Failure is NOT An Option...

First...listen to the song...

Ok, so there's a line in the song that hit me really hard when I first heard it like 4 years ago...

Phonte says:

"Te, would you work ten years for your dream/
Seven years later, now I see just what he mean/
Cuz this is real life and I'm livin' kinda regular/"

Man...do you realize how real that is?

Seriously...think about the dreams you had 10 years ago...

Did you give up on them? Did life hit you a little too hard, a little too fast, and make you reevaluate them? What was it that made you give up on a dream?

I know what it was for me...I was weak...

Somebody told me I couldn't do something...Somebody I thought was telling me the truth...and I believed them...

It was actually my parents who discouraged me from this particular dream...but I guess I was too weak to see it then.

So, against my better judgment I started playing it "safe"...

Well, I see where "safe" got me in 10 years. LOL

I started thinking about that dream...and somehow...I came right back to it.

More after the break...














Answer this for me...

Why is it that when we're children, we dream the big dreams and have the grand ideals about who we are, what we can achieve, and what we want to do...then we give up on them?

I'm not saying that you should be a 35 year old man aspiring to be a dinosaur or a cowboy. That's not what I'm saying at all...

I'm just asking why we've given up on certain dreams?

There are a number of reasons that I've seen...

You got a taste of failure in college and gave up because a certain aspect of your dream seemed "too hard" or "undesirable"...

Your parents told you more about what you COULDN'T do than what you could do...

You gave up on a dream because life came at you faster than you were ready for it, so you put your head down and went to work at a job you hate and then came up with excuses for not chasing your dream...

You got sidetracked by a relationship...(Fellas...You are NOT exempt from this one)

You gave up on yourself...

If you want, you can find EVERY reason in the world to give up on your dream...

Wanna know a secret though...you don't have to give up...

More after the break...















Here are a couple of things that you should know...

#1 Whatever year you were born in, I want you to take it and add 4.5 Billion years to it. Now understand this...for 4.5 BILLION YEARS (and some change) before you were born, NO ONE like you existed. You are unique. While your dream may NOT be unique, your journey to get there more than likely is...Why would you ignore that? Why would you give up on being something and someone Original?

#2 Think about your favorite place to eat. I PROMISE you there are at LEAST 5 different ways to get there. Some of them even take you WAAAAAY out of the way to get right back there. Either way though, the end point is the same. So why would you get more caught up on the drive than the thought of the food? I mean, you know you're gonna get there? So what if it takes you a little longer? (If that went over your head, just ignore the fact that I said anything about a restaurant or food.)

#3 Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do, to get where we want to be. 5 years ago if you'd have told me I'd be in the Army, I would've laughed at you...out loud...in public...while pointing...Either way, I'm here now. While I never planned to make it a long term thing (and STILL don't), and initially had all the reservations in the world, I can sit here and confidently say it was one of the best decisions I ever made. It allowed me to focus on certain things, correct certain behaviors, and even get training that directed me towards the goal I have...even if I don't necessarily like being a soldier all the time.

What I'm telling you to do is, dust off that dream you had as a child.

Run outside to the Ice Cream Truck, get a bomb pop and some doritos, then come back in and come up with a plan to make that dream come true.

Yes, doors may close in your face, friends may stab you in the back, and people will tell you what you can't do...

When the door closes, try the window...

When that friend stabs you in the back, pull out the knife, turn around, and tell them to stab you in the chest too because as long as your heart beats, you'll fight for your dream....then slap the hell out of them...

When people tell you what you can't do...Kick them in the chest and say "THIS IS SPARTA"

Seriously though...don't give up on your dreams...because without them...who are you? Better yet, what are you?

Ya'll take it easy...

--Bleek G.