Just Calm Down

You see this picture... Look at this child for a moment... Does this baby look stressed or worried???

No way. This child looks at peace. Oh, if us bigger people could learn to have the same peace throughout our busy lives.

I have a word of advice for you today. Some days are going to be hectic and full of obligations to fulfill, deadlines to meet, school work to turn it, etc. And on those days it feels like there just isn't enough hours in the day. But in spite of the busy rat-race called life that we live in, we need to learn to calm down.

Stressing yourself out is not going to solve things any quicker.

So when there are 1,000 things to do and 5 minutes to do them (or so it seems), just take a deep breath, calm down and think... "What do I need to do first"? "What is the priority (meaning it CAN NOT go undone)"? And do that. You can not fix the whole world in one minute. So focus on what you can do.


Now this is very important... What about if you don't finish everything today?

Well.........

That's what tomorrow is for.

Take it from Bruce, he was a fighter

Legendary fighter Bruce Lee once said this about his fighting style Jeet Kune Do:


"Approach Jeet Kune Do with the idea of mastering the will. Forget about winning and losing; forget about pride and pain. Let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life! Do not be concerned with your escaping safely – lay your life before him!"




The idea is if you get hit, strike harder. So I am not promoting physical retaliation. What I am using this quote to say, is when life hits us hard or when evil hits us hard... we have to strike back even harder. We can not bend or break or cower. We must fight, strike back and believe that we will win. Do not worry about the pain you may have to suffer, pain comes with sacrifice. Pain comes with battle. Pain is a part of any war. So the war for a better life is no different. It will come with some pain. But strike back, and strike hard. 


Look at Bruce Lee in the picture above... Does he look afraid?
If he wasn't afraid to fight people, why should we be afraid to fight for our lives?

Check you, before you check me

Something I have never liked and I try to avoid doing myself, is judging others about things that I still do.

What I mean is, no one is perfect. And that is no excuse to be horrible, but we need to stop acting like we are better than people. We are not better than anyone else. You are you, and they are who they are. So don't allow a desire to help someone, turn into an opportunity to criticize or judge.

And even if you are going to tell someone they need to fix something... make sure that you have fixed it yourself or at least are in the process of fixing it.

I just honestly think people need to check themselves before checking others. That is the only way things will work out right. And even if you are doing well, then there is no need to smear it in anyones face. Just be happy that you are doing ok and move on. Keep doing good. But let us learn to treat each other with fairness and care. And never stop being willing to help another get better. Just do it the right way.

Practice makes perfect

Today I was watching some young people practice for a play that they will perform on Sunday. And as I watched I began to think, they have been doing this for one month already, every other day or so, coming to practice for this play.. and it still needs a little work.

That is interesting, because in life we normally want everything fast. We don't like to wait or work hard for anything. But we need to. To get the best out of something, it may take time. You may have to wait and go through the course of fighting for it for a while.

Any sports team will tell you that. They practice day after day, doing drill after drill, just to make sure that it comes natural to them (whatever they need to improve on).

And what about the rest of us average people? Shouldn't we practice the things that will help us better ourselves time and time again. I think so.

Push yourself More

I strongly believe you should push yourself harder than anyone else pushes you.

Harder than your teacher,

Harder than your boss,

Harder than your parents,

Harder than your spouse,

Harder than coach,

Harder than your leader,

Harder than personal trainer,

Harder than the motivational DVD,

Harder than the self help books,

Harder than the music drives you,

Harder than the voice of your persecutors.

Harder than anything or anyone can push you...

You have to push you.

Victory is within grasp, but you have to push.

YPG Mission

YPG Mission




I'm sharing this blog post because I truly believe in it. Please take a few minutes to watch. We have got to do something to promote more positivity online.

The Law of Victory- Ray Lewis

Take a few minutes and check out this video.

If this guy can take a GAME so serious, why do so many people find it so hard to take life serious. And commit to things, and sacrifice to make there dreams come true?

That is a question only you can answer.

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.

Are you "reeaaallly" Gay?

Disclaimer: First of all, let me clarify that this post is in no way intended to offend anyone who is gay, or to take a jab at them. I would also like to note that my opinions do not reflect the opinion of anyone or any organization that I am linked to. These are solely my points of view. 


With that being said, I just want to share something that has been really nagging me recently.

I have noticed that a lot of people who consider themselves gay, tend to look for a person of the same sex, who actually looks like someone from the opposite sex. What I mean is, I have seen men, looking for other men who actually dress and look like women. I have also seen women, looking for other women, who actually look and dress like men. So this is where my question derives from... Are you really gay?

I mean, in my eyes, someone who is gay, is someone who likes a person of the same sex who looks acts and carries themselves as the sex that they are. Simply put, a man who likes men who look, walk, talk and act like men. Or vice-versa.

But if you are a women and you are looking for another women who actually acts, looks, walks, talks, etc. like a man, then are you actually gay, or are you really looking for a man who will care for you LIKE a women? And in the same way, if you are a man that is looking for a man that looks like a women, are you sure that you are into men, or do you want a women who will understand you and your needs LIKE another man?

As I said, I am in NO way trying to offend anyone, but this question has been in my head for a while. And what I think (my opinion) is that in these cases, the person is not truly gay, they are more confused than anything. They really want the opposite sex, but they want the love, care or understanding that someone from the same sex "may" be able to give, because they are wired the same.

But in those cases, the person may need to be more patient and believe that they can find someone of the opposite sex that has the qualities that they are looking for. Since that is what they really want. And don't think that you have to follow the flow of society that says there are "no good men out there, so to find care it has to be with another women". Or that "women just want you for your money and they have no respect, so you need another man who will treat you like you want to be treated". Neither of these statements are facts or are they true. The truth is, that there are a lot of good men and women out there, and that sure heterosexual relationships are hard, but they can work. You just need that right structure and foundation.

So that's it for today, I just wanted to give you something to think about.

Shoulda Been Dead Block Party in New York

Here is some of the highlights of the Shoulda Been Dead tour that I did in New York last month. To see more, full length performances, keep your eyes on my website ShouldaBeenDead.com. I will be putting them up within a week.

Say NO to them

Listen, it doesn't matter who it is... if someone is advising you to do something that will hurt you, you need to tell them NO.

Our life is made up of each and every decision we make. Each decision is like a seed we are planting on very fertile soil. So even if you think it was just one, it can still develop into something big over time. You can't afford to follow bad advice. That is why you should be careful who you go to to seek advice. If they are not a reliable source (and when I say reliable, I don't mean someone who will say what you wanna hear, I mean someone who will tell you what's right), don't trust their advice.

I have been hearing more and more disappointing stories of young people who were persuaded by people they should have been able to trust, to do something horrible, something that would definitely bring them down. And why did they do it, because they thought that they could trust that person. It's just not worth it. It can be the person you love the most, and if what they are saying is completely wrong, you have got to make a choice to not follow it.

At the end of the day, you only live once, and why destroy the one life you have, because of someone else's bad advice.

When all else fails... Tell the TRUTH! (Admit it part 2)

My mom used to have this saying... Well I think it is a general saying in the south, "when all else fails, tell the truth". I used to laugh like crazy when she would say that, because I have seen a lot of people resort to that. You try lying, but start getting caught up. So you lie some more, and that still doesn't work. After a while you start to feel like you're cornered. So what do you do?? Normally, it's right about there that you get this kind of comment, "alright, I did it" or "so what, maybe that did happen", or "I had no choice", etc. So only when ALL ELSE fails, do most people tell the truth.

But that is completely the wrong way of dealing with things. I was reading something a few months ago about "why" people lie. And the truth (no pun intended) is that most people lie to protect themselves. They lie because the are afraid to face the consequences of telling the truth. But you can't escape consequences. They have a funny way of finding you anyway. So stop running from them and face them. Realize that if you did something you need to suck it up and deal with what you've done. Point blank.

This idea of somehow escaping the truth is crap.

So don't wait until "all else fails"...

just TELL THE TRUTH.

Admit it... (Part 1)

For today, the statement up top speaks for itself. But I will elaborate on this in my next post.