Always Remember

The road less traveled is less congested and although there's no instant gratification the natural progression feels good. It's an evolution...it's a grind...some days it's rewarding...some days less rewarding than others...some people get it...some people don't...some will build you up and some will try to tear you down...but keep moving forward... whatever your journey continue on...

Turning Lemons to Lemonade

This was written by a friend of mine by the name of Ricky D. Ross it's something that he wrote called Turning Lemons to Lemonade

When I first started this prison bid off, I was very bitter. I had
been set up by a close friend, someone that I gave my trust to. At
the same time I was also angry with the cruel government, their laws and so-called Justice. How could they target a man who at the time wasn't involved in any criminal activity? I felt like a victim and was upset with myself for being so naive. I felt sorry for lying to my children when I promised them that I would never leave them again. For years those words have constantly haunted me and every time I think about it, it makes my heart sink deep inside the darkness of my hurting soul.

The first time I came to prison was for a 5 year sentence. To me the time didn't seem like a lot, but to my children it was a totally different story. For them, the time away from their father had felt like an eternity. Without a father, they were confused, lost, and hurt beyond all words - and my children had let their feelings be known. Being in prison, you quickly learn who your "real friends" are. People break bad at an alarming rate. People that you laughed, joked, partied, and even cried with. People you loved. In my situation it was compounding, I was facing a life sentence and things didn't look good at all. After eventually being convicted and sentenced to life in federal prison, reality had finally set in. So many things started running through my mind, but the main thing that affected me was once again being separated from my family. One of my biggest fears wasn't the negative prison environment that held me captive, but the fear of not being around if someone in my family was sick or died, The worst time of being in prison was when the thick steel doors closed and locked. That's when the pain and loneliness set in.

Life at U.S.P. Lompoc was something that I had never experienced
before, nor could I have ever imagined. There were people from all walks of life and from every country in the world. The one thing we all had in common was a lack of freedom and a lot of time on our hands. Lompoc wasn't the most dangerous prison in America, but every negative situation you could imagine went on inside: crooked C.O.'s, bad food, uncomfortable living areas, rapes, murders, stabbings; you name it, U.S.P. Lompoc had it. From my opinion, even though most of the men were physically tough, they had been taking a mental pounding. Slowly breaking with each passing day. It didn't take me long to figure out that I wouldn't be a victim to the system or to myself. I decided to change my way of thinking and do something positive with myself, even though a life-sentence was hanging over my head. I began searching for answers to all my why's and how's and I came up with this: if Mandella was doing time, what would he be doing? He would use his mind and intelligence to figure out a way - and that's exactly what he did. That's why he is one of my idols, one that I highly respect. So what I did was followed Mandella's blueprint and started using the greatest gift that a man has... the most powerful thing on Earth... my brain. After that, doing time became easier for me, in actuality it turned into my own game. My game against the system. One that I was determined to win. Six years into my life-sentence, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned my life-sentence and instead I was given 20 years. My positive attitude was starting to pay off. It made me even more assured that I was on the right path, the path to success and happiness.

Now that I am less than two years from having my freedom again, time continues to fly. Many times I wish I had more seconds in the
minutes, minutes in the hours, hours in the days. I am excited to wake up every morning and upset when I have to go to sleep at night, afraid that I am going to miss out on something. One of my mottos is 90% grind, 10% sleep. Through this time I met some that I would've never met before, people who I consider real friends, and I am very thankful they let me be a part of their life. Now my goal is to share all that I have learned with the rest of the world. And it all started with one thing - using my brain.

FOR MORE TESTIMONY AND MORE FROM THE REAL RICK ROSS
CHECK OUT The Real Rick Ross Blog and FREEWAYENTERPRISE.COM

Quote of the Day

"Anyone who refuses to stop will succeed."
-I wish I knew

Quote of the Day

"Don't Let Your Happens Destroy Your Happiness."

In all the obstacles we face I try to always remember that there's always somebody worse off then I am, and that I may not have the things I want RIGHT NOW, but I am truly blessed for the things that I do have.

Quote of the Day

He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure. His every thought is allied with power, and all difficulities are bravely met and wisely overcome.

HATERS?

This is a piece written by T.D. Jakes I'm not neccesarily a fan of his but, my cousin sent this to me in one of her many chain emails. I found it to have some truth and wanted to share it so:

Only the Strong Survive, So Beware of Haters..

A hater is someone that is jealous and envious and spends all their
time trying to make you look small so they can look tall. They are very
negative people. Nothing is ever good enough! When you make your mark,
you will always attract some haters... That's why you have to be careful
who you share your blessings and your dreams with because some folk
can't handle seeing you blessed... It's dangerous to be like somebody
else... If God wanted you to be like somebody else. He would have given you
what He gave them. You don't know what people have gone through to get
what they have... The problem I have with haters is that they see my
glory, but they don't know my story... If the grass looks greener on the
other side of the fence, you can rest assured that the water bill is
higher there too. We've all got some haters among us:

Some people don't like it that you can:


* Have a relationship with God
* Light up a room when you walk in
* Start your own business
* Tell a man/woman to get lost (if he/she ain't about the right thing)
* Raise children without both parents being around
* And not ask for a dime from Anyone
* Haters don't want to see you happy
* Haters don't want to see you succeed
* Haters don't want you to get the victory

Most of our haters are people that are supposed to be on our side. How
do you handle the haters who you at least expect to have your guard up
against?

You can handle your haters by:
1. *Knowing who you are & who your true friends are * (VERY
IMPORTANT!!)
2. *Having a purpose to your life *
3. *By remembering what you have is by divine prerogative and not human
manipulation.
* Purpose does not mean having a job. You can have a job and still be
unfulfilled. A purpose is having a clear sense of what God has called
you to be.
Your purpose is not defined by what others think about you. Fulfill
your dreams! You only have one life to live................when its your
time to leave this earth, you want to be able to say,'I've lived my
life and fulfilled my dreams, .........I'm ready to go HOME!

-T.D. Jakes

Quote of the Day

"Where the determination is, the way can be found."
-Unknown

Circumstance

A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.

Thoughts and Circumstances

Man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions. but when he realizes that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seed of his being out of which circumstances grow, he then becomes the rightful master of himself.
-James Allen

Preparation

If today and only today is our focus why is it that planning for tomorrow usually becomes equally as concerning? From a Judea, Christian & Islamic paradigm the present moment yields the only worries one should exercise their thoughts towards. In doing such one should commit themselves to the serenity of only being concerned with having no concerns. With that being said is it still essential that we anticipate a tomorrow? Is it a foolish obsession to live each moment as if it were your last? Can our human nature coincide with the true merit in finding focus and patience?

~Vince Leon

Today's Question

Is knowing that the person you love knows that you love them, more important than you receiving that same love from them?

~The Villain

Finally signed with nike

The Speed of Need

Finding substitutes for what we need is something we specialize in. Yet this highly developed technique is a character flaw. A plan B through Z route of perseverance. The good thing about it is that along the way we find out how resilient we truly are. We will jump through hoops just to eventually learn our lesson. But the real lesson is not so much in doing it right the first time, as it is about not losing sight. Not doing it right is just veering from the path we have chosen to follow. Your moral fabric is the vision you use in order to determine your journey's destination. When consistency meets sacrifice your steps reunite with your path. Fortunate enough for us there is no substitute for that. Determining what is worth the wait and what is worth the hassle is the motivation in securing what is important. When your needs become what is important, the accuracy in which you consistently find ways to not go without them, is when you no longer find substitutes for what you need. At that moment you can say with one eye opened and one eye closed, that you have arrived.

~Vince Leon

Thoughts for today

Man ought always to have something that he prefers to life; otherwise life itself will seem to him tiresome and void.

-Seume

Freestyle Friday

Thought for the day

"Sometimes hunger is the best food."

-Carlito Green

Identity Crisis

If living up to expectation were easy then we would all live outside of the United States where the focus of getting rich quick and the intensity of being physically and sexually elite versus intelligent would not be at the forefront of our daily psyche. There is no escaping the world in which we have created so I guess my remedy is usually the way in which I go about living in it. The second part of that understanding is the question if we are we who we say we are, or who our mind tells us to be? We literally cannot see ourselves interact or through someone else's eyes, so are we viewed exactly how we want to be also? In moving forward living up to expectation is exactly that; what is expected. It is a frustrating riddle to solve because the question you must answer is who's expectation are you living up to? Is it mom's? Is it dad's? Is it influenced by your religion, culture or significant other? Is the expectation of yourself centered around what those around you expect from you? Maybe there is no confusion at all. Maybe we are all expected to do what is expected of us. Not me though, I'm getting out my dreams. How about you?

~Vince Leon

Civil War "A more perfect union"