YPs, I have noticed that life is full of a bunch of talkers.  People who know what they may want/need/desire, but only know how to talk about it.  People who may even encounter what they ’say’ they want, but DO nothing that is required to keep it.  Think about all the people in life who say things like; I want to start my own business, I want to lose weight, I just want a good man/woman, if I had a good man/woman I’d be set, all I need is the opportunity!!!  I think about all that is said and think, ‘Do You Really Though?’

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“YOU CAN BE ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD THAT YOU WANT, EXCEPT FOR MY DOWNFALL”

         This quote comes from one of my favorite rappers, Joe Budden.  I love the sentiment of these words, because it is truly how I feel.  YPs, there will be many people in your lives who will honestly do more harm than good.  It is important to weed out the positive forces from the negative ones, on your road to ’successville.’  Sometimes people around you may be prohibiting you from growing and don’t even know it.  Sometimes it may come in the form of a bad relationship, friendship or you may really encounter someone who is really out to get you, for one reason or another.  I challenge you to overcome any and all people who could potentially stand in your way of progression.  You have to know that you are the most important person in your life!!!  You cannot help or save everyone.  Some people have destructive personalities that you may not be equipped to handle.  DO NOT LET THEM RUIN YOU!!!  They can be successful, they can be a loser, but do not let them be YOUR DOWNFALL!!!  YPs Stand Up!!!

YPDSing, YoungProfessionals Writer

          “So a man was stranded in the ocean, and he had faith that GOD would     save him.  A ship big ship came along and tried to save the man.  He said, “no thanks GOD is gonna save me.”  Then another ship came along and tried to save him again.  Again he said, “no thanks I’m waiting on GOD to save me.”  So after one more ship coming along and the man passing on their rescue attempts, HE DROWNED.  Once the man reached heaven, he asked “GOD, why didn’t you come to rescue me???”  GOD said, “I SENT YOU THREE BIG BOATS YA DUMMY!!!”

          This is a paraphrased joke from the movie ‘In Pursuit of Happyness.’  When I first heard the joke, I thought it was funny and clever.  A few minutes later I began to put it into perspective.  The joke actually held a deeper meaning to me.  It was a clever way to share the point that many people look over many opportunities and blessings.  People spend much of their lives WAITING!!!  People wait on that special person to notice them.  They wait for that perfect job to call them.  People wait on far fetched dreams of hitting the lottery or finding large sums of money.  The problem is, that most people have the opportunities to get everything that they desire; they just do not take advantage of all their opportunities. 

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Dear Male Young Professionals:

          Capitalizing on each and every opportunity thrown your way, SHOULD BE YOUR MAIN FOCUS!!! You have been blessed to be put on this earth, with an abundance of chances to do great things.  The key is finding and maintaining the focus to get things done.  There are many distracting obstacles placed in front of you, but you must overcome and continue on the path to productivity.  You must first identify what is important to you in your life.  What do you want out of life?  What is your plan to get there?  How can you make an impact on others, on your way there?
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Dear Twenty Something YougProfessional:

          The ‘Twenty Something’ age group may be the most fun, most confusing, hardest, realest, and most influential period in ‘everyone’s’ life.  This is the time where most people feel that they have time to make mistakes and have as much fun as possible.  Others feel that this is the time to set that good foundation for the rest of their lives.  Then there is the big piece inside of all of us, THAT HAS NO CLUE WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON!!!! Read more »

‘I had to hustle, my back to the wall, ashy knuckles…Pockets filled with a lot of lint, not a cent’

          YPs, this is one of my favorite lines from Jay Z, in his song Renegade with Eminem off of his Blueprint album.  This line reminds me of the ‘fight’ that we must posses inside of us, to make it in this world.  A lot of times, the world throws us curve balls that we must adjust to.  Things do not always go as planned but that does not mean that we should give up.  YPRuck and myself, have had several conversations, regarding this very issue.  We always agree that we must be proactive instead of reactive.  We should all be working to put ourselves in a position to win from the gate, not to come back from behind.  Too many times we find ourselves with our ‘backs against the wall’ before we implement any plan of action.  When this happens, we are forced to fight!!!
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Life Is Fine

by Langston Hughes

But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!

I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby

And thought I would jump down. Read more »

          Greetings YPs.  I heard about the concept of paying it forward while listening to Michael Baisden’s show a while ago as I do during my commute home from work.  Michael Baisden is one of my favorite radio personalities whom I admire and consider a role model for being a philanthropist, and an open minded individual.  But let me stay focused on this concept of paying it forward which is basically doing something nice for someone you know or a complete stranger and not expecting anything in return but for them to pay it forward by doing something nice for someone else, hence the term/concept pay it forward.

          This week I paid it forward to a complete stranger in gym which I tweeted about a couple of days ago.  I consider Read more »

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

 Unknown Author

          Towards the end of 2009, I was on an “enjoy life” kick.  Picking back up in 2010, I am on the same thing.  It is important that we make the most of the time that we have here on this planet, with our families and friends.  We cannot slow down the process of aging or get years back.  What we can do however, is enjoy every moment that we have here.  Laughing should happen all day everyday.  We should put forth the effort to be able to see new things in life.  We should all try to visit new places, see new scenery, have our breath taken away by spectacular views.  Family and friends are extremely important, so when you are with yours, focus on having fun and enjoying each other.  Negativity, should have no place to dwell in our hearts this year.  Let us all be as positive as possible and live as much as we can.  YPs Stand Up!!!

YPDSing, YoungProfessionals Writer

Why is it that Republicans & Democrats would rather finger point than collaborate and problem solve?

Why don’t enough men and women have more integrity?

Why does everyone look for a shortcut?

Why do I have to pay property taxes for my car in VA?

Why do pop radio stations start with a Q?

Why do hip-hop radio stations have Power or Beat in the titles?

Why do people decide to sell drugs knowing the consequences & likely results?

Why is the divorce rate so high?

Why do married couples seem unhappy?

Why do Republicans say some of the most absurd things out of their mouths?

Why is there more research put into erectile disorder than cancer and HIV research?

Why do the worst artists get the most radio play?

Why don’t YPBlogSpot have more subscribers?

Why does David Stern have that dumb 1 year of college rule?

Why do the so-called Wall Street experts get a bail-out and Main Street is left to fit the bill?

Why do we take the same advise given to us by a family member or significant other from a stranger?

Why do babies nowadays receive double the immunizations shots than they did in the past?

Why is 95% of children diagnosed with ADHD and/or ADD?

Why aren’t more people making a difference in young people’s lives? 

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”

YPRuck: YP’s like Mr. Robert Frost says life goes on regardless of what happens within an hour, a day, a week, a month, or your life.  Time doesn’t stop for any of us and all we can do is roll with the punches life throws us and follow up the punches we throw and keep going.  Do not allow content to creep up in your mindset, but whether or not you fail or succeed at something keep going.  Success is a product of individuals with the understanding that life goes on and once they’ve completed one task they’re on the next one as Jay-Z would say.  YP’s stand up and keep it moving so life doesn’t pass you by.

“We make our fortunes, and we call them fate.”

Earl of Beaconsfield

YPDSing This reminds me of the old saying that “life is what you make it.”  Don’t leave everything up to chance, go out and create the opportunities that you would like to have for yourself.  YPs Stand Up!!!

YP Rich B: This is me at about five/six years old with the world in my hands!!!!

What do you want to be when you grow up???

Twenty years ago this was an extremely relevant question. As a 6 year old, I probably said something along the lines of doctor, lawyer, or astronaut as a response. As I got older the answer turned into professional athlete, musician, or entrepreneur. Twenty years later the question is still relevant. Once you reach 21, shouldn’t you already know or be on the way to becoming what you want to be?? Even worse, what if you don’t have the answer to that question? Surely, eight years of schooling between high school and college should help assist you with that question right?

For most, school can get you on track to becoming something. I definitely did all I was supposed to do as far as school was concerned. I showed up on time, did all the work, and ended up being a good student in terms of grades (B+ Student). I went to college and graduated in 4 years with a bachelor degree in hand ready to become something. So surely at this point I know what I want to be right?

I’ve been out of school for 4 years and have been working that whole time. So what did I become once I grew up? I still don’t have the answer to that question. I know I have a full-time job that I spend a lot of hours at and don’t necessarily feel fulfilled in what I do. So what can I do to solve this problem??

I’ve been encouraged by friends and family to write down goals and take baby steps in achieving those goals. At times it feels like a pointless exercise because the “dream job” doesn’t seem real. I want to make money, buy a house, and live life. The what is not the question, it’s the how. How do I get to those main goals that most people want anyway. Work a dead-end job because I have bills to pay?? Or do I think about that age-old question that I heard 20 years ago??

Ultimately, I know it’s up to me to become whatever I’m going to become. It’s just interesting to think about what I wanted to be as a child and what I’ve become as an adult. By no means is the journey over so I just have to get focused and revert back to that ambition I had when I was younger and felt like I could be whatever I wanted to be. So what do I want to be when I grow up……….Hopefully I’ll know soon.

YPRich B, YoungProfessionals Writer

June 18, 2009

I check the lower right hand clock on my computer at work, 6pm, YES! Time to leave work and start my 3 day weekened. Up next, my Urban Professional League Championship game at 7pm, and then back home to pack and go away to VA Beach for the weekened, can’t wait! I hop on the subway and just thinking nothing but positive thoughts! I get to the gym, and I am ready to get this championship and cement our undefeated record for the Spring season.

4th quarter, we are up by 6, with 3 mins to go. I am trying to play keep away with the ball, and I swing the ball around, as I get the ball back, my defender rushes toward me, and I quickly accelerate to get by my man, BOOM!!!! Awww, man, who hit me from behind? As I turn around, I see no one behind me. I look down and realize that I can’t plant on my right foot like normal. I get home, and cannot walk up my apartment steps. I know that something is really wrong and realize I will not be able to walk. No VA beach with the fellaz, really dissapointed.  ER visit the next day, and the doctor diagnoses me with an Achilles rupture! Dam………….out of commission for the next 6-8 weeks! Read more »

When things seem like they are constantly getting worse, I often say to myself “This Can’t Be Life.” In my life as a youngprofessional, I have encountered many highs and many lows. There are times however, when I feel like the the highs are too far and in between. Times, when I think I am at rock bottom, until things get even worse. I have a great supporting cast around me that is constantly reminding me of all of my accomplishments in life, but yet I still feel like I’m failing in this game called life. I take on this role in my mind that says, “I have to be the savior for my friends and family.” I feel that it has to be me to create an enterprise that will set up my circle of loved ones, financially and educationally for generations to come. Sometimes, that burden gets too heavy even for myself, who feels that I am one of the strongest people around. The problem is, I am nowhere near being anyone’s savior. In fact, I am losing my own battle and that is where things get worse. “This Can’t Be Life”

I will always be the toughest critic of myself, ALWAYS! When you are not where you would like to be in life, it sometimes takes a toll on your self confidence, ability to reach goals, ability to stay focused and even your ability to maintain healthy relationships (friends,family,girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband). I find myself falling into a snowballing effect of bad thoughts, negative actions and unproductive behavior. There have been times when I have thought, “Why am I working here? Why haven’t I reached my potential? Why am I a college graduate who is unemployed? When am I going to take my life into my own hands? Why do me and my business partners procrastinate so much? Why do I not own 3 properties? Why am I not in a position to show my little cousins what a business operating in the black looks like?” and the list goes on. “This Can’t Be Life”

Everything is relative, I do not take comfort in knowing that there are people out there who are worse off than me. Instead, I acknowledge the fact and feel compassion but know that, my situation is my situation. I have to take care of myself before I can effectively help others. “This Can’t Be Life”

In the end, we are all going through something/s, but we all must fight to overcome any obstacle in our paths. The biggest obstacle in any youngprofessionals’ life, is him or herself. There are many reasons why we hold ourselves back, but there are only two solutions. Keep holding ourselves down, or jump back up with positivity leading our lives. We all need to vent sometimes, to let the negativity out. We are not alone in this battle, it just seems that way. YPs STAND UP!!!!!!

By YPDSing, YoungProfessionals Writer