My dad came into my room this morning and asked me “how’s life?”…. For those of you that don’t know my dad, he kinda reminds me of Mufasa in Lion King. When I was younger I always thought he had it all figured out and he was the toughest/coolest person I knew. As I grew, I realized he was only tough when he needed to be. I guess you can say he was slow to anger. He never got into fights and always kept his cool…. Well almost always…. The only time I ever really saw a fire in his eyes was when he was playing sports or if someone threatened his family.

My mom is the same way. She may not be as tough as my dad, but she will outsmart you. She always played to her strengths or her opponents weaknesses. It kinda reminded me of Mrs. Incredible or the mother from the movie Brave. She would do anything to protect her family and never took no for an answer. Most of my friends are more scared of her than they are of my dad. No matter how hurt she is, she always keeps her calm and never lets it show.

Now you know where I get my personality from…. Like my parents, I hate to lose. The only fights I’ve ever been in were a result of sports or someone picking on my loved ones. My parents have always taught me to leave it all on the court (or in the pool in some cases) I mean, how many black kids do you know that grew up playing water polo? I got so many weird looks and comments made because I was somewhere people didn’t think I belonged. I’ve learned that even when you finish school things don’t really change. You have to be prepared both mentally and physically or the world will eat you alive.

No matter how different we are, we still look up to someone… Even when we don’t realize it, we are subconsciously trying to find something to follow. When we set goals we look at celebrities or public figures and try to model their lifestyle. If you went through my Insta feed you would see a whole lot of basketball. Players, teams, highlights, shoes and more. I was playing basketball almost every day and I didn’t even realize it. For you it might be something else like music or movies!

I’m not saying there is something wrong, we just need to be aware of what we feed or minds. We must be the “Task Manager” of our own lives and not be controlled.

1. Control yourself: Stop and think about your every day routines

2. Alter your thoughts: Figure out what is influencing your life both positively and negatively

3. Delete the negatives: If you don’t need it or it has a negative impact, let it go

When we follow those 3 steps we make a conscious decision of who we want to be. Your life can be transformed when you change what you tell yourself. When you expect the best, you open up your mind to endless possibilities!