CONTROLLING YOUR EMOTIONS

OPIPHANY #18: Emotions are funny in that they are often times provoked by others but in a healthy mental able body are solely controlled by that individual. Stop blaming others for how you feel. Learn to control how you respond to certain situations and own the role of the gatekeeper to your emotions. A lack of control only further complicates issues.

MAKINGS OF A GREAT LEADER

OPIPHANY #17: Anyone can be a follower, but it takes a special person to be a leader. The act of leading is a selfless act. It requires the courageous sacrifice of personal gain to properly position oneself to birth a vision that is for the betterment of others. The greatest leaders aren't memorialized for what they did, but for the impact they had on the masses. A leader that keeps this concept at the forefront of all that they do, will continue to harvest ingenious methods of bringing their visions to fruition. 

THE ADVANTAGE OF FAILURE

OPIPHANY #16: Solutions are birthed from the presence of problems. The best advice can often come from people that have experienced the subject matter at hand or have an intimate  understanding of it. Failure can sometimes become one's catalyst to success. Embrace your tribulations for it may hold the key to your victory and breakthrough.

UNDERSTANDING

OPIPHANY #15: You cannot begin the process of understanding someone's point of view until you first drop your own pre-conceived notions that you carry. Only then do you have free hands to hold their point of view and fully examine it objectively. Frequent arguing can often times be resolved when a commitment is made to understand each other better. UNDERSTANDING = putting your thoughts UNDER, and STANDING IN the other person's shoes for a different point of view. 

DON'T GET IN YOUR OWN WAY

OPIPHANY #14: The biggest obstacle you can place in your way is YOURSELF. Things like negative thinking, pessimism, and insecurities are all forms of self abuse. We don't recognize them as such, but they all carry the same destructive consequences. It's never a good thing when the person keeping you from your dreams and goals is YOU. Become your #1 fan and attain what is rightfully yours.

PIECES TO A BIGGER PICTURE

OPIPHANY #13: The beauty of life is that no human is exactly the same. We were all created with our own identity and purpose. The moment you TRY to be unique is the moment you are trying to be like someone else. Be YOUnique and embrace individuality. Once you fully accept who you are you will build a bigger threshold of tolerance for others. Like a puzzle, we are all one of a kind pieces that complete a bigger picture -- don't lose your piece.

DECISION MAKING

OPIPHANY #12: Don't spend life worrying about making the wrong decision. Be concerned about not making one at all. You can't stand without a backbone and you can't fully assess a decision or benefit from it if one was never made. LIVE to LEARN and LEARN to LIVE.

SELFLESS LOVE

OPIPHANY #11: Selfless Love. It's a concept some find second nature to do while others struggle to practice it. Until one realizes their purpose in life has nothing to do with them they will never reach their maximum fulfillment. Make it your duty to make enriched deposits in others lives, and you'll receive more from life than you could ever imagine.

GREATEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN

OPIPHANY #10: You don't buy a book to read the first and last page for you would miss out on the essence of the story. Life doesn't come with cliff notes. Stop worrying yourself about the end result, realize that part is inevitable. Your life will be remembered not based on how it ended but on what you did. The best books are remembered not for their ending, but for their memorable story line. Take time and enjoy writing your story..you only get one book..make it great!

IMPAIRED VISION

OPIPHANY #9: If you only had one eye, your perception of DEPTH would be greatly altered. We have two eyes for a reason. In life we ought not just see things at FACE VALUE but to also apply effort and due diligence in seeing what's behind it all. Choosing to be ignorant is walking through life with impaired vision.

THE DIFFERENCE PASSION MAKES

OPIPHANY #8: PASSION is the element that makes good things GREAT! It's the difference between a bad lover and a good lover. It's the difference between day dreaming and LIVING your dreams. Passion is the adrenaline of all emotions..let it fuel the things that matter the most to you and you will always come out a winner. Passion gives what you do and how you do it purpose and sincerity.

POWER OF WORDS

OPIPHANY #7: Words are powerful..they can breath life into something and can also damage a person. Sometimes words from people you value feel painful because they expose truths about ourselves. Constructive criticism is the pressure and heat that turns coal into diamonds. Beauty comes at a price..learn to stand the heat.

PERFECT IMPERFECTION

OPIPHANY #6: Take comfort in knowing NO ONE is perfect and even the best still flawed. Don't allow the feeling of inadequacy created by others to paralyze your progression in life. Rather let it serve as a catalyst to your REFORM. When you make it your duty to build a strong fire..the illumination becomes blinding to the eye of the critic. Everyday you're here on earth is another day to do and be better.