Motivation

Creating Your Future: Visionary Steps

The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.

Anything that I’ve already achieved in life was deliberate, and I had the vision way before it came into fruition. I just had to come up with the proper plans and steps to get there.

There are a lot of unfortunate situations that I’ve been in that I created myself as well. I may not have had these tough situations in my vision, but I still may have unknowingly followed the steps to get in that position.

Don’t complicate things in life. It’s easier than you think to achieve what you want to do. It may take some time, work, and faith, but it’s possible. So monitor your actions and think about what type of future they are creating.

Motivation, Random Thoughts, Uncategorized

Gaining Vision: Understanding Blindness

“The one-eyed man is king in the land of the blind.”

Even someone with limited knowledge or abilities can appear superior or be in a position of power when surrounded by others who have even less knowledge or ability.

There are times when we are the blind and do not even realize it. There are also times when we are the one-eyed person with limited expertise or understanding, yet we falsely believe or are considered highly knowledgeable or skilled. Sometimes, we are unaware of our own blindness because we have never known or experienced anything different.

As I grow in life, experience new things, travel, and learn, I realize how “blind” I was in certain areas. I also understand that I am still blind in certain aspects. The key is to understand that and be willing to grow and “see.” It also takes a person with vision to point out someone else’s blindness, or even one-eyed perspective.

Moreover, even if you have the vision, it requires a certain type of communication and trust to help the blind understand their blindness and to follow your lead.

Obviously, it’s a metaphor, but such is life.

Motivation, Random Thoughts

Nurturing Positive Resilience

The other day, while scrolling on social media, I came across a video of a baby falling and bumping their head. The gist of the video was that depending on how the parents act, it decides how the baby will react to the situation. In the video, instead of reacting alarmed or super concerned when the baby hit their head, the parents reacted lightheartedly and laughed as if the small bump wasn’t much. The baby, in return, laughed and did not cry at all.

Yesterday, I had a similar situation. My baby rolled from her stomach to her back, something we have been practicing for a while and encouraging her to do. It was a rough roll, and she kind of bumped into a few toys and other things surrounding her. Instead of reacting all alarmed and frightened, my wife and I clapped and congratulated my baby for rolling over. She, in return, smiled, and you could tell she was proud of herself. Had we reacted differently, she may have cried.

The same goes for us and how we live life. We might experience a few bumps and bruises along the way on our journey of life. We may experience shortcomings or even witness someone experience some kind of shortcoming or “bump” their head. It’s how we respond to those situations that matters the most. It’s key to keep a positive attitude. We can’t change what happened, but we can decide how we respond. How we respond decides how we learn and move on from that situation.

The same goes for when we are supporting others. It’s crucial to make sure our response to others’ situations is positive and supportive. Many parents need this reminder when dealing with their kids who are now young adults or adults. You should want the best for your kid, and of course, you never want anything bad to happen. But when problems do arise, make sure you are supporting them in a productive way that will give them confidence to continue pushing in life. Also, provide a sense of security so that when the next problem arises, they feel comfortable coming to you again for help and guidance.

Motivation, Random Thoughts

Authentic Alignment: Integrating Thoughts

It is crucial to strive for self-integration, where your thoughts, actions, and words align cohesively.

When your beliefs, intentions, and actions synchronize, you present a more authentic version of yourself. Inconsistencies in these areas can lead to problems.

Personally, when my actions don’t match my words, I feel uneasy. The same applies when my thoughts and actions aren’t in harmony. I observe others in the same way, checking if their thoughts, words, and actions align when something feels off.

In sports, when a player takes shortcuts or doesn’t give their full potential, the common advice is, “You’re only cheating yourself.” While it may sound cliché, it is indeed true. Cheating yourself in sports and training hinders progress and potential for growth.

This principle extends to life as well. When your words and actions aren’t aligned, or when you pretend they are, you’re only cheating yourself. Stay true to yourself and focus on fully integrating your thoughts, words, and actions. It is possible.

Motivation, Random Thoughts, Sports

Embracing History: Empowering Future

When I was a kid, my dad would take me to the public library and show me old newspaper articles from when he played basketball in high school and junior college.

He was a talented player, and those articles served as proof of his skills. While some may view this as dwelling in the past or being a “fallen star,” I am grateful for that experience as it was crucial for my own success in sports.

Knowing our history is key to being prepared for the future, having pride, and understanding our roots. Learning about my dad’s athletic achievements instilled confidence in me and showed me what was possible. It made me appreciate the athletic genetics I inherited and the rewards of hard work.

Now, I do the same with my teenage nephew, sharing my own sports accomplishments and stories about his parents’ athletic abilities. I believe this knowledge will give him a sense of pride and confidence.

It is important to learn our history, not just within our family but within our entire race, and to reflect on our own achievements in life. Recognizing the positive things said about us, the goals we have accomplished, big or small, serves as a reminder of our potential.

Learning our history is invaluable, and no one should take that away from us. The more we learn, the better we will be in the future.

Motivation, Random Thoughts

Timeless Success: Age and Achievement

Age and time don’t matter as much as we often think when it comes to success and achieving things. Regardless of the situation, when we compare ourselves to others or compete against them, we often think, “Well, they are older than me, so they should have more experience, a higher salary, or better skills, etc.”

I used to think that way too. These thoughts started to fade away when I entered college for football. I had teammates and opponents who were much older than me. Some of them were so much older that we weren’t even in high school during the same years.

In the NFL, I played with guys who were decades older than me. Age didn’t matter. They didn’t treat me differently because I was younger, and I didn’t treat them differently because they were older. It simply didn’t matter. What mattered most was the present moment.

You might see someone making a lot of money at work and think, “They have x number of years of experience, and they are older than me.” However, that truly doesn’t matter. Our lives don’t follow the same timeline. We achieve things at various ages. We learn things at different stages of life.

Martin Luther King Jr. died at 39 years old. Imagine if he had thought he needed to be older or have more years of experience before he could begin to serve his life’s purpose and make a change. Some kids graduate from high school at the age of 13 or 14. They don’t need to wait until they are 18 like everyone else.

Whatever it is you want to do in life, know that the time is now. Patience is important, but also remember what Malcolm X once said, “No man is given but so much time to accomplish whatever is his life’s work.” So, anything you do today, consider it urgent.

Motivation, Random Thoughts

Embracing Inevitable Change

Change is inevitable.

Reflect on all the years of your life, and you will see that.

We can either deliberately take the actions to create the change that we want or simply sit there and let change happen, then try to react afterward.

Reflect on all the years of your life, and you will see that.

Sports, Uncategorized

Reflecting on Loss and Appreciation: A Letter to D. Reed

Dear D. Reed,

We still miss you down here, Moe. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since you’ve been gone. I’ll never forget the day we lost you. I hadn’t cried for 10 years, but the day you passed, I cried like a baby. That went on for a few days.

It was hard to have you gone so suddenly. As teammates, we did everything together, from morning workouts, school, practice, training table, to study table. It felt like anything I did was just a constant reminder that you weren’t here anymore. We lost you the day before our game. I didn’t think we’d play the next day, but we did. That was the toughest game I ever played in.

Every time we huddled up on offense, it was just another reminder that you weren’t here anymore. I still had to honor you in the best way that I could, and the best way that you’d appreciate. I put up 250 rushing yards and a TD on Ohio. That was all for you. We still lost by 28 points, though LOL.

You were always a leader and had a big impact on our team, but it wasn’t until you passed that it was really shown. We were all heartbroken, bro. You were really loved and admired. Some took your loss tougher than others. That was hard to see but understandable.

I’ll never forget first meeting you and D. Scott. Y’all were me and TA’s suite mates. I figured they put us all together because we were from Grand Rapids and Lansing, and y’all were from Chicago. Like anybody else from Chicago, all y’all talked about a lot was Chicago LOL. You showed TA and me the rappers y’all liked at the time. Y’all were big on King Louie back then. And Lil Durk before he blew up. Can’t forget about Chief Keef.

Y’all pretty much turned Eastern into a Chicago football team LOL. We all talked like you, we started to use your slang, and in some ways, we even started to act like you. We still do. That just shows the impact you had on our lives and how much influence you have.

You were a dog on the field too. You had the most confidence, and you backed it up. As a freshman, you would always tell us, “I ain’t gonna be here for 4 years. I’m going to the league after Junior year.” That was crazy to say, coming out of Eastern Michigan, but you really believed it, and I did too. One of our last conversations was during the season, Junior year. I had a good sophomore season, and the junior season was going alright for me too. I was really considering entering the NFL draft after the season. I said to you, “We still going to the league after this season?” You told me, “Nah, I’m staying. I promised my mom I would get my degree.” That was one of the realest things you said to me and was a big reason why I decided to come back my senior year. I was sad after losing you and really just wanted to spend another year with the guys. I knew I had to get that degree for my mom too.

I understand that all blessings are temporary, so instead of being sad about you being gone, I appreciate all the time that we did get to spend together. I wish you didn’t have to leave us at such a young age, but they say once we serve our purpose on earth, God calls us home. You definitely served, bro. You left a permanent impact on all of our lives. You even left a permanent impact on the university we attended.

You were a true leader. You inspired, motivated, competed, and had a lot of charisma. You were a God-fearing man and always professed your faith in Him. I pray you continue to rest in peace and that we continue to grow, succeed, and make you proud down here. Keep watching over us.

Love always,

B. Hill

Random Thoughts, Uncategorized

10,000-Hour Rule: Reimagined Mastery

The 10,000-hour rule suggests that it takes approximately 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve a high level of mastery in a specific field or skill.

However, I believe this notion is no longer entirely accurate due to the availability of resources like YouTube tutorials, AI-powered tools, and other modern learning aids, which allow individuals to expedite their learning and skill development, potentially requiring fewer than 10,000 hours to attain a considerable level of proficiency in certain areas.

There was a time when it was believed that running a mile in under 5 minutes was physically impossible for humans; however, nowadays, there are high schoolers who can accomplish this feat.

Motivation, Random Thoughts

Unlocking Future Success: Mindset

A lot of things we want in life require delayed gratification, such as the dream job, body, spouse, mentality, or overall life satisfaction. Whatever it may be, it necessitates present effort and work for future rewards.

However, this doesn’t mean you cannot find happiness in the present moment. Once your mind is set on a goal and you are committed to following the necessary steps, find joy in it. Express gratitude in advance.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “You can chain me, torture me, even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind.” Even when physically confined, one’s thoughts, dreams, and imagination remain free and unaffected.

Though you may not be where you desire to be currently, you can still cultivate the habits, mindset, and vision of your future self.

Today can mark the beginning of whatever achievement you aspire to in life. Even at the start of a journey, maintaining a sense of gratitude, confidence, and excitement for future accomplishments can provide motivation and fulfillment. Give it a try and experience it firsthand.