success
The road to success is always under construction; share your equations for success — and learn some new ones.
in all honesty
It was well past 3:00 but my thoughts were preventing me from sleeping. They weren’t profound or necessarily important thoughts, but they were constant. I rolled over and grabbed my phone to do something to occupy my mind. I knew no matter what I was going to be tired in the morning so I might as well enjoy my night. I scrolled mindlessly on my social media platforms, barely paying attention to anything I read. My eyelids felt heavy and I began to drift off. My phone began slipping from my grasp, until I saw it, in big bold letters an ad saying
By Gracie Evans 5 years ago in Motivation
The Krongling
I was standing in a corner of a loud nightclub wondering why I had bothered to go out again. Another dark club and another lonely night. I looked in my little black book where I had collected compliments my friends had given me in the past as a way to build my confidence. Yet here I was, unable to strike up a conversation with anyone. I looked down at page three. “You are so cool; you practically define a whole new genre of cool.” My friend had written that down after I posted a photo of me winning a hot dog eating contest. I looked around the room as the band on stage blasted their music, the drums were so loud I could barely think. I don’t think I can handle much more of this. I decided to leave and go home, promising myself I would try some other night in some other club to make friends.
By Camilla Strand5 years ago in Motivation
Little Black Book
My mother kicked me out the house again. Once at fourteen, a few days before my 15th birthday,on my 18th birthday, and now two years later a few weeks before my 21st. Coincidentally, it seemed to happen simultaneously around my birthday. Great birthday gifts, right? The universe really does work in mysterious ways, I guess. It did hurt having a mother who’s first instinct is to abandon me, when she’s literally all I have. I’ll miss my seven siblings. “At least I know that they’ll be fine at home with her. “ I thought, as I wiped my tears off my face. I stare down at my tan hands with a blank mind. It’s cold outside during this New York City winter, but all I can really think about is what am I going to do now. I look at my phone and I see texts from my mother. She’s asking for the address to send all my belongings to from Houston. “Also I have some journals in the top drawer in Mina’s room. Can you send that too?” I respond. Mina is my younger sister. I know she’s happy she has her room back to herself again. In those two journals is where I write all my intentions and manifestations in. They’re very important to me. I look into my phone camera. Big brown eyes, big pink lips, and thick eyebrows look back at me. I smile. Why am I thinking about how cute I am at a time like this? Whatever. Katanna, my best friend for years says that I can live with her, her mother, and younger sister. It’s astonishing how a woman who didn’t even birth me can care more about me more than my own mother. However, Katanna and I have been planning on getting an apartment and living together so it seems as if this is the universes way of formulating our plan. I just wish it happened more on a good note and when I was ready to leave my mothers house. I am going to miss that big beautiful house in South Houston suburbs. I wrote a lot of good songs in that house too. My mother doesn’t really see my music career as something worthwhile. She rather me go to college and become a nurse. While I do not see an issue with that, I’m more of a business woman. I’ve been rapping since I was a child and I know that this is for me. I can feel it. I hop on the bus to head over to Katanna’s house. The bus looks like every other MTA bus, but something about this bus just looks different. Not physically but energetically. When I walk on the bus the driver smiles at me. Weird. That never happened before. I smile back and walk to the back of the bus where I always go. The bus is empty. The energy inside the bus is different too. I’ve rode MTA for almost 21 years of my life and I’ve never felt any vibrations like this before. I take my seat. “I wish me and my mothers relationship was better.” I think to myself. Now my brain is running with both negative and positive thoughts. From, “Everything happens for a reason” to “Why does it feel like my own mother doesn’t like me?” Meaninglessly, I start to look around the empty bus. I look at the bus driver. He winks at me. I fake a smile back. I sigh, and look down at the ground and I see a book. A little black book. Any other time If I was to see anything in public I would mind my business and avoid it. A New Yorker’s instinct. This time my intuition was telling me to pick up the book. I bend over and pick up the book staring at the cover. It’s leather, and worn down. I wonder if it’s the bus drivers book? No it’s yours. A voice in my head quickly assures me. I open up the book. The first page is gold words written in ink. “It’s already yours”. It’s says Interesting. I flip to the next page. It’s blank. I look up at the bus driver. He looks back at me in the rear-view. I look back down and magic words quickly fill the page. “Change is coming”. I look at my phone it’s 2:22pm. I flip to the next page. “Aylani what do you want this very moment”. A gold pen magically forms from the book and drops on my lap. I drop the book. Not out of fear but out of confusion. Am I dreaming? Did I fall asleep on the bus? I think to myself. This cannot be happening. I stare at the bus driver. He’s smiling. “Okay...” I say to myself. I pick up the book and the gold pen. In it I write, “I want 20,000” and I sign my name. The book starts to shake and suddenly disappears in thin air. Right in my hands. This is definitely a dream. A notification comes to my phone. I drop my phone. I’m still sort of paranoid. Chase bank. I open up the app. “20,000 has been deposited into your bank account.” No way. I think. I call customer service. “Your account balance is 20,000.” the automated voice says. It’s my stop. I knock on Katanna’s door. Am I dreaming? No. That same voice reassures me again. Katanna opens the door. I hug her. “We’re getting our apartment. I’m going to the studio. The universe really does work in mysterious ways....”
By Ayanah Cadet5 years ago in Motivation
Falling Into A Rut
Have you ever reached a time in your life where you feel you're life is going nowhere? Every day feels like groundhog day, and you're just not finding any satisfaction, any excitement, or any happiness, in life. It's like life has just become a constant pattern of wake up, work, eat, sleep, and repeat. The only thing worth looking forward to are the weekends and time off from work, and even then you aren't even doing anything worth writing home about. Personally, I have experienced such times myself on a couple of occasions, throughout my life. You find yourself in a position where you start questioning if there is anything more to life than what you're doing. Although you understand that work is a part of life, and all, as too is sleeping and eating, but apart from a short burst of satisfaction from going out with your mates on the weekend, or spending some quality time with your partner or family, unless you are blessed with wealth, it's easy to believe that life really hasn't much to offer. When I found myself in this position a few years back, I really questioned my purpose in life. Surely I wasn't destined to be spending the next 30 years of my life getting up at 6am, eating breakfast, battling peak hour traffic, going to a job I hated just to get paid an income, battling peak hour traffic again, eating dinner, exercising, and then going to bed, every single day, bar weekends and annual leave days. It made no sense to be muddling my way through life void of satisfaction and happiness, yet my routine was pretty much exactly how we were educated to believe that life would be. Eat, work, exercise, and sleep. It's sad that it took me 37 years of my life to realize that, not only was there more to life, but it was up to me to dispel this crap about how we are taught how life should be, and how we should live it.
By David Stidston5 years ago in Motivation
A bit about Clive Wilson
It didn’t start very well… School and I didn’t get on very well. At all. I failed all my exams and left with little more than a passion for electronics and an inquiring mind, always needing to understand how things worked (or mostly how things came apart and didn’t quite go back together again).
By Clive Wilson5 years ago in Motivation
The Luxuries of Humanity
People have always claimed that money isn’t everything, nobody really needs it to be happy. It hadn’t been true, not when the world they lived in was built upon a never-ending cycle of give and take. It might not have been the first thing on a person’s mind, but it was always there, simmering under the surface. Lurking like a predator, a worry in millions upon millions of minds everywhere. Money meant survival, it meant health, safety, and sought-after luxuries.
By Emilea Davis5 years ago in Motivation
Suitor
October 5, 1945, the great citizens of the United States are ablaze to witness the glorious victory of the Second World War. America is in a state of celebration and economic growth. Jerry Gold is the most successful man in America, his life is overwhelmingly bombarded with money, beautiful people and luxurious opportunities. He is an inspiration to all and the picture of a successful, post-war American Dreamer.
By Izzy Adler5 years ago in Motivation
The Money Book
It was an early Wednesday morning: she woke up to the sound of her alarm blaring. As she opened her eyes to turn off her alarm, she feels a cool leather object under her fingers instead of her phone. Opening her eyes, she notices a small leather black book on her night table she was sure was not there the night before. she grabs it and opens the book to find it empty, with no inscription, notes, or anything. Not even a name. She slides her finger from the top of the page down to the bottom. as her finger reaches the bottom the page turns into a 100-dollar note. She blinks. She wonders if her eyes are playing tricks on her, if she is hallucinating or if she truly saw what she thinks she had just seen. She rips the note out of the book and tries again. It works again.
By Aj Brennan5 years ago in Motivation
Witchy Reward
Today I’m opening my new plant store. It is a dream come true! I’ve always wanted my own Green Witch plant store. Not that it will reduce the number of plants at home that my friends and family always give me grief for. Now my passion for plants and sharing it with others is being realized. And it’s all by chance. Really, it is. It all started a month ago…
By Amanda Martin5 years ago in Motivation
The Epic Find
Sarah stared out the window over her coffee and thought, “This is a perfect day to go antiquing.” She hadn’t been in months and it was time to recharge her vintage battery and her store stock. She finished her coffee and toast, pushed herself away from the table and put her dishes in the sink. “I’ll tidy this up later,” she told her cat, Maggie. Maggie blinked and went to sleep. Gotta love cats.
By Shelly Barnes5 years ago in Motivation
Gateway To Our Future
My thirst for finding purpose in my life was not quenched upon my graduation from The Miami School of Business. Most of my friends went on to start their careers, however, I was not ready to take that leap into what I thought was the real world just yet. I decided to take time before committing my life to a financial institution to travel and try once more to find the purpose that seemed to escape me. I had just enough graduation money saved up for a ticket to The Gambia, East Africa. My older brother had visited this country on a mission trip and returned with a plethora of memories to share. Since then, I have wanted to visit for myself and experience a world outside of Ohio. Without having any real responsibilities, I booked my tickets, arranged to get all my necessary vaccinations and packed my bags in preparation for my trip to The Gambia. On the day of my departure, my older brother entered my room and handed me a small black notebook. He informed me that inside this mysterious notebook was a gateway to my future. I didn’t think anything of it at first, so I thanked him unceremoniously, quickly tucked the notebook into my backpack and hugged him goodbye. After bidding my family farewell, I got into my Uber and left to the airport.
By Zobaida Falah 5 years ago in Motivation
Virgil Tibbs, The Barber
I would like to honor a childhood friend, and black entrepreneur, Virgil Tibbs. I remember like yesterday the day I met Virgil, his brother James, who I only knew as Tank for several years, and his cousin Poodge, or Eddie. It was a summer day, at the neighborhood hub, “The Rec”, or Lake View Terrace Recreation center, in Los Angeles CA. All the neighborhood boys gathered here each summer for basketball tryouts. These workouts weren’t technically a traditional tryout, as the recreation center would not turn away any kid whose parents had money to pay the registration fees. It was more like a talent observation for the coaches to get a taste of the boys and their varying skill sets so that they can go behind closed doors and spread the available talent “evenly”, an annual event that made one wonder how the same coaches had success every year, and others weren’t so lucky. Either they knew the talent very well, or they found a way to game the system.
By Adam Ware5 years ago in Motivation
