Inspiraelevation

Dream Blocker 2: GOOP

January 19th, 2022

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Dream Blockers

Dream Blockers are elements or factors that obstruct or crush dreams! Some Dream Blockers are readily identifiable, while others take more time to suss out.

The first dream blocker was, distraction! However, another player is equally as detrimental, and that is (GOOP), the overwhelming desire for others to like you!

A famous aphorism amassed much attention in social circles about five years ago. “Do it for the Gram!” This turn of phrase was a goading tool to get individuals to capture whatever they were doing solely for the entertainment of others. And like good circus performers, people did the most shocking things to boost their likes. Inclusion is the name of the poison!

Nothing Abnormal to See Here

This, of course, is the exploitation of what people do daily. There are innumerable people inhabiting society who do things for likes or acceptance. Our entire social media framework exists to drive an addiction for inclusion. If the masses support what one does, they obtain approval through a thumbs up, a heart, or a doting emoticon. Ordinarily, the content developer then does more of the same to amass an even more considerable following. The opposite occurs when one’s actions are rebuffed. “We live our lives out on stages with everyone watching,” and inauthenticity is rampant.

However, this pattern of behavior is a massive detriment to long-lasting progress. “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”- Abraham Lincoln.

Doing something purely for likes is inauthentic, and the truth will find you.

GOOP

Peter Sage referred to this type of blockade as GOOP. Good old Webster defines goop as gunk, a thick sludgy concoction making movement hard. According to Peter Sage, GOOP is the Good Opinion of Other People!

That’s right!

It is so easy to get stuck on the Good Opinion of Other People (GOOP).

A Personal Account: (My GOOP Story)

For years desiring to be liked by others was my biggest Achilles heel. My need for affirmation dug deep gashes into the sinew of my Achilles tendon, and movement in any direction was excruciating. So as promptly as I would move in one direction, I would seek the blessing of others to determine If I were on the proper path. This kept me mired in place for years!

Then, eerily I incorporated the opinion of others into my view of myself.

Someone would say, “Your craft isn’t good enough! Then I would distrust my skill. Another would say, “you aren’t worthy of that position!” Or they would ignore my accomplishments altogether. Subsequently, I challenged my worth. I would overhear; I wasn’t pretty enough! My imagination would go into overdrive. As a result, I impugned my beauty! My entire life became a self-fulfilling prophecy mired in(GOOP) The Good Opinion of Other People.

What Some Successful People Say on the Matter

“You will never rise higher than the way you see yourself!”- Joel Olsteen

As long as being liked was high on my list of priorities, I moved further from my goal. The valuation of my worth, competence, and the level of my ascension was tied up in GOOP!

Recently a painful moment forced me to re-evaluate, and I recognized how much I was hindering my advancement.

The Lesson of Goop!

“Why should we worry about what others think of us, do we have more confidence in their opinions than we do our own?”-Brigham Young

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. “-Eleanor Roosevelt.

“Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.” Lao Tzu

“Life is not smooth for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”- Marie Curie.

So I convey that if you crave success, you must free yourself from the GOOP, the desire to be liked, and do what your heart, soul, and mind are leading you to do!

Will Smith, in his portrayal as Chris Gardner, In the major motion film, The Pursuit of Happyness, taught viewers a valuable lesson.

In a life-altering conversation with his son, Gardner began to see he impressed his fears and beliefs on his impressionable son. However, It only took him a moment to realize he had to break the cycle to build a dynasty of long-lasting success. Looking at his son after almost robbing him of his dream he spoke,

“Don’t ever let someone tell you you can’t do something. Not even me. All right?”

You can take that to the bank!
Next Level: Legendary

January 17th, 2022

Photo by Arie Wubben on Unsplash

Not all beginnings are the same!

Some beginnings are more humble while others are more meteoric .

However, where you start never has to be an indicator of how things will unfold. Things can and believe me they do change. Believe it or not things can change very quickly you can become a living legend. If you have made any efforts over the past year, I dare you to look around and take notice. I guarantee you that you will see that where you are today is in no manner near where you were a year ago. You may see manifested in your life things that were unfathomable about fiver years ago.

Life will continue to change. If you want to go somewhere or you want something to manifest in your life you have to start somewhere.

You simply must start no matter how small of a start it is.

Never turn you nose up at the humble beginnings.!

Take that internship, audit the class, volunteer, become an apprentice, go in at entry level.

You may have to work your way up.

It may take some time to prove yourself.

Stepping into an opportunity brings a possibility for greatness. However, your outcomes will always be a result of the choices you make. Someone may have to give you an opportunity, but you create your own success.

You show up and show out everyday, no matter where you are on the ladder.

Life Blurb

Just the other day I was thinking of how legends were made. What mentality must an individual have to propel them to greatness.

I know for a certainty that people are not born legends. Even those whom have gone down in the annals of histories as G.O.A.T’S, (Greatest of all Time) at some point were just like you and I.

At that moment, I saw my life and my possibilities in a different light.

I looked at where I had been, where I am, the possibilities that I now stood in, and realized that I too can live a legendary existence.

Maybe not today, but perhaps a few months from now or next year I too could be a Pulitzer prize winner.

I could be an award wining novelist.

I could be a top journalist.

There is no telling where I can be.

The possibilities are endless!

I don’t negate that there is one small caveat.

There is one thing that must be present, for there is no way one can become legendary without it!

The key to becoming legendary is…

believing you can be.

Sit in it, walk in it, and work for it.

Anyone who has ever achieved greatness did not do so without first believing that they could.
Dream Blocker Series: Distractions

January 16th, 2022

Photo by Nubelson Fernandes on Unsplash

This past weekend, I have been engaged in one of the most powerful summits I have ever attended. The truly beautiful thing is the summit was 100 percent free.

The Best Things in Life Are Free

Nothing in life is free, some people assert. That is true because someone must pay, contribute, or serve for things to be accessible to others. However, it doesn’t make that gift any less free to you the recipient.

This summit was one of those gifts. The REALSuccess summit was 100% paid for by the givers, benefactors, and servants of betterment and progress.

A Bit about the Summit

For those who could not observe the RealSuccess summit attendees were treated to workshops under some remarkably exceptional leaders, motivators, movers, and shakers. A few to show up on the program were Les Brown, Robin Sharma, Peter Sage, and Deepak Chopra. And they did not disappoint. The atmosphere was rife with restorative power.

The Power of the Circle

This event was proof that there is power in a circle. There is strength when more than one person comes into agreement. And that is why we develop into the sum of the individuals with whom we devote the most time. And thus, our circle is a solid indicator of our trajectory and what pinnacle we will climb.

So, to state the motivation flowed like milk and thick honey in the summit is almost an understatement.

My Purpose

I do what I do because I understand we are enabled into specific spaces to bring back the golden nuggets which will enrich the lives of people who did not have that opportunity. We are better together, and If you succeed, so do I.

So, I will share those tidbits that stirred me up, recognizing if you clutch hold of them, they will stir you as well.

Dream Blocker 1: Distraction

One fundamental principle to achieve beyond one’s wildest dream is the intentional destruction of dream blockers. And the number one obstacle to triumph is… distraction.

Why Rid Yourself of Distraction?

Success requires energy. One requires stamina to build, refine, and move. We don’t contain perpetual reservoirs of energy within ourselves. The energy that we do retain must discharge into something.

Once potential is spent on one activity, less is in reserve for the latter. So, one step to manifesting success is to give your energy to your dream. The more energy you pour into your dream, the smoother the bricks you lay on the road to achievement.

So, you cannot afford to waste one drop of energy on things that perform as a distraction

“Addiction to distraction is the death of dreams.”- Robin Sharma

Therefore, those bastions must crash to advance.

We Choose Sanity Over Distraction

Making dreams a reality requires we do better.

We must “Better our best!”-Les Brown.

Mediocrity will never calculate to excellence. So, the distractions must go, whether TV, social media, or even people. And we must decide to let them go intentionally.

We are more than conquerors and beyond being casualties. But as Les Brown said, “If you are causal about your dream, your dream will end up a casualty!”

No one yearns to retire a dream. No one craves to sit on the bench while the other team members play the game. So don’t!

The life-shattering success you want or believe you deserve is out there.

“You must do what 95% of the population will not do.”-Robin Sharma.

Where do You Start Eliminating Diversions?

Turn off the TV, close social media, and do the work to manifest your dream. And do it without delay. As Nike Slogan so aptly delivers, “Just Do It!”

One last message

Les Brown shared one last remark before closing his part of the summit. He stated “Two thieves exist wherein your dreams are crucified between; procrastination and fear!”

So, I implore you to not let procrastination and fear rob you of what is meant for you. Instead, deliberately elect to do the work necessary.

Then we can meet at the Apex.

Genuinely, OnyxQueen
Making Peace is Often the Missing Piece

January 10th, 2022

Image by BenteBoe from Pixabay

Some things are hard, hard to understand, hard to rationalize, and/or accept. But no matter how hard those things are it is necessary to sit with those things.

Making Peace with Difficult Things Is the Precursor to Growth

The road to forgiveness is not an easy one although an extremely necessary one.

But I did Nothing Wrong?

Perhaps you did nothing wrong and it’s understandable to want an apology from others for the hurt you suffered. A word of wisdom once quoted advised a shift in perspective, forgiving someone else is not for others it is for us the sufferers.

Admittedly this is not an easy thing to understand. So let’s break it down. There is freedom in forgiveness. When a victim forgives they take back their power. They no longer wait for something they may never receive or in the manner they wish to receive. So, that past hurt can no longer control how they live, respond to others, or approach life.

Nine times out of ten the sufferer is in captivity, a loop of suffering no one can feel or experience but the individual. So the sufferer must free themselves.

Forgiving Others is One Thing But Forgiving Yourself, is a Big One.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

I have come to realize when looking at my life one of the biggest enslavers I ever faced is my past. Holding on to the past impeded my progress. I couldn’t go forward because the past kept pulling me back like a jack in the box attached to a spring. And I know I’m not the only one.

So many are suffering due to an inability to move forward because of tethering to past hurts

Why is it so difficult?

It is hard to free yourself from an Invisible anchor. You first have to locate the anchor and purposely release it. The difficult thing about this anchor is we create it. Its hold is strengthened by an unhealthy attachment to a past that no longer exists.

You give your past power.

So How Do you Regain Your Power?

The biggest move one can make is to accept that one’s inner child suffered, forgive, and walk forward. Because there is nothing that can be changed about the past. The only thing adjustable is one’s reaction to what was.

A Story for Your Thoughts

I’m reminded of the story of a man who had a wife whom he loved. Their future was ahead of them, bright and brilliant. All that was behind was destruction. But to obtain the future meant they would have to leave everything behind. And if they did it would mean they would not only survive but thrive. It was made perfectly clear they absolutely could not look back. Forgetting all that had been, was critical. However, this was a much more difficult task than initially realized. Because the wife was tethered to what was. She could not bring herself to not look back. And so in a single life-altering moment, she chose the tether. And in an instant, she perished. -The Story of Lot’s Wife

But we are more than conquerors and this shall not be our fate!

Remember!

The past is a dead thing that only maintains shape in your mind. So stop artificially supporting it, do not give it any more of your energy. Make peace, forgive, and move forward toward wholeness and happiness. When you do you will pull your inner child from the darkness into the light. And then you will begin to experience a wholeness allowing you to breathe your energies into molding your future.

I know you can do it because we are walking this path together. And I’m here to push you or pull you if necessary. We are stronger together.
Brick by Brick

January 4th, 2022

Inspiration comes in doses. Sometimes it’s in short spurts a tagline, a line in a movie, a verse of a song, a phrase in a book. Inspiration is everywhere one just has to be attuned to it.

Two days ago I wrote of the inspiration I received from a song. In a single moment, a phrase entered my mind driving me to press on, to seek knowledge, and to put that knowledge to use. This is yet another key to my success (listening to the world around you and the spirit from above).

Another Day Another Dose

Yesterday I received inspiration from another source. And it immediately hit me like a ton of bricks, no pun intended.

I recently began reading Will Smith’s Autobiography entitled “Will.” Although I haven’t delved that deeply into the content already its a captivating read.

The Beginning

The first chapter of the book explores Will’s foundation. It’s an open invitation to see his origin story, sort of like one does with a villain or a hero. I digress!

Now, in the first pages, Will relates an account of a significant life experience. He explains how although he didn’t see it at first, the experience shaped his life, motivation, and principles for years to come. And It all began with bricks.

I will not go into much depth. It’s a memoir that is best read for oneself.

The Source of Inspiration

In the account, Will was given an assignment by his father. While he had a few misgivings about how his father sometimes handled things he credited him for this very important lesson. At the time the lesson was unclear. He was just living life as normal children do, not looking at the bigger picture. And to his young unmolded mind the task given was ludicrously nonsensical. However, given how he was being raised he carried out the assignment anyway.

One day he and his brothers got distracted. The task was long and seemingly unending. Naturally, he grew tired of the assignment. So he began to complain. Upon hearing the complaints the father spoke up.

See he had entrusted in his son the task of laying bricks to build a wall. But for the unskilled, it was a long tedious task. With no end in sight, Will had, had enough.

So at this point, the father told his son’s there was no wall. But why? It was blatantly obvious that he was tasked with constructing a wall. Well, there is a very rational explanation.

You see, What was important at that moment was each brick they were laying not the end product. Because the end was too far away, the picture was too big, there was no way he could properly see what the end would render from where they stood.

One thing was certain, if they stopped focusing so intently on the end they could put in the work necessary that would get them there. If they stopped looking at the obstacle or the looming project ahead they would be able to complete the project. But they had to change their focus and train it on one brick at a time

I heard that loudly in my spirit!

My Staircase

Today I claim my success. I am looking at the stairs that I have been building one brick at a time. And I can clearly see the summit. I have been working on this staircase for a long time. And sometimes just like Will I wanted to put down the cement, stop mixing, and lay brick. Because it seemed the more bricks I laid the further I was away from the end. But I never really gave up. I kept going back and focusing on laying that brick. So now I’m here looking at the staircase and I am amazed.

The Work Doesn’t Stop

However, just because I see the summit doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop putting in the work. I’m going to continue to work, smoothing each brick making my ascent that much smoother.

This is another key to achievement, focus.

If you want to claim success for any goal. You must focus on the building blocks that will help you ascend. Build your success one brick at a time and you will get where you want to go. Will Smith is proof and so am I.

So let’s get this!

Dream Blocker 2: GOOP

Dream Blockers

Nothing Abnormal to See Here

GOOP

A Personal Account: (My GOOP Story)

What Some Successful People Say on the Matter

The Lesson of Goop!

Next Level: Legendary

Not all beginnings are the same!

Never turn you nose up at the humble beginnings.!

Life Blurb

Dream Blocker Series: Distractions

The Best Things in Life Are Free

A Bit about the Summit

The Power of the Circle

My Purpose

Dream Blocker 1: Distraction

Why Rid Yourself of Distraction?

We Choose Sanity Over Distraction

Where do You Start Eliminating Diversions?

One last message

Making Peace is Often the Missing Piece

Making Peace with Difficult Things Is the Precursor to Growth

Forgiving Others is One Thing But Forgiving Yourself, is a Big One.

A Story for Your Thoughts

Remember!

Brick by Brick

Another Day Another Dose

The Beginning

The Source of Inspiration

My Staircase

The Work Doesn’t Stop