Go it ALONE.

Don't live your life being afraid of being alone or going it alone.

There is a strength in you to fight harder when you are alone. You will not die, or break, or cave in. You will become even stronger.

I am not talking about cutting off all contact with people, but the moments when no one else can or is willing to help you. You have to help yourself. You have to make good decisions and be strong enough  to fight through the storm. The storm will end, it will pass and you will win. Just keep going.

The secret is to not bury your head in the sand and quit. Keep fighting. Go it alone if you have to. But know that a one man army is better than a team full of cowards.

Video Highlights of my France book tour

Sorry about the video quality. It had to be converted quite a few times. But you should be able to see everything.

Leave your comments.

How to be a CHAMPION... Lesson from LeBron #2

I wrote a message a week or so ago call "Get back in the Saddle". It was talking about getting back up after being knocked down.

Well, I think in this moment, with the NBA Finals victory still a bit fresh, this message is appropriate. The story of LeBron James in this years Finals victory is just that. A "get back in the saddle" type of performance.

Can you imagine leaving a team that you gave recognition (Cavaliers) that just so happen to be in your hometown and going to join two other stars, then promising success and being criticized every step of the way, but almost reaching that success, then at the end choking (meaning freezing up and not taking advantage of the moment) and being defeated in the most embarrassing way, by a team much older and supposedly far less talented than you? And having to endure  a summer full of ruthless, relentless verbal assault against you as a player and your character? Can you imagine the mental strain that puts on a person?

I can.

But how do you bounce back? You need to first off, humble yourself and recognize that some of the criticism is true, then decide to change those things and keep your mouth shut from then on and let your actions speak louder than your words. That is what LeBron did. I can not say if or if not he will win another title. But he got this one, how, by doing a gut check and deciding to bounce back.

The whole team actually had to do that. And you will have to do that in life. There will be times when the pressure seems to hard to bear, and you will need to bounce back. To check your heart and your will and resolve and go after that dream or goal. There is no failure that you can not learn from. No defeat that can not teach you. No loss that can not help you to learn how to gain.

Do this, and you too will become a CHAMPION.

A Lesson from LeBron James.

Hi Guys,

I'm not writing this blog post because I am a Miami Heat supporter (though I am). But because of something that I thought about after watching this years NBA Finals.

As I was watching the Finals, I remembered last year (when I also had a chance to watch them) and the difference in the attitudes. Last year D-Wade, Bosh and especially LeBron seemed more arrogant. As he said in his own words "I thought I had to prove something...". And when you come out and play with that attitude, you lose. Because arrogance gets you nowhere. They were like a bunch of high school jocks who wanted to impress the school.

But this time was different. If you notice, each game he had a serious look in his face, he seemed focused, not overly confident, not full of himself, not much show-boating, just pure focus. Focus on one goal, one objective, to WIN. And they got it done!

Now my point to all of you is this. Sometimes in life, we need to learn hard lessons. We need to lose, or go through disappointment in order to bounce back. It adds character to us (if we let it). Sometimes we need to be broken in order to be built up again. And that is what happened with the stars of the Miami Heat. They were broken last year, and they bounced back and rebuilt. That is what you must do it life.

Don't let a bad attitude destroy you. Don't let pride consume you. Don't let rudeness be your way. Be focused on your dream, but leave the celebration for AFTER you have achieved the ultimate goal. Until then, stay quiet. And the victory will be all the more sweet.

(I will write more on this subject on my next post)

Get back in the Saddle

Listen... It's impossible to never mess up or fail or fall off of something that you started. You will go through moments of downs. Just like there will be moments of ups. But one thing you must learn to do is always get back in the saddle as quick as possible.

Don't waste time crying or whimpering over what coulda, shoulda or woulda been. Deal with each day as it comes. If you messed something up yesterday, but you woke up this morning, then there is time to fix what was broken. You have to see that life is a series of moments. When a moment comes you need to embrace it. When a serious moment or opportunity comes, jump at it. Including the opportunity to start over.

That is the interesting thing about new days, each one is like a clean slate if you choose for it to be. No one can make you carry the past. Even if they throw your failures in your face, you choose to either listen to their words or ignore and reject them.

So when it comes to falling down and making mistakes, the most important thing is not the mistake, but how you react to it. You need to get back in the saddle and fight again. Quickly.

Different Countries, Same Personalities

In the last two weeks I had the opportunity to travel to 3 countries that I have never been to.

It wasn't a vacation, but to hold events to help the young people of those countries. The events really went great, but that is not what I want to talk about right now. What I wanna talk about is the people I met.

In most of those countries I came in contact and in some cases even ate with and stayed with people who I do not know at all. But they are apart of the same organization that I am a part of. And the funny thing is, that in every place, they were different people, different nationalities, different ages, but all showed the same love, care and friendliness. I mean, I truly met some of the friendliest, most welcoming people I have ever known.

So what is my point exactly???

The point is, what if I had gone there with a judgmental attitude like, these people don't know me, so I will not be nice to them? Or I will not speak much, because I don't know what they like. I would have missed an opportunity to gain new relationships that may last a lifetime.

So the moral is, do not judge people just because you don't know them. Or you are from a different city, state or country. Give everyone a fair chance, and you will meet some truly great people.

Why I do what I do???

For those who wonder why I do what I do? Or what is the gain or reward in it? Well, it's not money, it's not for recognition, it's not to make a name for myself.

This is why I do what I do: These are the ones that count the most.

" I can't believe that if I didn't start school on April 18 th and went to your book signing I wouldn't be thinking about changing so fast and so quick. I mean right now I would be working the streets and god knows what else. I wouldn't be trying to go into the right path. I would have been dreaming and saying it with no action or motivation."  

Anonymous- (Name intentionally withheld)

This is why this work means so much to me. If we can touch one, we have made progress. 

This is what makes my heart beat each day. The chance to touch another life. I thank God for each one of those opportunities. 

What a Joy!

Guys, I don't have anything "deep" to say today, but one thing I just want to say is; what a joy it is to be doing the right thing with your life. To be building lives instead of destroying them. To be saving lives instead of taking them. To be helping people, instead of not caring. It is the most incredible life one could live.

I travel all over the country (US) and the world and don't feel paranoid that someone wants to kill me because I did them wrong. If anyone doesn't like me, that is because they are just persecuting me (which i don't mind). But to know I am doing no one any wrong, really gives me peace.

So my advice to you is to think about where you are going with your life. What are you aiming for? What is the purpose of your life? What are your goals and dreams? Who are you affecting with your life? More than that, who are you impacting? And I mean for good. These are questions that are extremely important to ask yourself.

I really hope you know the answers.