Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Brady Quinn's Got It Right

So Brady Quinn is now one of my favorite NFL players and it has nothing to do with what he did on the field on Sunday.  No, it was after the game ended in the postgame press conference that Quinn impressed yours truly.

In case you haven't heard, Quinn's teammate Javon Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend then himself this past Saturday.  You can read more about it here.  Here's what Quinn had to say concerning the tragedy:




I'm not really sure if it's possible to watch this video and not cheer for this guy.  The realness of his message is inescapable. We can't avoid tragedy all together, but we can make a concerted effort to support the ones that we care about in life and their well-being.  That's the least we can do.


Monday, November 26, 2012

Monday Inspiration: "You Just Have to Do Something"

Happy Monday, good people.

I recently ran across a blog by a designer/entrepreneur named Jonathan Moore.  While I'm a fan of several of the posts, there was one post in particular that was pertinent and seemed to speak to questions that I've been having recently.  Check it out below:

Throughout life we are impacted with moments that are rich with meaning and significance. Regardless of the joy or sorrow that these moments create, it is our job to listen and respond. This summer I was given the gift of one of those profound moments.On a warm August afternoon, my wife and I invited some close friends over for lunch to spend the day swimming in our pool. We were in the water playing with our kids, watching them one-up each other jumping in, and playing all the usual games.
One of the times my daughter climbed out to jump back in, she cried out in pain after stepping on a bee. As soon as I pulled out the stinger left behind in her foot, one by one more bees began to swarm. Thinking that the dead bee was attracting others, I picked it up and went inside to throw it away.
The moment I opened the trash in the kitchen I heard my wife scream outside. It wasn’t an ordinary scream. I look outside right at the moment she was diving into the water. Racing outside I was certain that she was being attacked by the aggressive bees.
I made it to the edge of the water right when she was coming up. My heart sank. In her arms was our little boy, blue and lifeless.
Frantically I took him into my arms as she began to yell for help and call 911. I will never forget what it felt like to hold him in that moment. Laying him on the ground I cried out to God for help. Even though I have never been trained for CPR, instincts on some level kicked in. I started desperately performing a series of chest compressions and breaths. After an eternity of seconds I saw the life and color return to his face. My boy was saved.
The paramedics arrived shortly after, and within minutes we were on our way to the hospital. During the trip one of the paramedics reassured my wife that he was going to be just fine because CPR was performed right away. After all this was his seventh time to be called out for a drowning this summer, and the only one that did not end in tragedy.
The next day in the ICU, we had a great conversation with the pediatrician. I recounted the entire story, chain of events and explained how I had no clue what I was doing with CPR. He compassionately listened, and then replied, “You don’t have to do it right. You just have to do something.” My boy is alive simply because something was done.
When we are presented with moments of crisis, large decisions or new opportunities often we find ourselves crippled by the lack of knowledge. We justify inaction with our insecurities in not knowing the right way to move forward. Or we trap ourselves in an endless search for knowledge to attempt to reassure our actions.
Over the course of my career and journey as an entrepreneur, I have learned that success and fulfillment is found when we push ourselves beyond our comfort zone. There is tremendous value in having knowledge ahead of time—I am now CPR certified—but simply taking action is often what it takes.
You don’t have to do it right. You just have to do something.
I couldn't have said it better myself. 

Cheers,

JIP

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Keep on Pushing

In case you've been, M.I.A. over the last day or so, here's the new Lebron commercial that debuted last night.  I'm not even a huge Lebron fan, but this is dope.  Proof that hard work pays off.



Monday, October 22, 2012

Monday Inspiration: "Will"

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you "Will" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox:


There is no chance, no destiny, no fate,
Can circumvent or hinder or control
The firm resolve of a determined soul.
Gifts count for nothing; will alone is great;
All things give way before it, soon or late.
What obstacle can stay the mighty force
Of the sea-seeking river in its course,
Or cause the ascending orb of day to wait?

Each well-born soul must win what it deserves.
Let the fool prate of luck. The fortunate
Is he whose earnest purpose never swerves,
Whose slightest action or inaction serves
The one great aim. Why, even Death stands still,
And waits an hour sometimes for such a will.


Well, that's good enough for me to start my day.

Cheers,

JIP

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Gifted and Cursed: Confidence



Good people, it's been way too long. Check out the piece below that I wrote for The Infamous L a couple of weeks back. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on this.

Ah, a gift and a curse. You could probably make an argument that most things in life can be looked at as either, so this was tough to narrow down. But today, I’m going to focus on my gifted curse (see what I did there?) of confidence.

From a young age, I was blessed enough to have people in my life that instilled in me a sense of self-confidence that I have carried with me and continue to develop each day. It’s actually a part of my life’s motto: live confidently, control the things that I can control, and have a good time while I’m here. Possessing self-confidence is certainly a gift. Self-confidence, however, isn’t necessarily as easy to identify as you might believe.

I find that cockiness is often mistaken for confidence, and this mistaken identity is the curse. It’s like mistaking Memphis Bleek for Jay-Z. Yeah, you’ve seen them together a lot, but it’s completely disrespectful to confuse the two. Cockiness is basically me putting myself up on a pedestal and convincing you that I should be there. You could make an argument that some level of cockiness is not a bad thing, but it’s not a substitute for confidence. The main reason is that cockiness lacks a solid foundation.

Cockiness is a “what have you done for me lately?” type of feeling. Oh, you got her number? You start feeling yourself a little bit, BOOM, that cockiness level goes up. Oh, you crushed that interview today? Double BOOM…cockiness level goes even higher. Your swag (yes, swag) is on a whole different level right now. But wait…the number she gave you is disconnected? Oh…that cockiness comes down a little bit. And about that interview, maybe you didn’t crush it like you thought you had. Let’s bring that cockiness down a little bit more.

The point I’m trying to make is that cockiness is fleeting. It starts to come out when random events are going in your favor. But life tells us all that you can’t always win. So what keeps you going during your down times? That’s where your confidence kicks in.

Being confident doesn’t mean you’re invincible. We’re humans, we all lose, we all are vulnerable, but it’s not about any of that. Being confident doesn’t exempt you from human emotions, but being confident in yourself allows you to fight through your down times, knowing that something better is out there. Confidence has the sustainability that cockiness lacks because it’s based on a foundation. Whatever that foundation is: your circle of family and friends, your spirituality, or something completely different, it exists, and it’s your source of strength. That’s why it’s a gift; it keeps you going when that’s all you got.

Be careful out here, good people. Don’t let a pretty curse convince you that it’s a gift.

Cheers,

JIP



Friday, August 24, 2012

Inspiration: Good Ol' Jim Beam

Happy Friday, all.  Hopefully everyone's had a solid week and is looking forward to the good times that the weekend brings.  As we mentally withdraw from work, school, or whatever daily task should technically have our attention now, I want to bring your attention to a tv spot from Jim Beam that I saw a while back which deals with the choices that we make or don't make and the impact that they have on our lives.

Check out the ad below, featuring Willem Dafoe:





Great ending line: "All choices lead you somewhere, bold choices take you where you're supposed to be".    There's a fine line between providing a memorable message and just coming off as trying to hard and Jim Beam nailed it.  Plus, combining whiskey with a positive message (or anything else) is my idea of a winning combination.

Have a great weekend, good people.

Cheers,

JIP

Monday, August 20, 2012

JIP's Ramblings: In Defense of the word "Cool"




Good morning, good people. Let me pose a question: what does being cool mean to you? How is it that when we first meet someone we normally decide after a few words whether or not we consider a person “cool”? Taking it a step further, is this even a fair assessment for us to make?

Personally, I think that being cool has gotten a bad rap due to the surface-level connotation that’s become associated with it, so humor me and allow me to play defense attorney for the word “cool” here.

After discussing this question with some friends (more on them later), we came up with this: cool is the unapologetic approach for being who you are. So, I’m not talking about your exterior presence; that’s not who you actually are. Being cool is not about fitting into some mold of what society has deemed to be popular. That’s a trend. Trends come and go all the time and leave a trail of untagged Facebook pictures that we hope disappear from existence.

When I discuss being cool, I'm talking about what’s inside of you. This does not come and go. The person that you are when you’re all alone and forced to face yourself is the essence of your cool. The person who has a firm understanding of this and lets that individual shine through is the person who is truly cool.

Being cool is being true to who you are at all times, knowing that this might not always be the popular thing to do. You’re not a party person? That’s fine, go find what gets you excited in life. We all have our individual preferences, so never let anyone tell you what yours should be. The bottom-line is that you have to be yourself.

Finding this person is definitely a journey. I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I’m the same person that I was when I was 16 (thank God). As you go through life, the goal is to grow and evolve into a better, more complete person. Just to reiterate, though, be careful not to confuse your exterior person as what makes you cool. That person is going to change as the years go by. The person you are on the inside, however, isn’t going anywhere. You’re pretty much stuck with him/her, so you might as well make him/her the best that he/she can be.

Alright, that’s probably enough from me, so I’ll let the defense rest at this point. As I take my seat (and ponder whether or not I should take my awesomeness to law school), let me just add that I would love to hear your individual perspectives on what is cool to you. My ramblings aren’t the end all, be all, so feel free to join the conversation.

I don't say this enough, but thanks for visiting and I hope you come back soon.

Cheers,

JIP

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

JIP's Ramblings: The Fighters

“People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”- President Abraham Lincoln

What I’m starting to realize more and more over time is that you have to fight for your happiness in life. For those of us who are fortunate, there is an initial period of happiness that we are granted through the innocence of our adolescence. At some point along the way, however, our innocence is taken away from us. This process can be gradual or it can be a dramatic, life-changing, experience; in either case, at this point we begin to realize the complexities of the world and the people within it and that things aren’t as simple as we once thought. Through these realizations, the world becomes a colder, less familiar place than the one we thought we knew. This is when it is most important for us to realize that we have a fight on our hands.

The reality of it all is that we all will experience moments of sadness and disappointment. Things will not always go our way. That’s why we have to have some fight within us to carry us through these moments of hardship. It’s the rare individual that happiness is handed to without any trials or tribulations. The true question is are we willing to fight for our happiness or do we let life get the best of us? Are we willing to take a couple of bumps and bruises in pursuit of something greater or does fear of more hurt and pain cause us to shy away from our God-given right to be happy?

And when our good times do come, we must not get full of ourselves, especially knowing how quickly things can change and how fragile life is. The humble person appreciates life’s blessings for however long that we have them. We know that we will have our ups and downs. We have to have the fight and the strength within ourselves to make sure that our good times are more frequent visitors to our lives than our bad times are. I hope that we all are ready for a hell of a fight because our happiness is out there.

Cheers,

JIP

Friday, August 10, 2012

Inspiration: "Go Forth"


Happy Friday, good people.  So is it just me, or are TV ads becoming deeper than they were before?  Perfect example, this Levi's commercial which features the poem "The Laughing Heart" by Charles Bukowski.  Check it out:




See also the actual poem below:

your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.

-- by Charles Bukowski

I've found some other good ones that I've found out there, but this is a good one that gives us something to think about as we head into the weekend.  I hope you enjoy it...the poem and the weekend...both are good times.

Cheers,

JIP

Monday, August 6, 2012

Monday Morning Inspiration: The True Meaning of Life

"We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one hundred years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful, with our lives. If you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life." -H. H. The 14th Dalai Lama

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

JIP's Ramblings: I Can't Complain



Happy Wednesday, good people.

Oftentimes when I speak to someone and they ask how I am, I respond with, "I can't complain". The beauty of this phrase is how true it is...I really can't complain. Are there things in life that I wish were different? Sure. Am I perfectly content with my life? Not exactly. But you have to put life into perspective: when I look around and see how things actually are compared to how much worse they could be, it's extremely humbling.

It's so easy to get wrapped up in our struggles and lose sight of the larger picture: life can always be worse. If we spend our time worried about how much is wrong with our current situations, we miss out on the blessings that we currently have. How's that saying go? If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's we'd grab ours back. Yeah we would.

Speaking of everyone else, the success of others is no reason for us to complain. We often only see the good things that happen to/for other people and either don't know or ignore the struggle and hard work that it took for them to get their reward. My favorite part of the Desiderata (which everybody should read) states, "If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself". The goal here is to improve your own life, not be concerned with someone else's good fortune. Like Diddy said, "Don't be mad...be motivated"*.

*I swear to you that this will be the only time that Diddy will ever be quoted on this blog.

The reality of life is that everything will never be perfect; that's not a realistic situation. But the goal here is to have the good in life outweigh the bad, and that's largely within our control. So despite life's imperfections, you'd be hard-pressed to hear any complaining from this guy.

Cheers,

JIP

Monday, July 30, 2012

Monday Morning Inspiration: "See It Through"

Happy Monday, good people.  You know, as much as I like to ramble on here, sometimes the words of others far exceed anything that I'm capable of coming up with.  Case and point, see below:


See it Through

When you're up against a trouble,
Meet it squarely, face to face;
Lift your chin and set your shoulders,
Plant your feet and take a brace.
When it's vain to try to dodge it,
Do the best that you can do;
You may fail, but you may conquer,
See it through!
Black may be the clouds about you
And your future may seem grim,
But don't let your nerve desert you;
Keep yourself in fighting trim.
If the worst is bound to happen,
Spite of all that you can do,
Running from it will not save you,
See it through!

Even hope may seem but futile,
When with troubles you're beset,
But remember you are facing
Just what other men have met.
You may fail, but fall still fighting;
Don't give up, whate'er you do;
Eyes front, head high to the finish.
See it through!


Edgar Albert Guest


See what I mean?  Thank you, Mr. Guest.

Cheers,

JIP

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Mr. Cool Man



Good people, let's be originals in a world of clones.  Why?  Because we don't want to be like Mr. Cool Man here.


Fighting for relevancy,
I know you all see the kid.
I’m still the man,
I’m what the business is.
I feed off your affection,
Your attention keeps me going.
As long as the people need me,
My heart beats, my blood keeps flowing.
Nothing lasts forever,
So I’ll one day die,
If the people love me for long enough, however,
When death comes, I won’t question why.
I just want to stick around, keep my name in your mouths,
I love my artificial coolness.
Yeah, that’s what I’m about.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Enjoy Life's Ride

Happy 4th of July, all.  Before I start eating a ridiculous amount of food today, I had a random thought: the beauty in life lies in the ride that it takes you on.  The fact that things are ever changing and you never know what will be thrown at you, that’s what we should be enjoying.

It happens to all of us from time to time that we harp on the few things in life that are not working out as we planned, while we completely overlook and take for granted the things that are going amazingly well.  Is your relationship heading south?  That’s (possibly) unfortunate.  But are you in good health?  Do you have friends and family that love you?  These are things that we can’t and shouldn’t take for granted.

The fact of the matter is that life will never be perfect.  I’ve never known anyone who no longer has wants and desires in life.  Instead of looking at that as a negative thing, how about we use that as motivation?  Because it is not perfect, we always have something to work towards...as long as we appreciate the good things that we have going on.

It all comes down to the fact that there is a larger plan that is at work for all of us.  For those who know the Desiderata, my favorite line is: “And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should”.  As a glass half full type of person, I believe that the issues that we are faced with today set us up for greatness in the future, as long as we let them.

Hopefully this means something to somebody on this beautiful Independence Day.

Cheers,

JIP

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Be An Animal



Salutations, all.

So everyone who knows me knows how much I love Alabama football (if you’re not a football fan, stick with me...I’m going somewhere...I promise). I only require maybe 5 things for survival, one of those being Alabama football. One of the main reasons that I love the team is because of the way that they play defense. They manage to play both aggressively and disciplined at the same time. This mix creates a defense that statistically ranks among the best in the nation year after year.

Now, to my bigger point: even non-football/Alabama fans can take something away from the Tide. They play animalistic, which is how we should operate in our daily lives. Being an animal is a good thing here. We have to have that same mix of aggression and discipline.

We have to be aggressive, as not much in life is handed to us; we have to go after the things we want in life. I often hear that anything worth having in life is worth working for, and I couldn’t agree more.

We also have to be disciplined. This is where preparation is key. We have to plan out what it is that we want and focus on it. We have to know that success will most likely take time. There will be others who succeed before we do, and that’s a good thing. We should use the success of others as motivation to be even more focused on our goals and what we want to achieve. Discipline is a key ingredient of success.

Maintaining the right balance of aggression and discipline is paramount, however. It’s admittedly more art than science. If we’re overly aggressive, our method lacks a sound foundation; we’re acting without a proper strategy. If we’re overly disciplined, we’re not taking any risks in life...we’re not being “stupid” (see my previous post). We have the find the perfect mix that works the best for our individual needs.

Not sold on this strategy yet? Well, for all my God-fearing folks, it’s in the Bible. One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 28:1: “The wicked flee when no man pursueth; but the righteous are as bold as a lion”.

My main point here is that we have to be animalistic to achieve the goals that we have set for ourselves in our respective lives. It is up to us to go and get whatever it is that we desire. Being an animal is a good thing…I promise.

Oh, and I’ve included a video of the world’s best football team for any who are interested in watching greatness. Animalistic nature at its finest (the Soulja Boy song is a bonus…you’re welcome).




Cheers to you all,

JIP

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Mid-week Inspiration: Be Stupid

Happy Wednesday, all.  A couple of years ago in Europe, I remember picking up a copy of a print ad booklet by the clothing company Diesel, and the cover of the ad said simply, "Be Stupid".  Intrigued, I flipped through the ad and let's just say that the book made its way back stateside with me.

In either case, the main premise of the ad is that people who do stupid things are game changers, while the so-called "smart" people ultimately look back on life with more regrets. One of my favorite quotes is, "To be stupid is to be brave.  When you risk something, that's stupid.  It's not smart to take risks.  It's stupid".

Unfortunately, I'm not able (or willing, sorry) to scan the entire print ad, but I was able to find a youtube video which basically covers all of the main points in the ad.  I hope you all enjoy it (despite the terrible music...you might want to mute that).

Let's all be a little more stupid in life.

Cheers,

JIP


Tuesday, April 17, 2012

"Terror" by Terrance T. Brown

terror took towers
tears take time
years
soaking ground zero
pale and brown hero
move together like wind through Old Glory
one hundred-ten stories
of one
story
terror took towers
terrorists take time
better spent living
sublime
worship and weddings
husbands & husbands and
husbands & wives
killed by
bad bridegrooms
wed under Holy words
that sound much like yours
TERROR took towers
teaching takes time
pillars uphold, prayers rebuild
who would judge
Jesus
for witch trials, slaves?
you've seen churches in ghettos
crosses in hoods
hoods bearing crosses
of flaming wood
but Christ...
who would say His is a hateful house?

Thursday, March 29, 2012

JIP’s Guide to Success in Relationships

Because Steve Harvey was able to write a best-selling book that is being turned into a movie, there’s no reason I can’t give my two cents on how to make a relationship work successfully.

Are people really no good? For the most part, no. You can’t fairly quantify an entire population in one bucket. We definitely are all unique, however, and therein lies the problem…and the baseline for the solution. I’ll explain:

By ways of my own doing and those of my friends, I’ve been exposed to a wide variety of personalities over the years. It’s been interesting, especially in terms of relationships. I feel like I’ve seen a little bit of everything...not much shocks me at this point. I will admit, however, that these experiences did initially somewhat sour my outlook on relationships. It seemed like there were a lot of people out there that were no good. Over time, however, I realized that it’s never quite that cut and dry. Because we’re all in different phases of our respective lives, it only makes sense that all relationships won’t work, nor should they; that’s just part of life. Some people are only looking for a good time, while others are looking to settle down ASAP. It’s simple trial and error. You experience different things to figure out what really works for you. Once you’re able to find enough commonalities among your differences with another person, you’re golden.

Of course that’s much easier said than done. For that reason, I’m here to provide JIP’s Guide to Success in Relationships.


1. You have to be able to be happy being by yourself first.

I can’t emphasize this one enough: you can’t be completely happy with someone else if you’re not comfortable being by yourself. I don’t think it’s possible, but it’s not safe either. What if things head south in the relationship? Then you’re worse off than when you started, leaving yourself questioning what went wrong.

A lot of people get into relationships just because they don’t want to be alone. Not only is that ridiculous, it’s really not fair to the other person, and karma can be a monster.

So let’s think about this: what’s the longest amount of time that you’ve been single since you were 18? There’s not necessarily a right answer here, but in between your relationships over the years there should be time where you had a chance to learn and grow as an individual. It’s one thing to give someone a chance, but it’s a completely different thing to force something that’s not there just for the sake of partnership.


2. Communicate Effectively

I’m putting this at number two because, along with my first point, you should be able to do this well prior to even considering getting into a relationship. Say you’ve been dating this girl/guy for a couple weeks now; undoubtedly the question of “where this is going” is going to rear its head. The importance of the answer to this question is often greatly underestimated. You should always answer honestly. Why? Because if you want a relationship to truly succeed, your intentions have to be clear. If you don’t know where it’s going, say that. If you do know, say that. Don’t try to give an extremely vague, convoluted answer. I’ve been down that road personally…there’s nothing good down there. Don’t just say what you think the other person wants to hear. If things eventually do end down the line, it only makes it worse if the other person realizes that you weren’t being honest the entire time. It’s always best to eliminate that gray area. That way each party knows where the other stands, and that’s one less headache to deal with.

Even outside of this initial discussion, honest communication is key throughout a relationship. If you bottle up how you’re feeling, those feelings are probably going to come out in a less than positive way at some point, and nobody wants that. If your feelings change over the course of the relationship, make sure to communicate that. Another road I’ve been down personally…it might not be the easiest thing in the world, but I guarantee you’ll be glad you did it afterwards. It’s all a learning experience.


3. Look for the warning signs.

This should probably be number 2b instead of 3. You simply have to pay attention to the things that someone says and does early on. It’s so easy to get caught up in the bliss of a new relationship and miss things that will probably lead to issues down the line. For example, If the person does something that exhibits their neediness early on and you’re one of the world’s most detached individuals, that’s not “cute”. It might be the first time, but as the relationship keeps chugging along, I guarantee that “cute” won’t be the word used anymore.

And warning signs don’t necessarily mean that something is wrong with the other person; they’re simply indicators that the person may not be the right one for you. You can’t bank on someone changing something that is at the core of their personality, nor should you want them to. Using my earlier example, if you’re just looking for something laid back, you probably shouldn’t be with someone who’s looking to settle down ASAP. That’s fine for that person…it just doesn’t work for you. It’s all about figuring out what works best.


4. Eliminate the power struggle.

Alright, you’ve gotten through the first 3 points for the time being, now you’re in this magical relationship. Excellent. You want to know how to take that magic away? Create a power struggle. That magic is now a thing of the past. A power struggle is basically both parties in a relationship doing things to show that they are the one that is in control of the relationship. To be completely honest, this is one of the more ridiculous aspects that I see in many relationships. What’s the point? I’ll give you your college or young relationships for that, but if you’re trying to cultivate a mature relationship, does this really make sense? I’m inclined to say no. Point no. 2 eliminates the need for this. Much of the gray area has been eliminated already; you’re both on the same page, so there’s really no need for a power struggle to even exist. If you’re thinking about flexing your power in the relationship, don’t. Simple.

5. Know when to call it quits.

It’s a cold world out there and there’s not always a blanket to keep us warm. Yes, that was overly dramatic, but you get my point. You gave all of the 4 previous steps a try and you realize that it just won’t work with the person you’re dating. That’s perfectly fine. That’s how it goes sometimes. So…call the whole thing off. What you shouldn’t do is drag it out. In my personal opinion, one of the worst things you can do is stay in something that you know isn’t going to work while you still have a chance to end it.

According to the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology, 41% of first marriages in America end in divorce. If you know things aren’t going to work out long-term, save your time (and your money).

Well, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen; a full-proof guide to relationship success. The most important thing to remember on your journey: things always work out the way they’re supposed to in the end…you can’t convince me otherwise. Enjoy the ride.

Take that, Steve Harvey.


Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Quiet Moments of Humility

Quiet moments of humility
Where dreams of opulence
Meet plebeian ideals
Hanging on a pendulum of moderation
Well guided nouns of grandeur define
Sordid thoughts of the throne
Painting a nihilistic masterpiece on the canvas of degradation--
Not lost is the beauty that remains beyond the shadows...
Enlightenment--
The human condition on full display
Insurrection of the masses
Philosophical solution
Passionate conclusion
Revolution!

-Gary Walton, Jr.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Moment of Clarity: Kurt Vonnegut

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be."- Kurt Vonnegut

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Monday Inspiration: Man in the Arena

Yes, I know that it’s technically Tuesday, but who’s against a little Tuesday motivation?

This section is just as much for me personally, if not more so, as it is for anyone else. How many of us start dreading Monday morning more and more as the sun begins to set on Sunday night? The promise of another long work week understandably isn’t the most motivational feeling in the world. This being said, how do we change this? Lord willing, our respective lives will be fairly long and having to work to provide a living for ourselves and our families isn’t going to change. Thus, I propose a change in our mindsets. If we start putting our time and energy into developing the things/ideas that we have been putting on hold, I truly believe that we will begin to look forward to what we will begin to accomplish. My goal with this section is to provide us all with motivation to start our week off with the mindset that we all have work to do to be successful…let’s get it done.

The first piece I will highlight is an excerpt from a 1910 speech given by President Theodore Roosevelt, which is sometimes referred to as “The Man in the Arena”.

The notable passage is below:


It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man
stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit
belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust
and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and
again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does
actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great
devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the
end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least
fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and
timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

If that doesn’t inspire you to do better, I don’t know what will.


Have a great and productive week.



Cheers,


JIP

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Album Review: Undun by The Roots (December 2011 release)


After receiving mass appeal throughout 2011 as the house band of the Jimmy Fallon Show, the Roots released the Grammy nominated LP, How I Got Over; a Hip-Hop musical masterpiece. After producing a body of work at the finest level of the art, the group seemed poised to deliver another album that had the potential to push the Roots among the names of Outkast and A Tribe Called Quest.

The Philadelphia-based Hip-Hop Jazz group has made a name for themselves by being one of the few “bands” in Hip-Hop history and easily the only Hip-Hop band obtaining any worldwide success and distribution. The sounds of true instruments and real vocalist on original choruses (instead of sampled records) have become the hallmark of the group’s success and uniqueness. The lead emcee, Black Thought, seems to improve with age, becoming easily one of the most underrated emcees of all-time. With so many positive features, it’s difficult for the album titled, Undun to miss the mark for musical ingenuity.

The intro begins and ends without a clear motive, but slides into the first song rather smoothly. The album begins with the song Sleepwhere just the mere sound of Black Thought over a ?uestlove produced track picks up your day. However, the drums don’t come in until the song titled Make Mywhere Black Thought Explains:

Whatever, see it’s really just a matter of semantics
When everybody’s fresh out of collateral to damage
And, my plan got me praying like a mantis
I begin to vanish, feel the pull of a blank canvas
I’m contemplating that a special dedication
To whomever it concerns, my letter of resignation
Fadin’ back the black, my dark coronation
The heat of the day, the long robe in word take
That soul in the atmosphere like air play
If there is heaven I can’t find the stair way

After a very slow start, the album picks up with some soulful, jazzy tunes in Kool On, The Other Side, and Lighthouse where Black Thought draws the disappear comparison of having loss in your life to being out in the ocean:

After the love is lost, friendship dissolve
And even blood is lost
Way that it began, the way we did each other wrong
Troubled water neither one of us could swim across
I stopped holding my breath, now am I better off?
Yeah, without a trace and you in my head in all
The hunted motion of a rebel without a pause
What in do is done, to you in dead in gone
The Grim Reaper telling me to swim deeper
Where the people go to low and behold, the soul keeper
I’m not even breaking out in a sweat, a cold fever
But I’m never paying up on my debt or tolls either
I leave the memories here, I won’t need ‘em
If I stop thinking the lie, now that’s freedom

None of the album’s features were really commendable; not even the fallen Phonte of The Foreign Exchange (and now defunct Little Brother) made a noteworthy appearance. The album ends with a fury of hardcore Hip-Hop jazzy instrumentals that probably weren’t appeasing to none one but the most abstract jazz fans.

You never really capture the “Undun” theme throughout the entire album unless the Roots were telling us they are “dun” themselves. If that’s the case, you would have hoped to have been left with something a lot better.

Album Ratings -

Lyrics: 15 of 20
Production: 17 of 20
Creativity: 14 of 20
Theme: 8 of 20
Consistency: 10 of 20
Rating Scale -
Trash:
Weak: 50-59
***Average: 60-69
Solid: 70-79
Premium: 80-89
Elite: 90-97
Masterpiece: 90-100 (and at least three 20 of 20 rating)

Only the most avid fans of the Roots would enjoy this album fully. Although it had some high points, this is only average work from an above average group.


--Deandre P

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Be Legendary

“I sit (back) everyday and ask what can I do to make a difference…”- Kanye West via Twitter

Sadly (or maybe not so sadly), all of our days are numbered…the majority of us have no idea how long we’ll be here, and that’s a lot to take in. The fact that something is out of our hands, that something so big is largely decided by factors out of our control, is a scary prospect.

We have to control the things we can control in life. Our existence is finite, fine; what are we going to do with the time we have? Are we merely going to exist, simply going through the motions of life until our time comes? That’s the prospect that really makes me fearful.

You can’t convince me that people are here to just exist; we are here to make sure we leave this world in a better state than we got here. Everyone’s contributions won’t be the same, granted, but nobody’s contributions can be discounted. It’s not a competition; it’s working to find out how we can fight through the comfort of complacency to be individuals that all make a difference.

We can all be legendary. True legends make the world better. They are remembered for their contributions because they outlive them. Since our days are numbered, let’s make sure our good works are not.

Cheers,

JIP

Monday, January 2, 2012

The Lost Art of Individuality

First off, let me start by saying happy 2012 to everyone. It’s truly a blessing to be here, because Lord knows we could easily not have been granted this opportunity to keep on living and getting better.

That being said, I want to focus on something that I feel is lacking in this world, but hopefully we can start a turnaround this year: individuality. Too often we do things because we’re told that we should be, rather than going with our instincts or what we believe in. Whether it’s tv, blogs, magazines, it seems to me that a lot of our actions are indirectly being dictated by someone or something other than ourselves.

And it completely makes sense. According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day. On top of that, as of 2009, the average American spent 13 hours a week on the internet. While there’s nothing wrong with tv or internet (especially during football /basketball seasons) does it not make sense that by spending that kind of time watching and reading about the lives of others that we fail to fully develop ourselves?

But what is it that REALLY keeps us from reaching our full potential? Is it fear? Fear of being individuals? Fear of failure? It’s easy for me to hop on ESPN and read who the top draft picks are, but is that really benefitting me at all? Or am I just putting off doing something on that never-ending checklist that we all have? I can talk about sports all day, but what about the things that have been on my agenda for a year now?

I’ll tell you this: if we always take the safest route, we’re likely to end up regretting our decisions, or lack thereof, along the way. And granted, we might not do too bad, but there’s always that feeling that we could have done more. On the other hand, if we take more chances, I believe we can live with the results, however varied they may be.

As individuals, we all will experience some degree of failure; that’s a given. But if we’re trying, if we’re really trying to do something that’s more than what we are currently doing, we should applaud each other for our efforts.

I don’t necessarily believe in resolutions, but I ask that we all focus on finding our individuality. If we really work on that this year, I don’t think there’s any way we can look back on 2012 with any regrets.

Cheers to you,

JIP

God Bless the Dreamers

Incomplete dreams lie waiting for an ending; waiting for someone to believe in their truth, because the realities of life don't favor the dreamers.

Dreams become fairytales and fade into obscurity, leaving their former residents lost in the sea of a monotony,

Happy thoughts now restricted to the late Sunday nights for the man who dreads what Monday morning will bring. Please, anything but Monday morning...

In actuality, the realities that once existed provided the dreams that are now desired,

No matter how light-hearted they were, they were nonetheless fulfilling; if only we could rewind life to return to the times we enjoyed the most.

Instead, we place our faith in the belief that life runs full circle and not only will our dreams of old return, but they will be accompanied by new ones.

Until this time, we dream...and God blesses the dreamers.