Wake Up Call

What's a sad characteristic of the human race is that significance is lost as a result of repetition. That means if you hear a phrase over and over, you'll stop giving it the power that it has. This is unfortunate because there is power in what we call: clichés. There are clichés that we've heard a million times and as a result, we're numb to it. We hear them and go, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Well if that's you, I have news for you...WAKE THE FUCK UP.

The very phrases that you let go over your head are the same ones that separates you from the person you idolize. The ones who've succeeded have taken these phrases and applied it; now they're where we're trying to be. The tendency is to believe that the separation factor was genetics, money, circumstances, or whatever else that we place the blame on besides ourselves. These motherfuckers get the same twenty four hours that we do. The difference is in mentality, starting with these clichés you need to start actually paying attention to.

1. "Anything is possible."

If I told you that anything was possible, how you would you react? Will you be nonchalant about it? Will you tell me about how that's not true? Will you believe me? Will you allow it to motivate you? Your answers to these questions determine where you're headed in life. Most people let it go in one ear, and out of the other. That's why the successful are not part of the majority.

If you don't take it from me, take it from Michael Jordan. Take it from Dwayne Johnson. Take it from Eric Thomas. Take it from Inky Johnson. Take it from Sean Carter. Take it from Kendrick Lamar: ANYTHING IS FUCKING POSSIBLE.

These artists, these actresses, and these public figures that we all look up to have come from situations that do not breed trendsetters. By becoming who they are today, they chose to go against the grain. They didn't become numb to the reality of possibility. It comes down to a choice, and they chose legendary. There's a process in that, beginning with visualization. You have to see it first, and once you see it, you can start to bring it to life through persistence and determination. That's fucking real.

2. "The sky is the limit."

This cliché is similar to the first one, but that would mean that you would ignore this one as well. That would mean that this one is going in one ear, and out the other as well. That would mean that this one is given the significance that it needs as well. Don't let this happen with you. Realize that the fucking sky is the fucking limit.

Let's take a college student, for example. He's playing football on a full scholarship, with plans to make the NFL. That didn't happen. Football was what he set his eyes on for his whole life up to that point, and it just didn't happen. It fell through, so that just wasn't what he was destined for. Next thing you know, he's one of the top actors in the world. How did that happen?

What does a football player know about acting? How can he make that transition? How can he be successful in a field he never partook in until his adult years? Let me tell you, motherfucker: The sky's the limit. I was talking about Dwayne Johnson (The Rock), by the way.

Get out of the habit of downplaying yourself. Stop giving yourself restriction in your aspirations. Unfuck yourself from the built-in reality that there's only so much to what you can do. You've done it so much that you don't even realize it anymore. It's time to wake up.

3. "Everything happens for a reason."

How positive are you? How negative are you? What's your thought process when you run into the shit that life gives you? There's one word that I want you to be aware of: perspective. Perspective is what keeps you going when living is hard. Having an understanding that there's a purpose for every experience, good or bad, that's been handed to you gives you an outlook that gets you through anything. In that concept, comes the phrase: "Everything happens for a reason."

I know you've heard it, time and time again. But I beg you to keep this close to you. I hope that you're aware that the phrase is no bullshit. Because pain is inevitable. We're all dealing with our own version of pain. But not everyone comes out of it. For sustaining your own well-being when it gets rough, please walk with the knowledge that everything does, indeed, happen for a reason. It'll get you through the hell that hits us all.

4. "Love yourself."

What I dislike about this one is people don't understand how deep this one goes. A lot of people say it passively, because they've heard other people emphasize it. This can be the case with other clichés but I especially dislike the energy around this one. Having the experiences that I've had, I've learned that people don't truly understand what goes into this simply because they aren't aware.

In a general sense, the perception of other people towards us influences us to the point where it's second nature. The clothes we buy, the shoes we wear, the way we talk, how we carry ourselves, it's all a ploy. But we've been so consistent in this ploy that we don't even know who we are anymore.

That's a whole other conversation, but what I want you to be aware of when it comes to this one is that we tend to compare ourselves to others. We compare ourselves, and we lose self-esteem over what someone else has that we don't. Stop this train of thought now. Understand that we are all one of our kind. Stop looking at someone else because they're special in their way and you're special in your way. Instead of focusing on them, let's focus on you. Let's take a look at you and let's find out in what way are you special. What is it about you that no one else has? Because it's definitely there. But if you're so damn worried about the other person in your grade, on your team, or on Instagram, you won't even notice the things about yourself that makes you one of a kind. All you focus on about yourself is your flaws. But how about your strengths? What about the aspects about you that someone else may wish they have? Why do you talk down on yourself? It's hurting your self-esteem, your mood, your quality of life. YOU'RE FUCKING GOOD! You always have been, but you're not aware because your mind is on somebody else.

Put your energy towards yourself. Learn about yourself. Try different things. Find out what makes you tick, what makes you feel good, what makes you feel alive. Listen to your intuition. Be in tuned with your gut feelings and how it feels about certain things. Live out through what feeds yours soul. You're fucking awesome. It's time that you realize it and you learn more about it.

5. "Pain is gain."

I spoke about pain earlier, but let's go deeper. I assumed you've heard this phrase before. I assume you've heard it multiple times. But I don't want that repetition to let it lose its meaning, because it's true. Pain is actually gain.

As humans, we tend to see pain as discouragement. We come across it, and it takes us in the other direction. We tend to stop pushing after we encounter pain. If we get fired from a job, if we have a misstep, if we have a setback, we lose the motivation. But I want you to switch your mindset when it comes to pain.

In a painful experience, we learn lessons that we wouldn't have learned if we didn't have the experience handed to us. And for us to get what we've been chasing, we need those lessons. We need the wisdom, the education, and the growth in those lessons in order to be successful. The goal is to look into your experiences, find the lessons in it, and let it make you better. Don't let the pain to keep you from persisting. Allow the pain to motivate you to persist. Pain is fucking gain!!

Things you hear all the time are the x-factors to changing your life.

It's the things you've heard a million times that dictate our quality of life. Those who emphasize these clichés and those who ignore them are on two different levels. Those who tune in and those who let it come in one ear and out the other are on two different levels. Those who listen and those who just hear are on two different levels. You can be "idealistic" or you can be "realistic."

The "idealistic" are the ones who choose to believe. It's not easy, because life always pushes to drain that out of you. The drained ones are the "realistic." They believe they're being realistic by accepting that some things just won't happen. Don't be realistic. Don't begin to dismiss the reality of possibility. It's there, and it's always been there. The question is: do you believe? Once you decide to believe in your intuition, your ability, and your dream; you can start making moves in bringing that shit to life. Wake up. Believe. Let's get it.