Sometimes, taking a step back is the best recourse left to find clarity. For me, taking a step back included figuring out what needed to stay and what needed to go, as well as what needed to come to the surface. It also meant being comfortable not knowing, while also being uncomfortable in a holding pattern.
Read MorePhoto courtesy of w_mat_brown.
Life is a strange, strange thing. A person can say something, a variation of a message merely said differently, it may not immediately click. Sure, the message sounds good and it makes sense, but maybe the timing isn't right, or the person isn't ready to hear it. It could be anything.
Well, a husband and wife, who so happened to be the first folks to ever look like me to occupy the highest office in the land for the past eight years, are riding off into the sunset and they have helped inspire me to not just do the best possible, but to be great. Being good, or perceived as good at something, hasn't been good enough for the longest and will definitely never be good enough anymore.
Read MoreThe end of the year is all about transition, changing from one situation to the next. Some people choose to embrace change while others run from it. In this case, there has never been more excitement to embrace change and begin the transition from one phase of life to another.
Read MoreOne of the challenges of writing is starting; simply banging away at the keys or scribbling words on a piece of paper is a process that can be daunting in itself. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. A great man who once mentored a budding writer said, “Don’t think. Just write.” Granted, that great man was William Forrester and the budding writer being mentored was Jamal Wallace in Finding Forrester, but that’s not the point. What he was trying to convey to Jamal was not to complicate the process. When it comes to writing, the first draft is written with your heart, and the second draft is written with your head. When a person writes from the heart, that person is being authentic. Authenticity doesn’t always equal a terrific piece of writing, but it does equal an honest piece of writing. The goal when it comes to writing about Malcolm X is just that: an honest piece of writing, a piece of writing written from the heart.
Tomorrow, May 19th, is the birthday of Malcolm X, who would have turned 91 years old. One of the biggest things that has always struck a chord is the lack of reverence for X in relation to other historical figures in the world of history. The reasons for the lack of reverence are open to discussion and there are likely some plausible ones. However, for someone whose words, actions and transformation played such an integral part in this life, and still do, it’s hard to imagine that he isn’t more revered.
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