Tag: Flyblackboy

Motivation, Random Thoughts

Which came first?

bhillay

Which came first? The chicken or the egg? It’s a question that has puzzled humanity for centuries. The idiom is often used when it’s not clear who or what caused something. Some questions are easier to answer, like “which came first? The success? Or the hard work?”

A lot of people think that they would work hard if they were to receive instant gratification. You might start a YouTube channel and post videos consistently if you knew you’d get one million views and 100K subscribers in one day. You might start that business and work hard to grow and maintain it, if you knew you’d have ample customers on the day of the business launch. Unlike the chicken or egg question, I know that the hardwork and dedication comes way before the success.

Not seeing results right away cannot be what discourages you from doing something. Once you understand that the hardwork comes before the success, things will be a lot easier for you.

We also think that we’d miraculously start working hard and do what needs to be done, if we had the money, or the large platform, a lot of support, etc. If you can’t work hard before having those things, it will never work out for you. Hard work is a trait that you have to have initially.

Sometimes it looks like something or someone was an overnight sensation, but if you really looked at their actions, you’d see that they put in a lot of work and stayed the course until the magic of the compound effect worked in their favor.

I don’t know if the chicken came before the egg, but I do know that the hard work and dedication and consistency came before the success and money. Trust the process and put in the work. It’s possible.

Faith, Motivation

Don’t over complicate things

bhillay

Life can be as easy and as simple as we want it to be. No matter the situation, it’s about having a plan and following the plan. We begin to complicate things when we veer off from the plan.

If you are religious, follow the teachings that you believe in. They are made to make life easier. I was gifted a Bible over 20 years ago that I still use to this day. The man who gifted me the Bible wrote in it “This Book will keep you from sin, sin will keep you from this Book”. Although I was only about eight years old when I received the Bible, those words have stuck with me my entire life. When I assess my life, I see that this statement has been very true. The Bible has kept me from sin, but also sin has kept me from the Bible. When I’m not studying the Bible and Gods teachings, I notice my life is more complicated than it needs to be.

You might want to lose weight. Create a workout plan and a diet, and follow it. It’s that simple. You complicate things when you don’t follow the plan.

We can also complicate things by just thinking too much. Life is much more simple and easy than we make it. Once you realize that, you can be more poise in life. We can also make poor choices that make life more complicated that it has to be. We all make mistakes in life, but it’s key to try to limit them as much as possible. When you do make a mistake, accept it and make the next right move.

Don’t over complicate things. Set a plan and follow it. Keep faith in God and yourself and you’ll reach whatever goals and aspirations that you have. It’s possible.

Motivation, Random Thoughts

Ball is Life

bhillay

If you’ve been on social media for a while, you’ve probably come across a “ball is life” person before. It represents someone who loves and live for the game (whichever sport they are passionate about). They might only wear sportswear, and everything they think or do is “ball” related. They often post pictures of themselves doing something sports related with the caption or hashtag “ball is life”. I’ve never been that extreme of an athlete, but I do think “ball is life.”

Over the years I have realized that the same traits that makes someone a great athlete, are the same traits that make them a great employee, entrepreneur, spouse, friend, and just a great person overall. I’ve come across a lot a talented athletes that didn’t pan out because they only had the physical traits to be a great athlete, and not the other traits. I’ve also come across good athletes who transitioned to be good at every other thing in life as well. To be good at sports (and life), you have be coachable, disciplined, have good time management, self-driven, a hard worker, good at teamwork, a good communicator, learn from your mistakes, have good character, etc.

I’ve noticed that the athletes that I went to college with who made it all four years as a student-athlete, are now successful in whatever field of work they chose to pursue. That’s not a surprise to me. Those same skills that made them a good athlete are still being used.

Playing Football for me was more than a sport, it had to be a way of life. Every choice I made off the field would effect me on the field. I had to have a proper diet, a good workout regimen, get good grades, stay out of trouble, get a good amount of sleep every night. Everything matters. I may have thought that what I was doing was helping me be a better player, but it really was helping me be a better person.

You can never play a sport in your life, but still have the traits of a great athlete. This will help you be great at whatever you do in life. Ball is life. Make sure you have the skills to succeed.

Motivation, Random Thoughts

I believe in you

bhillay

When was the last time you told someone you believe in them? It’s a simple four word sentence, but it carries so much weight. I’ve gained so much confidence and achieved so much over the years because I was surrounded by people who believed in me and made sure to tell me through their words and actions.

You may show others that you believe in them through your actions, but telling them is essential also. The key word in “I believe in you” is the word you. You should believe in someone as a person, not in just one aspect of their lives. Everyone needs to know that they are believed in no matter the situation.

It was easy to believe in me when it came to sports and football. I was clearly talented. Those aren’t the people that I want around me. I want people around me that believes in me as a person, and in everything that I do.

Make it an effort to tell your kids, family, friends, even strangers, that you believe in them. It might be the four words that they need to hear to keep going.

Whoever is reading this right now: I believe in you. Keep going.

Motivation

Give yourself credit

bhillay

It’s easy to only look at the things that you didn’t do, or to only focus on your shortcomings. Give yourself credit for all of the positive things that you do on a daily basis.

My might not have worked out today, but give yourself credit for even having the desire to want to work out, or for having the guilt of not working out. There may have been a time when working out wasn’t on your mind at all.

You might not complete every task that you set out to complete today, but give yourself credit for the ones that you do complete, and make it an effort to get even more things done the next day.

We need to give ourselves credit for the little things that we do in order to keep that positive momentum moving forward. When we are too hard on ourselves is when can begin to be counterproductive and lose the confidence and desire that we need to reach our goals.

It’s about progression, not perfection, so give yourself credit whenever you do something that moves you in the right direction towards your goals and aspirations. Celebrate the small wins, and understand that the big wins are still achievable.

Uncategorized

Study the consequences

bhillay

Consequences are more important than decisions. We often make choices without thinking about the consequences from those choices. It might sound like a good idea right now, but if it lands you in prison in the future, maybe it isn’t such a good idea after all. You might get some type of instant gratification right now, but that doesn’t mean it will not have a negative effect on your life in the long run. That goes for all decisions, from what we decide to eat today, to what person we decide to get into a relationship with.

A question that I often ask myself before making a decision, that I got from Dr. Myles Munroe, is “will I enjoy remembering this” if the answer is “no”, then I don’t do it. I also like to think about all possible outcomes and consequences before I make a decision. This helps me make better choices in life. You should try it also.

Motivation

Temporary conditions

bhillay

In the medical world, temporary conditions are injuries or conditions that do not last long and are not chronic. Like a sprained ankle, broken finger, concussions, pregnancy, a common cold, etc.

I’ve sprained my ankle more times than I can count. Whenever it happens, I don’t panic. I just do what’s needed to get back to normal after a few days. I once tore my achilles. I knew that I would need surgery and about a year to recover, but I knew that was a temporary condition also.

It doesn’t always have to be injuries. You might be temporarily broke, or temporarily homeless, or temporarily unmotivated. It’s about having optimism and an understanding that these unfortunate conditions are not permanent.

Temporary conditions do not change on their own though. When I sprained my ankle, I had to rest and put it on ice. When I tore achilles, I had to have surgery as well as months of rehab. I needed to do things to make sure those conditions were temporary.

There’s always something to do to make your conditions temporary, rather it’s an injury or your financial status. It takes faith and effort. Don’t do things that are counterproductive. If you do that, you will be in that condition longer than you have to be. And like the quote says; “don’t make a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion/condition”.

Motivation, Random Thoughts

Do not cast your pearls

bhillay

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime… but if that man isn’t open to learn how to fish, don’t bother trying to teach him.

In the Bible Jesus says “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” – Matthew 7:6. We shouldn’t offer something valuable to someone who doesn’t understand its value.

You might want to offer help or guidance to someone, but they might not be receptive to what you have to offer. That’s ok. Find someone who is . If someone doesn’t want change or grow or learn, you can’t make them. Find an audience who wants to.

You might have a good creation or idea, but do not receive the support that you’d like from your family and friends. That’s ok. It might not be for them. If you put the work out into the world, the right people will find it. You shouldn’t keep trying to force it on the same people, and you shouldn’t take it personal when people that you know aren’t as supportive as you’d like.

It’s also good to self-reflect at times and make sure that you are receptive to valuable advice or guidance and support from others. Sometimes our own non-receptiveness is what hinders us from growth, and even success. No matter who the person is, they can have something valuable that they can teach you.

Don’t waste good advice on someone who doesn’t want to listen. Find the man who wants to learn how to fish.

Motivation

Just finish

bhillay

“You can’t finish what you don’t start, and you should never start what you’re not committed to finish.” — Gary Ryan Blair

Always finish what you start. There will be times when you want to quit, but there’s nothing better than the satisfaction of finishing something and knowing that you did not give up. This will help you become resilient. This will make other challenges in life easier to get through.

You can’t place in a race unless you finish. One of the things I loved most about running track was when it was that person who was in last place in a long distance race, and the entire crowd would clap and cheer for them as they crossed the finish line. They may have taken last place, but they finished. That’s what everyone was proud of. They won the mental and physical battle.

I never quit a sport or a team in my life. As a kid, my mom wouldn’t let me. I’m glad she instilled that mentality in me. There will be times when you don’t like your team, or your job, or whatever endeavor you choose to pursue. Things will get hard or mundane and quitting will be the easiest thing to do. Not quitting and getting through those times is what helps build character. You’ll learn a lot of life lessons along the way.

There’s no better feeling to me than finishing a book. Even if I don’t like the book, I’m still satisfied that I finished what I started. This is a mentality that has been very beneficial in my life.

My senior year in college I decided to drop out of classes to pursue playing in the NFL. I only had about a semester and a half until graduating. I was on a full ride scholarship and chose to give that up to follow my dreams. I knew I would be able to eventually come back and finish my degree (even if I had to pay out of pocket) because I’ve developed the habit of finishing whatever I start. It wasn’t a “if” but a “when” for me when it came to graduating.

You can separate yourself from competition just by finishing. A lot of people will begin to write a book, or make an album, or take courses in college, etc, but not everyone will finish. If you can finish whatever it is that you start, you already beat out half of the competition.

The only way to find out what will come from certain situations is to finish. If you are a creator, you have to finish whatever you’re creating and get it out into the universe to really see what will come from it. There might be someone out there who needs whatever you’re creating. They just need you to finish it.

Just like that person who comes in last place in the distance race, you will be rewarded no matter what, if you finish.