Struggle.
So many of us know, not only what the word means, but how it feels. Many of us have been at the place we call rock bottom. The thing is though, that rock bottom is different based on the individual and how low they can get before it's too low to bear. The thing is though...is struggle is good. It's necessary. Struggle is life-changing, and when applied correctly, it can have a very positive effect on the rest of your life.
How? I mean, struggle sucks!
Right, it does suck. However, if we never struggle, we can never fine-tune our lives to get to the places we were intended to go. If we never struggle, then success can be taken for granted. I'm not saying that it can't be taken for granted even after struggle but, going through something give you a greater appreciation. It gives you a different angle of perception for where you had to go to get to where you are.
Long post short, be grateful for your struggle because it is instrumental in building you up to be who you will become.
- Don Savant
Showing posts with label Triumph. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Triumph. Show all posts
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
It's Time For A Change
Black culture is a double edged sword. It is a gift and a curse to ourselves and the world. At some point, collectively, we need to realize that we are more than the pictures that have been painted about us. We have to learn that the best time to speak loudly is in situations where our very existence has been threatened. That is when voices should be heard. We should begin to humble ourselves and bring all things internally to the King by way of prayer and allow Him to guide us spiritually. We need to stop looking at each other, seeing what we don’t have and wanting to take it from them. Honest work will always be a source of great satisfaction because it means that you’ve earned something that didn’t come off of the back of someone else that put in work to get it.
The whole time the few on the top are trying to push the ones in the middle back to the bottom. The ones on the bottom are in constant survival mode trying to pull down those above them that are simply trying not to go back to the bottom not caring at all that then themselves are trying to get to the top as well. The ones on the bottom also do not realize that it’s not the ones in the middle that are hindering their progress because you see, the top controls everything. They could simply leave and show the middle that it is possible to get out of your situation but most would rather linger to rub in their faces where they are, never once sharing the knowledge of how they got there.
Things used to be for us by us but we are no longer investing our dollars in that sentiment. We’d rather spend a thousand dollars on someone sitting somewhere in an office plotting the next worldwide cultural ripoff, this making his even richer, than to spend a hundred dollars on a relatable face, and story that will get his family their meal that night.
What are we doing wrong?
We have the wrong mentality to make a difference. Most of our role models exist in movies, on tv, in rap songs that depict lives that most of the performers have never even lived. Everyone wants to be whatever the next hot song says we are. Right now, a love of our culture’s females proclaim that the want to be “Trap Queens”. This is what we want for ourselves?
Here’s some truth. If you’re trapped, you have no Queen in you. Everyone is the same. Rise up and be different. If you’re approached wrong, comply with the situation to diffuse it instead of agitating the situation to escalate it. After all is calm, then use your voice to amplify your concerns. We can ask for justice, for peace, etc. but we won’t find it until we find humility, faith and civility.
No one deserves to die and every life on this earth matters but for once, let’s stop running, let’s stop being aggressive... Let’s show other cultures that we can love each other because honestly, we have to. In order for anyone to truly love you, you must first have to love yourself. If you don’t love yourself or value yourself within your own culture and within your own communities, there is not another culture on this planet who will love you from the outside looking in if all they see through the glass is domestic and cultural hatred and violence administered amongst us.
Think about that the next time you decide to rob your brother or sister, of the next time you want to publicly assault or even take the life of your brother, sister, mother, father or whoever. It is all a sickness and we are in dire need of an antibiotic dose that will level us all out.
Want to do something!
Want to be somebody!
Want to change!
Want to be an example of change!
If this happens collectively, then there is something great that will erupt. If it can be shown that we are here, we are intelligent, we are patient, kind and willing; to work towards the goals we set for ourselves, we will see the plan that God has for us.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the way we’ve been going about things for centuries is simply not the way. It is long overdue for a moment of community communication in a forum where there is not arguing, no over talking one another or negativity towards ideas for solutions given.
The next time you pick up a gun to point it at your brother, realize that you’re killing yourself as well because if the appointed representatives of the law don’t kill you, someone on the inside that shares your same animosity towards life or towards the hand they were dealt; whatever it may be, will be sure to take you out. The change needs to start in our hearts, minds, souls, our finances, patronage, dependability, ability and willingness to work hard way past getting it done. Everybody has a dream and there is not a sane person breathing on this planet that can honestly say with an unclouded conscious that their dream is the have their life cut short in a random act of senselessness.
Our culture prides itself on respect, speaking that it has to be earned before it’s given but most haven’t, won’t and more than likely never will even have the respect for themselves that others must see before that handshake between brothers ever takes place.
Those of you who are on the top; the ones who made it. Don’t rub it in our faces, give is a claw up and show us that is can be done. Offer some sort of strategic advisory assistance that will show us the direction that we need to go and free us from the bondage of “I’m better than you and you’ll never be more than what you are”. This is a question completely build off of the back of opinion but please ask yourselves this. Which is the greater evil? The color of the skin on the man holding and pulling the trigger, or the fact that someone decided that this individual no longer deserved to live his or her life?
This applies everywhere. Police brutality, gang violence, domestic violence, random acts of violence. The saddest thing is, it’s all learned. It’s all learned and has been passed down from generation to generation. Our ancestors beat us down for not working hard enough or fast enough or for having the audacity to want to need rest from all of the work we were doing. We learned that telling on each other would give you some type of short lived reward and we watched our brother get beat while we smiled at being able to escape the same fate. We were disrespected, therefore we lost respect for ourselves and others. We watched our women get beat, raped and killed; having their babies stolen from them and sold. That taught us to disrespect our women, to discard our sons. The entire ordeal was a set up for where we are today, which in some regards, is no further away than where we are right now.
It’s time to change. It’s long overdue. Let’s start a movement of love, of honesty, or trust and respect, of civility, humility, faith and solidarity. It starts with us; our culture, our communities. Let’s build something that we can all be proud of and for once, let’s not destroy it or allow it to be destroyed.
Amen?
-Don Savant
The whole time the few on the top are trying to push the ones in the middle back to the bottom. The ones on the bottom are in constant survival mode trying to pull down those above them that are simply trying not to go back to the bottom not caring at all that then themselves are trying to get to the top as well. The ones on the bottom also do not realize that it’s not the ones in the middle that are hindering their progress because you see, the top controls everything. They could simply leave and show the middle that it is possible to get out of your situation but most would rather linger to rub in their faces where they are, never once sharing the knowledge of how they got there.
Things used to be for us by us but we are no longer investing our dollars in that sentiment. We’d rather spend a thousand dollars on someone sitting somewhere in an office plotting the next worldwide cultural ripoff, this making his even richer, than to spend a hundred dollars on a relatable face, and story that will get his family their meal that night.
What are we doing wrong?
We have the wrong mentality to make a difference. Most of our role models exist in movies, on tv, in rap songs that depict lives that most of the performers have never even lived. Everyone wants to be whatever the next hot song says we are. Right now, a love of our culture’s females proclaim that the want to be “Trap Queens”. This is what we want for ourselves?
Here’s some truth. If you’re trapped, you have no Queen in you. Everyone is the same. Rise up and be different. If you’re approached wrong, comply with the situation to diffuse it instead of agitating the situation to escalate it. After all is calm, then use your voice to amplify your concerns. We can ask for justice, for peace, etc. but we won’t find it until we find humility, faith and civility.
No one deserves to die and every life on this earth matters but for once, let’s stop running, let’s stop being aggressive... Let’s show other cultures that we can love each other because honestly, we have to. In order for anyone to truly love you, you must first have to love yourself. If you don’t love yourself or value yourself within your own culture and within your own communities, there is not another culture on this planet who will love you from the outside looking in if all they see through the glass is domestic and cultural hatred and violence administered amongst us.
Think about that the next time you decide to rob your brother or sister, of the next time you want to publicly assault or even take the life of your brother, sister, mother, father or whoever. It is all a sickness and we are in dire need of an antibiotic dose that will level us all out.
Want to do something!
Want to be somebody!
Want to change!
Want to be an example of change!
If this happens collectively, then there is something great that will erupt. If it can be shown that we are here, we are intelligent, we are patient, kind and willing; to work towards the goals we set for ourselves, we will see the plan that God has for us.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the way we’ve been going about things for centuries is simply not the way. It is long overdue for a moment of community communication in a forum where there is not arguing, no over talking one another or negativity towards ideas for solutions given.
The next time you pick up a gun to point it at your brother, realize that you’re killing yourself as well because if the appointed representatives of the law don’t kill you, someone on the inside that shares your same animosity towards life or towards the hand they were dealt; whatever it may be, will be sure to take you out. The change needs to start in our hearts, minds, souls, our finances, patronage, dependability, ability and willingness to work hard way past getting it done. Everybody has a dream and there is not a sane person breathing on this planet that can honestly say with an unclouded conscious that their dream is the have their life cut short in a random act of senselessness.
Our culture prides itself on respect, speaking that it has to be earned before it’s given but most haven’t, won’t and more than likely never will even have the respect for themselves that others must see before that handshake between brothers ever takes place.
Those of you who are on the top; the ones who made it. Don’t rub it in our faces, give is a claw up and show us that is can be done. Offer some sort of strategic advisory assistance that will show us the direction that we need to go and free us from the bondage of “I’m better than you and you’ll never be more than what you are”. This is a question completely build off of the back of opinion but please ask yourselves this. Which is the greater evil? The color of the skin on the man holding and pulling the trigger, or the fact that someone decided that this individual no longer deserved to live his or her life?
This applies everywhere. Police brutality, gang violence, domestic violence, random acts of violence. The saddest thing is, it’s all learned. It’s all learned and has been passed down from generation to generation. Our ancestors beat us down for not working hard enough or fast enough or for having the audacity to want to need rest from all of the work we were doing. We learned that telling on each other would give you some type of short lived reward and we watched our brother get beat while we smiled at being able to escape the same fate. We were disrespected, therefore we lost respect for ourselves and others. We watched our women get beat, raped and killed; having their babies stolen from them and sold. That taught us to disrespect our women, to discard our sons. The entire ordeal was a set up for where we are today, which in some regards, is no further away than where we are right now.
It’s time to change. It’s long overdue. Let’s start a movement of love, of honesty, or trust and respect, of civility, humility, faith and solidarity. It starts with us; our culture, our communities. Let’s build something that we can all be proud of and for once, let’s not destroy it or allow it to be destroyed.
Amen?
-Don Savant
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
But I Have To
There have been many times in my life where I've felt that I had no direction, no love and no support. I can go for days on end wondering who I am and asking why I'm here. What is my purpose? I've heard all my life that we are all here for a specific reason.
Why?
Have you ever stopped to realize how powerfully infinite that word is?
Why?
That simple one worded, one syllable, three-letter question can serve as a rebuttal to every statement and every question ever asked.
Why?
Tell a child something and you'll be confronted with WHY?...over and over again until they are satisfied with what you've told them. When they reach that point of satisfaction, they move on to the next thing.
Why?
All my life I've asked that question as it pertains to my life. Why is life so hard? Why can't I get ahead? Why don't I have this or that? Why....whatever? There have been many times when I wanted to give up because I just didn't know who I was or why I was here.
There have been several times in my life when God has sent people into my path that conforted me and that have pointed things out to me that my woeful whys wouldn't let me see. Some of those people are the reason I signed my first book contract.
Looking back on that day, I can remember being extremely excited. That excited lasted for at least two years as I signed another contract the following year. I began to realize that no one really knew me. I realize that a lot of the congratulations I received was just that and nothing more. There was no real support. Not from friends, not from family. Don't get my wrong, I absolutely appreciate every single person that has purchased one of my books. The point I'm making is, there was more "happy for you" sentiment than there was action behind it. That made the whys come back.
Why?
There came a point where I realized that y love for writing was greater than my desire to be compensated for it. My thought process and my focus shifted. I decided that I was going to write no matter what, whether people made the purchase or not.
Years later, here I am on the verge of releasing my 9th poetry collection. Just typing that just now excites me because I have such a great passion for what I do. People ask all the time, if I do spoken word and the answer is no. Why? Because even though I've been given the opportunity to do so, the timing hasn't yet matched that opportunity. I don't quite feel that right now is when I' supposed to do that, if I'm supposed to do it at all. Time will surely tell.
We do things in life for many reasons. A lot of us do things because we can. Some do them because we want to and others do things because they have to. It's always a choice.
Why?
Back on my 19th birthday, I discovered I was diabetic and was bordeline for high blood pressure. At first it changed my life, but then I fell back into my old habits because I didn't think those things were affecting me.
In 2012, less than a month after my 37th birthday I was hospitalized with congestive heart failure. Of course, with such a diagnosis comes severe depression. Through the hospital stay, through the recovery and through the complete lifestyle change, I continued to write. I continued to share my life and my experiences through poetry.
Recently, I've started back listening to motivational speakers. One in particular and undoubtedly my favorite is Eric Thomas. Something he says has stuck with me and it's one of the reasons I chose to write this is when he says that you have to find your why.
I've thought this thing through many times in many ways and it's encouraged me. I've always asked why as it connects to the negative things in my life. But until I heard Mr. Thomas say it, I never knew that it could also connect the dots of my life in positive ways.
My why is my life, it's my family, it's God, and it's my writing. Those are the reasons I am here. I ove and appreciate my life. My life has not been perfect in any way but laying in a hospital bed on the verge of losing it has a way of making you appreciate it. My family is everything to me. From those that I see almost daily to the ones I haven't seen in years, I love my family with all that is in me. God is absolutely the head of my life and it's because of Him that I have the gift and talent that I possess. It's because of Him that I still breathe. Writing has been my outlet, it's been my saving grace and the reason I feel I'm still sane though everything I've been through. To be able to share it with others, having it relate to them and to have them be blessed by the words I share is a blessing.
I have found my why...and now my I can, and my I will are both now my I Have To because my why is greater than all else in my life.
"When you find your why, you find your reason for living". -Eric Thomas
Ladies and gentlem, that is purpose.
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