toward my goals. This blogsight, my Sisters’ my friend Big Steve, and my girlfriend are all motivators to keep pushing. I am surrounded by people who dish out honest advice, constructive criticism, and lead by example.
Let’s give a shout out for brother Ray! Rest in Peace.
-MJL
While working my dream job, I stop in the cafeteria and am shocked to see my man Ray flashed up on the TV screen. The purpose of the screen is to display birthdays, quality alerts, and plant successes such as “130 days without accidents”. Well today Rays’ picture flashes on the screen and it says something to the effect of “Our Condolences to the Ray Hill family”.
WTF
I go to Human Resources and have found out, Ray has passed away. Not the best way to be notified, but it’s reality.
Now, let’s be truthful. Ray wasn’t my greatest friend. Nothing annoys me more, then when someone passes away and suddenly he or she was all things to all people. When Proof (from D12) passed away, suddenly everybody in the Detroit area knew Proof. “Aww I just seem him the other day” or “I was just kickin’ it with his cousin”. When Tupac died, everybody was a Tupac fan. When someone dies, people come out of the woodworks claiming all kind of unsubstantiated dealings with that person. Why not? Who can dispute it. The person is dead.
Let’s call Ray exactly what he was. He was a cool guy who worked on our assembly line. Not a good friend, not even a friend so to speak, but an associate. Ray was the guy who was a fatherly type, and when you walked out to the plant floor, he would take off his glove, give you a pound and ask how things were.
He was the guy who reminded you of your father and gave you the encouraging words that you needed to hear. After a difficult meeting he would tell you not to keep your cool, walk around the plant and go back and fight another day. As my marriage fell apart he let me know that I would be a better person and that I can move on knowing I tried my best. He pushed me to keep my small business up and running. With all the good advice, smiles and encouraging words, never once did he mention his Cancer. Ray lost his first wife and child in a fire years back, but you would never know from his demeanor and attitude.
These people are few and far between. Now I’m not necessarily over saddened by Ray’s untimely departure, but it has thrown me into one of my deep thought sessions. I know Ray would be telling me to keep my head up, keep pushing until I reach my goals.
Once you are an adult no one keeps pushing you to become a better you. Children in today’s schools are told they are doing a good job when they are average. At work people are told they are working hard, and doing a “Great Job” when in fact they are just performing their jobs to expected levels. Whatevery your trying to accomplish, Ray would remind you that people who aren’t nearly as talented, or smart, or driven as you have already accomplished what you are trying to do, so you have no excuse.
You can go years without hearing anyone telling you that you can work harder, that you can do more, exercise more, think more, plan more. Where is that motivating push in society. We have become pansy asses, afraid of criticism and failure.
Ray’s spirit will be another tool in my arsenal to keep pushing toward my goals. This blogsight, my Sisters’ my friend Big Steve, and my girlfriend are all motivators to keep pushing. I am surrounded by people who dish out honest advice, constructive criticism, and lead by example.
Let’s give a shout out for brother Ray! Rest in Peace.
-MJL
Friday, October 13, 2006
REPLY TO: SOCCER MOM, FOOTBALL DAD
Sometime I get comments that are good enough to be used as a post. The following is from a reader named Babs. Thank you for the colorful commentary!
Wow, all that is sooo true. I'm always amazed at how us women can go out in public looking crazy! it's takes just as much time and effort to put on a cute velour sweatsuit as it does an ugly big Hanes one! you NEVER know who you're going to run into! it may be an ex that did you wrong, so look cute, make him look twice and think damn why did I mess up! not damn she is tore up, I'm glad I left! But just for your own feeling, put on some lip gloss, it only takes a second to slick back a ponytail. It doesn't cost a lot to look "clean" and put together. You don't need a face full of make-up or your hair all done up, guys like a girl who can look natural and comfortable without looking like you haven't showered in a week. Invest in some cute jeans, cute (trendy) t-shirts (no they are not expensive), cute sweats, some clean t-shirts and at least 1 pair of nice tennis shoes. We all have out days where we want to just bum it, but do that at home when you go out look decent, be proud to be a woman, we are beautiful big and small.
On the note about weight, I believe now that it is important to exercise not just for looks but for our health, my daughter is 13 and I NEVER look like the soccer mom in the big mom jeans that go all the way up under your boobs, I don't work out all the time because I'm a single mom, I work full time, I go to school and my daughter is involved in piano, soccer, dance, etc...but I'm always put together and I now make time at lunch to go to the gym because it's important that I feel good about myself, no man wants a woman who has low self-esteem and no (good, decent) man wants a woman who just lets herself go, I"m not saying be a size 5, cause I'm not but just be presentable, I want my man to be proud to show me off, to be proud to take me out and know that I feel good and feel sexy. That is something that I have to work on myself and I'm getting there, but please listen and just put on some decent clothes when you step out even to the grocery store!
-Babs
Wow, all that is sooo true. I'm always amazed at how us women can go out in public looking crazy! it's takes just as much time and effort to put on a cute velour sweatsuit as it does an ugly big Hanes one! you NEVER know who you're going to run into! it may be an ex that did you wrong, so look cute, make him look twice and think damn why did I mess up! not damn she is tore up, I'm glad I left! But just for your own feeling, put on some lip gloss, it only takes a second to slick back a ponytail. It doesn't cost a lot to look "clean" and put together. You don't need a face full of make-up or your hair all done up, guys like a girl who can look natural and comfortable without looking like you haven't showered in a week. Invest in some cute jeans, cute (trendy) t-shirts (no they are not expensive), cute sweats, some clean t-shirts and at least 1 pair of nice tennis shoes. We all have out days where we want to just bum it, but do that at home when you go out look decent, be proud to be a woman, we are beautiful big and small.
On the note about weight, I believe now that it is important to exercise not just for looks but for our health, my daughter is 13 and I NEVER look like the soccer mom in the big mom jeans that go all the way up under your boobs, I don't work out all the time because I'm a single mom, I work full time, I go to school and my daughter is involved in piano, soccer, dance, etc...but I'm always put together and I now make time at lunch to go to the gym because it's important that I feel good about myself, no man wants a woman who has low self-esteem and no (good, decent) man wants a woman who just lets herself go, I"m not saying be a size 5, cause I'm not but just be presentable, I want my man to be proud to show me off, to be proud to take me out and know that I feel good and feel sexy. That is something that I have to work on myself and I'm getting there, but please listen and just put on some decent clothes when you step out even to the grocery store!
-Babs
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