This Was a Good Thing

It’s been a while. Life has changed as we know it, which means our in-person dialogues are all done from a remote location.

I had a chance to see them last night. I saw their eyes and the looks on their faces. They are the students. They are the future hopefuls. They are the up and coming generation of new professionals, just waiting to knock on the door of a new horizon. I see them and I want to show them one simple truth.  I want them to understand.

In fairness, I am more a fan of in-person lectures. I am more interested in seeing people on a face-to-face basis than doing so from a remote location. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, life has changed the way we interact. Therefore, this has changed the way I interact with a classroom. I need to see them think and feel. I want to watch their faces change with emotion. I want them to know one thing, which is that it’s absolutely perfect to be real, to be true, to be yourself. I want them all to know that regardless of whatever quirks or insecurities that come to mind, we are all equipped and capable.

We are all capable of success. We have everything we need to meet our true goals. However, here lies the question. What is success? What does it mean to succeed? To each their own, which means my success is to be determined by me. Therefore, yours is determined by you.
I swear this is amazing . . .
I see them and their futuristic ideas. I see their hopes and their dreams. I want them to have this. I want them to touch and feel everything that waits for them. My main objective is to create the understanding of this thing we call “Self.” This is us and this is our life. There are many out there but this life is ours.

I want them to know that life is real. My aim is to show that regardless of our cultural differences and regardless of our backgrounds, our heritage and our belief systems; we all have a core. We all have reactions and emotions. We have our own biases. We have our own personal programming. We have thoughts and ideas. We have feelings and emotions. We have chemistry, which is specific to us as unique individuals. No one else in the world has my specific brand of DNA. No one else in the world is perfectly duplicated, which means we are all individuals. We have to nurture this. We have to nurture our plans, our goals and our strategies to achieve them. We have to abandon our distractions and replace them with direction and vision. Otherwise, it is easy to be lost on the bandwagon of common mediocrity.

I love their faces. I love that the lectures are bigger than me. They are bigger each time and each time, my presentations are consecutively bigger than anything I have ever done before. My goal is to prove that first and foremost, we are all human. We are all the square root to our own equations. Therefore, everything we do in life begins and ends with us. Once we realize that value of self, then we can understand the truth of our abilities without hesitation or intimidation.

I see the students and I wonder. I wonder about their future. I wonder if any of this will resonate. I wonder if they’ll stay the course and learn to help others. Or, will they quit on themselves and join the bandwagon of an unenthusing life, which so many surrender to do.

No, this is even bigger.
This is about the future of care. This is about the new formed life, which awaits a newly formed future. Therefore, it is imperative that they see this clearly.
Their future is our future. 
Life is tough. Life hits hard and oftentimes, life hits us below the belt. It is my goal to prove that there is a way through. It is our objective to create a new sense of personal awareness. It is the soul purpose of this discussion to determine and dictate exactly what we need to get through daily life; to make it home in one piece; to wash our face and clean our teeth, and before the night’s close; it is our job to see our reflection in the mirror and come to constructive conclusion about our day. 

This lecture was different from my others. Instead of me talking about my story, this was more of a book review. I have never experienced anything like this before, which is why I’ve come here to share the news with you.

Although virtual and from a remote location, I was able to see them and hear from them. I was able to listen to them quote my book and tell me how this impacted them and their life. 
I was humbled.
Wait, no. I was moved to say the least. But more, I was honored.

I saw every kind of face in the class. I saw different skin pigments and heard from people with different cultures. There were people who spoke different languages. There were people that did not understand my story and yet, even though they didn’t understand why or what happened in my history; they understood the feelings and emotion, which led us to a sense of connectedness.

“It was just good to know that I’m not alone.” 
“Here I was thinking ‘No one else thinks this way,’ but then you wrote down the exact same thing.”

They are all so incredibly brilliant to me. And here it comes. Life is on the way.
I’m sure this is not how we all planned life to be.
Then again, life never really goes the way we plan it to be.

Life happens. Life always happens regardless of our opinion.
I want us all to see the world. I want us to be unmerciful about our dreams. I want us all to live every little second and drain it for what it’s worth. I want us to learn and not be afraid to teach others or share. I want us all to surpass our limitations and defy the odds. I want us to be the best person possible. Do not listen to the critics. Do not give way. Do not quit and do not silence your passion. 

Live (understand?).
This is what life is meant for.

The only person that ever stood in my way was me.
Don’t do this.
Don’t let fear or insecurity steal away your hopes or your passions.
Be you, imperfections and all.
Trust me, there’s a world outside just waiting for you.

Note to self:
See this?
Good!
Now, don’t be afraid to follow your own advice.
Trust me, there’s a world out there just waiting for you . . .