success
The road to success is always under construction; share your equations for success — and learn some new ones.
My college life
In this big world with billions of people all of us living different lives, there is me. A struggling college student in America. My life seems to have changed as I notice how late I was running to a very important college exam. The night before I fell asleep studying after working the late shift at my town's local diner. It was a peaceful morning the birds were chirping, the light shining ever so brightly through my window. I lift up my head off the desk and wipe the drool running from the corner of my mouth. Stretching from a long night's rest I glance down at my clock to see the time is 9:30 am. I continue to stretch and yawn until it clicks. It’s 9:30 am!! I rush to my calendar and skim with my finger through to today’s date, it is May 19th, 2017. My calendar was marked for an exam at 10:00 am. Today was the last day of exams before the beginning of my summer break. I stumble to my closet tripping over months worth of study material in piles across the floor, jumping into a pair of jeans, and sliding on some old worn-out purple vans. I wore the shirt I went to bed in, there is too many to pick from this just seemed like the obvious choice to stick with what was already on my body. Putting my hair up in a messy bun I slide into the bathroom. After splashing water on my face and gurgling some mouth wash I rush into the kitchen. I grab a cold slice of last night's pizza and my bag then head out the door. I check my phone to see that it was already 9:45 am and it takes about 10 minutes to walk to school walking fast-paced. I sprint to school huffing and puffing, as I stop to catch my breath I see something from the corner of my eye a little black book hidden in the slightly overgrown grass propped up next to the edge of the sidewalk. I look around to see if it belongs to anyone and with no one insight I grab the book and continue my sprint to school shoving the little black book in my back pocket. It’s now 10:00 am and I finally made it. I go to take my seat when suddenly I am stopped by my professor. There he stood with his hand out. I pause to think of what he could be possibly be waiting for. My heart drops immediately, I swing my bag in front of me rummaging through the pockets. I clench my jaw and cover my face as I’m overwhelmed with stress. My exam ticket! I forgot it on my desk the only thing I was so sure I couldn’t possibly forget. I pleaded with my professor to let me take the exam but he states that without my exam ticket there is no way he can allow me to take the exam. Which means of course I’ll fail the class. I restrain myself from bursting into tears in front of him and everyone else, walking away devastated knowing that failing this class means that Ill have to pay the school back for this semester. Lost in thought I tripped down the steps at the campus entrance the little black book slides out my pocket in front of me, looking down I see drops on the pavement just to notice that it was me crying. Wiping my face I grab the little black book to see if there is anything that could take away this feeling even just for a moment. Opening the first page the book reads: Are you ready to start over? Are you tired of living the life you’re in right now? Continue reading to start anew and be provided with enough money to never have problems in your next future. Can you believe this? Is this real? My questions were soon to be answered. The wind around me began to pick up. A portal appeared out of thin air and suddenly sucked me in. On the ground, the book drops in front of me. Reaching for it I realize I am not in front of the campus anymore. Standing up I am shaken to see that I have landed in a meadow full of multicolored flowers with a sunset like no other. The breeze runs through my hair as fresh air seeps into my lungs. Taking in the paradise I notice out the corner of my eye, I see a glistening light. I turn to see all the money the book said it would provide. It looked to be at least $20,000 at least where I came from. I couldn’t help but smile. I pick up the black book from the ground and kiss it with gratitude. Raising it to the sky I think to myself. Is this where my life begins? Did this little black book really make all this happen? Clenching the book I shout “MY ADVENTURE BEGINS!”
By Cheyleen Griffin6 years ago in Motivation
Why Quadrell Jones Best Represents Black In Business
“What it do YouTube!” As my favorite black creator, youtuber Quadrell Jones would say in his YouTube video intros. His YouTube Channel goes by the name Black Hustlers Club. The channel is self-explanatory as it does just that, motivating black people potentially all over the world with ways they can make money and hustle.
By Mark Holsey6 years ago in Motivation
A Virtual Haircut
Have you ever known of a leading light that could touch more than just one demographic such as African Americans, Latin Americans, the growing boxing community, women who want to be heard, inner city communities, other aspiring entrepreneurs, students with identified disabilities, and even high school athletes? Let me set the stage before I give thanks to a man who played such an impelling role in my early recovery and continues to “until this day”, as the former heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder would say.
By Dwayne Ellis6 years ago in Motivation
Good For Business
The black man and woman were kept from the glorious lights of knowledge at the start of this country, yet it still managed to shine through them as their creations lead ways for people of all skin colors. Many slaves were not allowed to read, yet Frederick Douglass became one of the most eloquent writers of his time, and ours alike. Through segregation and discriminations, lack of resources and school funding, black people still managed to break through and invent things that we will use for the rest of our time. Impressive is an understatement when discussing black philosophers, scientists, inventors and business owners and their success through times where it was closer to impossible to get proper education, resources and fundings to do so. Life gave the creators of our country lemons and sugar to make lemonade, yet black inventors and creatives did it with the mere seeds. To this day, black people still suffer from the systematic dispositions our people were put in during the Jim Crow era, and segregation by having to grow up in the same communities that continue to lack educational funding and proper resources. By making it near impossible to get high paying jobs, it also made it impossible to move out to the suburbs and places with high funded schools. Instead many were trapped in communities surrounded by liquor stores, and shops that promote the sale of various drugs. Through all this, many black people still shine through, and continue to shape America as we know it. There are so many amazing and intelligent black creators who push through any and every disposition thrown their way.
By Lyns Lyfe6 years ago in Motivation
The Woman Who Moves Mountains
The little girl with the pigtail plaits had no idea who she would grow up to be, but she always knew she was somebody. Her parents taught her, and both of her sisters, that good things were expected of all of them. This was during the time that little children were expected to drop out of school by the eighth grade because their future was in service to White people and they had no need of an education beyond the basics. The parents never had an opportunity to receive an education and they were determined this was not going to happen to their girls.
By Pamela W. Carman6 years ago in Motivation
Brighter Path
As children, we loved to admire and be inspired by superheroes. Fictional characters like Iron man and Captain America captured our imagination. Seeing them fly through the air attempting to save the world from an evil villain plot. Many chose to idol more realistic heroes, like your local fireman or policeman. Watching their vehicles pass swiftly responding to an emergency was exhilarating. Once we grew into adults, our visions, goals and wants changed. As well as, who and what inspired us. The black innovator that inspires me is Steve Harvey. Overcoming poverty as a child and young man. Then establishing a career, using his platforms to help guide our youth in the right direction and give tools to others that may need it. It's inspiring to see a philanthropist that doesn't mind giving respect to the man upstairs. This is why I'm inspired.
By Highway Jimmy6 years ago in Motivation
Dayna Stephens
At first glance, Dayna Stephens and I don’t have much in common. At 42, he is already a legendary saxophonist, and I can’t follow along to the Cupid Shuffle. He is a Black man, and I’m a White woman. He received a full ride to Berklee College of Music in Boston, and I went to my safety school. Stephens later attended the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles, while I scored so dismally on my LSAT that I was lucky to make it into a second-tier law school. However, Stephens and I share one unfortunate trait: we are part of the 1% of Americans that suffer from focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
By AJ Schackart 6 years ago in Motivation
Everyone Has A Story To Tell
Some writers will tell you they write because they cannot find the audible words. They write to tell the stories that are full of emotion, thought, and courage. It is not easy to find the strength to put word to page. For some, a painful process in which memories are relived, places that have been kept in our minds, hidden, locked away-revisited. For others it is an escape from the drama of our daily lives. Our imaginations teemed with our words create our own personal refuges. A short escape that we custom weave from our tapestries of life.
By holly m6 years ago in Motivation
How To Succeed At Online Marketing
“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue. “— Andrew Davis This article’s purpose is to give you practical, helpful advice on how to have success with your online marketing efforts. Your bottom line goal should be to increase the sales of the products and services you offer to your existing and potential customers.
By Terry Mansfield6 years ago in Motivation
Black Dragon
How do you hatch a dragon egg? Yes, a dragon egg. As in the mythical, monstrous lizard-like creatures that are often winged, breathe fire and have been the subject of everything from children’s nightmares to scientific study from ancient China to Europe for as long as stories have been told. Well, the answer to that question depends on which origin myth you’re going with and as any true comic book fan will tell you, origin stories are everything because they explain a lot about the eventual outcomes of a character. Going back to the dragon question, for example, if you read the book Eragon by Christopher Paolini, you’ll discover that the way a dragon egg is hatched or comes into the world is when it comes in physical contact with its eventual rider. The hatchling inside the egg chooses a worthy rider and then hatches for it and will hatch for nothing less than a human or elf rider that it deems worthy. Perhaps my favourite dragon origin myth, however, is from George R.R Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and in the television adaption of the story, there is an epic scene where a grieving Daenerys Targaryen sets the body of her dead husband alight with three dragon eggs on the funeral pyre and they hatch due to a combination of the heat and magic. In many ways, Vusi Thembekwayo can be said to have hatched due to a combination of the heat of circumstance and the magic of time and chance.
By Stephen Bhasera6 years ago in Motivation
