Against all odds, this is the realist blog I ever wrote. In the words of the late and great, Tupac Shakur. This blog will address answers to typical life challenges and hidden fears that stymie our progression and our desire to seek a better existence. How do we matter? How do we face real sh** without complaining, explaining, and draining our positive spirit? The simple response is to just be and to be the best we (me) in ever moment. That notion sounds very logical and easy, but not practical and understandable for many people. My authentic and organic reply will make it transparent and extremely digestible for your insatiable palates for personal and professional successes. If you read this with an open-mind and open-heart, you will learn something that will shift your paradigm from an excuse-ridden one to an indomitable one. We will transform from boy to man, girl to woman, novice to expert, and coward to hero. This writing will lead you on your own personal legend, to a virtual world of royalty and to an unmasking of unlimited opportunities toward personal greatness.

Prior to getting started, we must acknowledge that all obstacles and/or challenges derive from our hidden fears predicated by our domesticated beliefs and nurtured environments. For example, I struggled for many years with the idea of right and wrong, and the tallying of my wrongs. The more I counted all of my transgressions, the more I became consumed by the dreaded fear of hell; a place of constant pain, suffering, and turmoil. I also believed all of my devious or imperfect actions were caused by the devil, inciting me to believe that I was serving the devil. My domesticated beliefs protected me from witnessing the true devil was “me” and that my so-called transgressions were experiences that led me to the truth. This truth set me free to the idea that God resides in us, and it is not an outside force that stops us from our individual greatness. When I had two kids prior to 18 years of age, it was not the temptation that yielded me to so-called sin; it was me that pursued sex and procreated with these two women.

To continue with that story, it was not the government that led me to -$70 in my bank account or the threat of being locked up for failure to pay child support. It was me, and my lack of financial resources that created this financial collapse and psychological state of stress. Instead of viewing this circumstance as a loss frame (e.g., glass half empty), I invested in viewing it as a gain frame (e.g., glass half full). It gave me an opportunity to apply my worst-case scenario and to face my fear of having no money and being locked up for failure to pay. When I conquered that hypothetical fear, I found peace, power, love, and joy. This discomfort became my personal legend and transition from boy to man and coward to hero. My story might differ from your personal stories, but we can always find growth opportunities in our own stories. The question is how does one find the challenge, meet the challenge, and conquer the challenge?

First and foremost, we must seek out the challenge and address the elephant in our lives. We all have a flight or fight response, so we must never run from our obstacles; we stand up and face them. The first step is to acknowledge the initial fear and accept it as the origin of our individual truths. My fear was the inability to pay my bills and never being able to pay my bills. The second step is to deal with my emotions. I acknowledged that I did not believe I should have to pay the amount being garnished, and it made me angry. Once I understood my negative vibration, I took a deep breath and smiled. Then, I understood my beliefs did not matter in this situation. I had to be virtuous and produce positive energy. The final step was to take constructive measures to solve my immediate and long-term money issues. Finally, I knew I had to cut my expenses and to find a way to make a sustainable income that would ameliorate my money issues. This inspired me to enroll in college and to keep an open-mind about future opportunities while evolving as an enlightened individual.

I adopted the mantra that “I generate wealth and no one can save me but me.” This produced an on switch that enabled me to keep climbing and to never stop aspiring for personal and professional greatness. This is my solution to facing all odds and beating them: we need to address ourselves first, recognize our faults, and stop allowing our indoctrinated beliefs to skew our responses to challenging situations. The fearful and taxing part is to unmask ourselves to learned behavior and to seek our individual truths at all cost, understanding that it is not easy, but it will be very rewarding. Remember, my three-step process: accept fear, embrace emotions with a smile (positive energy), and take action. I charge us to continue transcending to our individual awesomeness, from boy to man, girl to woman, and coward to hero.

Dr. James Arthur Williams