keeping up with jones

i'd rather die than conform. open my veins on the bathroom floor.
this blog is supposed to piss you off.
i want this entry to play an unfair game of open chest with you.

my brother, @tonyp_ said it - and i retweet it all the time: "i did not get to where i am by walking with losers." and because of that, i thank God every morning i wake up that i am unable to spot a loser when i see one.

okay okay okay - it's not really that simple. see - losers look like everybody else. they have the bags under their eyes and their backs hurt and their hands are calloused - but they have nothing to show for any of those things.
the bags under my eyes mean i was up for 36 hours proving to the world that there are enough hours in a day.
the back pain and calloused hands come from carrying too much weight. mostly the weight of those who've given up years ago at the first sign of struggle. those few with cinderblock walls and smiles on their faces.
the few who, in my opinion, would have been much better off taking themselves out years ago.
but they smile like i smile - but only one of use smiles at freedom.

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at this moment: 8:25pm PST - i am no longer offering my respect to those who've become products of their environment. it is only offered to those who've become products of their thoughts.

the lazy and content say "you don't know what i've been through"
the survivors say "i don't look like what i've been through."

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and the story goes:
the man had been watching the birds for a while. he recognized which bird among the flock was the strongest, and he captured it. he wanted to admire the bird whenever he'd come to the park, so he painted the bird a different color than the rest of his flock so they, too, would recognize him as the strong - different than them.

then he released the bird to be back with his flock.
as the bird flew back toward his flock - his flock flew towards him, recognizing him as different and now an intruder - and they killed him.

the end.

create your own lesson learned - your moral - your conclusion of that story.

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#fact: i sometimes feel like giving up on my goal to educate, inform, enlighten the people.
yeah, some are elevated - but that's one of thousands that won't.
and when i speak out against ignorance - the dumbing down of society - or trying to give "the people" the pill that will free them from the machine - they call me a hater.

definition of hater: knowing what the truth is.

ah well. but i said i feel like giving up sometimes. but i never will. it feels too good when the mentee becomes the role model.

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i don't look like what i've been through:

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i'm hella hype for gabby & monique.
i remember checking out precious in new york with @jahmar1911 and really feeling the social worker scene.
i, unlike 97.8% of the audience, read the book, so i knew what to expect - but the onscreen mary jones was more than i could ask for. wow.

so congratulations to them both on their current and future achievements!
who wouldn't want a success story like those?

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just got in from LA's version of canal street. a little spot i like to call "little big mexico." all the shoes are wrapped in plastic & the only boots they have are caterpillar construction boots. (sigh). the shades were cool and the watches held value - but the best thing i saw there was this sign:


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so yesterday - @sirandrewk & me were kicking back in wasabi drinking soda & eating $1 sushi rolls before hitting the streets. and we were talking about achieving goals, why were were & weren't on the right path and what we needed to do to get where we needed to be - and i was telling him about the script i wrote with nicole beharie in mind and then...

i hear a girl beside us on the phone, laughing and talking in a southern accent. so i look over and introduce myself and ask where she's from. "south carolina" she says. so we chop it up & we learn that she and nicole beharie are actually friends and she heard us talking about her, and she as gonna call her and let her know she ran into someone with a script for her to check out.

and whether she reads the script or not - my point is: you never know who you may be sitting next to.

#fact: i am nice to everyone i meet. i smile, share my food and drink, and whatever else denotes niceness. ask anyone that knows me: they'll tell you.

so i made a new friend in wasabi yesterday and the circle continues to grow larger and larger.
(sings mcdonalds: ba da da da daaaah i'm lovin' it)

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and LA is attempting to kidnap me, i see.
the scenery lacks and the people (not all) aren't as active as the cut throat east coast folks, but the opportunities - networking - magic is here. and this time around something is definitely different.

so i'm milking it.

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side note: the economy is fxcking great. the only people not working are the people who never learned to hustle.

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and we, as fans, need to stop giving credit to "artists" just because they have years in the game. snoop doggy dogg fxcking sucks & so does LL Cool J & 500 other folks who need to retire and just LISTEN.

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here is a note of protest for my brother:

fxck whoever won't let jay snead run for office at bethune-cookman college. they don't give a shxt about the student body - just the money. you know who you are.

(that message was not approved by jay snead and he has nothing to do with it)

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@mswoods03 came out to LA this week and we did it semi big. walked through rodeo drive - got spotted by paparazzi & tourists who probably thought we were flava flav and delishus (ignorant spelling) - and hit fresno and roscoes and some mo' shxt.

GOOD TIMES.
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the other night i had a dream about a friend i lost last year.
it was one of those tv type dreams where she appears at the foot of the sofa and reveals something to me. you know what i'm talking about?

well, i actually met her at the apartment she lived in when she died & we talked about inappropriate things, and laughed and she grabbed my hand and told me to tell a few folks that things would be alright.
quite strange, i tell you.
i've never wanted to be the guy that dead folks come to, but if they wanna start now, cool. too bad they don't have money to hook a brother up. nah mean?

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i have too many friends who will wake up at 45-years-old and realize that stepping out of their comfort zones when they were 20+ would have been so much easier and less painful than waking up at 45 realizing the only goal they've accomplished was to stay alive. how sad is that?

i refused to be that guy when i was 10.

are you that person?

#fact: i am a life consultant.
so if you want to change something in your life and get better - hit me up. i'm always willing to help. not free - but you will be happy with who you become. guaranteed.

and don't get me wrong. i never press everyone to become successful. if everyone became a success story, who'd flip our burgers and clean our tables in the mall? but some of us are BORN TO SUCCEED!

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and the day is beautiful and i have so much to do. dang dang dang.
i'm hoping the website goes up this week thanks to @chocolatedawl

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so today, let's say FTW and succeed!