PREPARE YOUR EYES TO READ AND YOUR HEART TO RECEIVE AS YOU TAKE IN THE WORDS THAT LOOK TO CHANGE LIVES, RENEW HEARTS, AND OPEN MINDS Our society is vast in assigning titles. One of those titles is the G.O.A.T., The Greatest of All Time. People such as Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Mohamed Ali, Kobe Bryant, and the list goes on and on have had this title spoken over them. What do all of these people have in common? They understand that to succeed; they had to lose certain things to gain other things. They put in extra practice and work when others were doing other things. They also had to mentally prepare themselves by not allowing hecklers, naysayers, and doubters to steer them away from focusing on what mattered the most, to improve and be better than they were the day before. We all like to know what others think about us; even Jesus was curious about the opinion of others. In Matthew 16:13-16, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" After hearing their answers, the next question he asked was, "But who do you say I am?" It is excellent to find out how others perceive you, but I think it is invaluable for you to know who you are. It's not your job to imitate or conform to who or what they want you to be, nor is it wise to compete against anyone to measure up. The best lesson to learn is how to motivate and compete against yourself. Taking the time to reflect on your past and planning for your future keeps you grounded and focused in the present. It's not enough for you to dream about the future because while your thoughts produce action, your action ultimately creates your life. So here are some questions you should ask yourself: Who am I, and what am I doing to be better than I was yesterday? Am I giving my best to be all I can be? What's stopping me from being the G.O.A.T in my relationships, work, home, and myself? Anita Baker sang "Giving You The Best That I Got." I copied some of the lyrics to her song and made it personal. How much more could you achieve in your life if you thought like this? "We I love so strong and so unselfishly, And I tell you now that I made a vow TO MYSELF. I'm giving you MYSELF the best that I got, baby; yes, I tell you now that I made a vow TO MYSELF. I'm giving you MYSELF the best that I got, honey, Everybody's got opinions, 'Bout the way they think our MY story's gonna end. Some folks feel it's just a superficial thrill; Everybody's gonna have to think again." For my personal story, I recently started baking cakes again, and I will be the first to admit that I might not be the best cake decorator, but when it comes to taste, well, I say less. Some old folks would say, "you put your foot in that." When someone tastes my cake and can only give me a thumbs up because they are savoring the taste, I realize that the vow I made to give my best is when I know I didn't let myself down. What vow can you make to yourself today that will allow you to be more confident, goal-oriented, friendlier, open-minded, dependable, honest, determined, flexible, encouraging, and all the other positive characteristics? The opinions of others will continue to vary, but what you believe about yourself is what matters. You might not receive the high accolades from others to be considered the G.O.A.T. but realize that you don't have to prove who you are when you know who you are. #SPEAK2MYHEART
