October Updates

Now that Weathering The Storm has been released (August 28th), I am working to expand my footprint as a new author. This takes significant time and effort, but thus far I've made tremendous progress towards accomplishing all the goals I set. Part of this expansion includes establishing a presence on Goodreads (amazing site) and Amazon, and letting that presence trickle down from there. In the coming weeks, I will also have more information on niche events I'm planning to schedule in both Ohio and Virginia. All of the work I do now will serve as a major launching pad into 2013, which is usually how the life cycle of a book operates. In the meantime, here are a couple of links -

Goodreads, October Giveaway (will hold monthly) - http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/35579-weathering-the-storm 

Goodreads, Weathering The Storm page -
 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15897883-weathering-the-storm

Goodreads, my author page -
 http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6496672.J_Junior_Reynolds_II

Amazon, Weathering The Storm seller page -
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1618627457/ref=dp_olp_0?ie=UTF8&condition=all

Amazon, my author page -

www.amazon.com/author/jjunior2

These pages are all still under construction, so will change a over the course of the next few months. If you'll note - Amazon lists the book at a $7.99 rate instead of the list $9.99 price - consider it a sale. Since these books will come directly from me, books purchased via Amazon will be signed.

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By the first day of 2013, my goal is to export my blog (Live Unconquered) to its own website. This will allow me more formatting and web creation freedom than I have under the Blogger domain, and offer a united website to post all my links (Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Twitter, Facebook, etc.). I have already started working on this project and look forward to completing it over the holiday season.

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With all eyes already focused towards 2013, Live Unconquered's mission will shift towards psoriasis advocacy. This was the foundation upon which Weathering The Storm was constructed, and is the true direction I would like to steer all of my future efforts. Of course, the topics will remain viable to everyone - but in working to create a "mission" for Live Unconquered (and my goal to make it more than just a blog), I will be using my fight against psoriasis as the bedrock for everything here on out. I plan to post the full official mission statement of L|u by Thanksgiving.

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Please keep updated on changes as I will be more active on the blog (and other websites) going forward, including a motivational/ inspirational writing towards the end of every month. As usual, stay positive, and make the most of everyday because tomorrow is no guarantee.

LIVE | unconquered

October 17th, 2012

J. Junior II

Chasing Oranges (When You Need Apples...)

This blog is all about the pursuit of what you want versus what you need. It’s about the chase of your desires versus what you really need that could improve your life.  It is my belief that a large portion of our life’s regrets are built on this chasing oranges when you need apples policy, and it distracts from our ultimate mission of living unconquered.

First and foremost, know what oranges in your life are. They can vary from person to person depending on your circumstances, situations, etc. Something that is an “orange” for someone could be an “apple” for another person. Oranges in this concept are things that detract from your ultimate mission – living unconquered. Things such as unethical behaviors, actions, and routines, shortcuts and quick fixes, lies and dishonesty, greed, personal satisfactions that cause harm to yourself or others, cheating, you kind of get the idea.

The saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away is very true in this concepts. The apples in my concept aren’t the fruits a lot of us like, but these “apples” in life are those foundation things in your life that promote success, happiness, and long term stability. Honesty, hard work, dedication, loyalty, fidelity, and discipline just to name a few.

We’ve all been there. I can speak from my college days, when like most of us, you had to spend wisely but often times didn’t. Do I blow my money on school supplies, or do I prepare for a big party weekend? A new shirt, new kicks, and if you know me – a new bottle of cologne because no amount is never enough, not to mention the array of college party supplies (I’ll leave it at that). More often than not, that big party weekend won out.  That was me putting a Thursday – Saturday weekend over a couple month long semester. I chased an orange (temporary satisfaction) versus buying into an apple (long term investment).

It’s the putting your wants before your needs. We all want a nice new Mercedes-Benz, a trillion dollar house, a high and fly wardrobe – but at what costs? To be in debt up to our eye sockets? This same theory in a way explains the state of America’s economy, and what’s really a shame is our failing to acknowledge that chasing dreams is partially responsible for this. We all want more salary for less work, more benefits, a bigger office and more space, yet a lot of times can still live vastly above our means and accrue dangerously high debts. Chasing oranges, when an apple would do. Chasing grandeur when above average is nothing to be ashamed of…

This theory also applies for those who lose sight of what is better for them. We all get off track on certain things in our life at one point or another. It can be in our careers, our goals, our relationships, our families, and our friends. Instead of being content with the apple in front of us (in any of these situations), an orange can come along and derail everything. No matter what circumstance, don’t feel like you’re settling. Appreciate what is in front of you; be content and don’t overreach. As most of us find out – the grass is never greener on the other side, and in the event it is, it needs ten times the care to keep it that way.

To expand on the paragraph above – I’ll give a personal reference. I start to feel stagnant in any job after about six months (which would explain why I’m 25 and had more jobs than some will have their entire life). I get tired of the same old type of apple after that time, and of course, a more appetizing orange will rear its head. When I was younger, I would take the bait every single time, and sometimes end up in a job I didn’t particular like or a job that was great but didn’t give me any opportunity to grow. Sometimes, that “orange” would be a higher salary and me thinking, “oh yes the grass is a lot better over there than here…” – which is never truly the case.  I’ve always worked with great people, and more often than not under a great boss - and sometimes chasing an orange damaged bridges and work relationships.

This is not to say we should never fall to this concept, because honestly a lot of those chasing oranges moments I had prove to be excellent learning opportunities. I always say you learn the most in life from your mistakes, and errors like this often give you the opportunity to correct flaws with you/ your life. Moreover, you don’t ever want to find yourself in a circumstance where the damage from chasing that ripe, acidic orange outweighs the lesson(s) in life you took from the mistake. Stay focused on what is important, what helps your life in a positive manner in the long term, and don’t fall prey to short term fixes/ desires/ wants. Analyze every situation presented to you, and always be aware of your environment so you can make educated decisions. Keep your gaze on your goals and projects; the positive and life-constructing realistic ones – not those wild and crazy half bait ones!

Not too long ago my grandmother and I – the ever wise Eunice Oracle as I like to call her, discussed this same theory as it relates to getting lost off your journey in life. Visualize it’s sweltering outside, and over the hill lies your grove of apple trees. Though it’s been a hot miserable summer, they’re loaded down to the ground. As you wander along your path in life, just before getting to the steep climb of the hill to your grove, you come across a patch of ripened orange trees. What would you do? Keep moving up the steep hike to that what is yours? Do you put in hard work to do what’s right, or drop everything to take a shortcut and succumb to the oranges that aren’t yours?

Doesn’t that sound like situations we face all the time? The scene or the circumstance might vary, but most of the time it all boils down to doing what is right against doing what is wrong but will bring us a short-lived boost in satisfaction. Always plan for your long-term well being. Don’t take shortcuts, don’t succumb to dishonesty or unjust ways of thinking. It might be painful in the short-term or you may have to work a little harder, but that hard work for tomorrow can reduce a lifetime of regret down the road. Even in the times when oranges are numerous and apples are few – keep your eyes fixated on the right side of your journey.

To truly live unconquered, you always want to be in control of your life, and not have it vulnerable to outside forces that you can’t control (that can cause things to unravel quickly and you unable to stop them). One way to maintain control is to not fall for those oranges; when they appear be content with your bedrock diet of apples instead.

Until the next time, may your crops of apples be plentiful.

J. Junior II
March 4^th, 2012

Weathering The Storm Update

As my first book production date begins (less than two weeks away), I thought I would go through some of the first steps that occur for Weathering The Storm to go from manuscript to actual book. It may not as be as easy of a process as you think; it's certainly been more complex and time-consuming than I ever would have guessed. Moreover, as a first time author, this is a completely new process for me so it's not entirely surprising.

The first step Weathering The Storm will enter is a copy-editing phase of production. This process will obviously be completed by my publisher, Tate Publishing. They will work to improve the formatting, style, and accuracy of my manuscript. They don't change the actual text, but make it more clear, correct, concise, complete, and consistent.

Once Tate has completed the copy-editing, they will turn it over to the conceptual editing area of their company. Conceptual editing looks at the overall book and see what's missing from it, what I could do to make it a better project, what needs to be expanded, and what areas I could condense. This stage, in a sense, gets the message I want to portray across in the most understandable manner. In addition, this is also where the appropriate illustrations and graphics are incorporated into my manuscript. If all goes to schedule, this should happen around a month after the copy-editing process begins - so around the beginning of October.

I imagine this will be a busy and exciting time. I cannot wait to see how Weathering The Storm progresses, and everyday that goes by is a day closer to its release date. I will continue to provide updates (and hopefully in the latter stages I can offer previews), and concurrently begin working on the manuscript for the next book in line - Live Unconquered.

Always remember to make the best of your time. Be productive, and have optimism. Life is too short to be a downer - stay positive, stay motivated, and keep living unconquered.

J. Junior II
8/22/2011

Live Unconquered - The Next Project

In the next couple of weeks, my first book - "Weathering The Storm", will hit the editing and production phases. I will be working with Tate Publishing to make this dream become a reality and bring WTS into market. Concurrently, I have began to develop a concept for my next book, which will carry the same name as this blog. I have already started working on this next project, and hope to have the manuscript completed around the time WTS is officially released in early 2012.

Live Unconquered

breakthrough to a brighter day...

The goal for WTS was to bring you through and out of turbulence; Live Unconquered will serve as the follow up and move you forward/ away from the fringes of said turbulence. My goal is for Live Unconquered to be more in depth and hit more specific topics, in addition to giving you the tools and motivation to live undeterred no matter your circumstance.

This will be a busy yet exciting time. I'm a newbie to this whole area, but I am confident that everything will run smoothly. I look forward to working with Tate and creating the best book possible out of "Weathering The Storm", and constructing another viable manuscript with the Live Unconquered theme --> that of continuous growth, development, transformation, reorganization, faith, hope, and motivation.

Of course, I'll give all the details and exact dates as they arise. Thanks to all my supporters, and don't forget to keep living....

UNCONQUERED.
J. Junior II
08/08/11

A Time To Review - Part II

This week, I’ll continue going over posts from the last two months. Rehashing and refreshing is a vital point in the goal to live unconquered. It is easy to become sidetracked; to get completely off-course. It’s not about straying off your path – we are all human and will at some point or another – but getting back on your path in due time without inflicting damage to your life.

New Beginnings - They are important. Sometimes, you will need change and to start over – all environments will stagnant and become routine overtime without it. If you ever feel like you’ve “worn out the welcome mat” – that’s only a sign that it’s time for a fresh start. Don’t fear change – embrace it. I can’t tell you how many times I lamented something being changed – and later found out it was in my benefit…

The Healing Process… - Don’t take two steps forward, only to take three backwards. Let the past go, and turn over a new page. Former chapters need not be a reflection on those yet unwritten. Forgive, which doesn’t mean forget, but letting loose and moving forward. Letting things linger can act as a dead weight on your life, and for many years afterwards. Being unable to let go can also give you an irrational mindset, and lead you into making uneducated, rash, and harmful decisions/ choices. So, stop focusing on yesteryear, because it hurts your planning for the next year.

The Power of Knowledge - It is a key to many doors. It can pave a way out of trials when isn’t a clear path present. It can lead you out of dark and into the light, and deflect detrimental circumstances and situations. It can serve as armor around you if you surround yourself with it. The power from it is infinite if used properly, and there is no task impossible if used with morality. Never end the quest to educate yourself.

Get Out! - If you live in a bad state of affairs, then you need to run from under those clouds as soon as you can. Don’t make excuses, and don’t look for ways to NOT get out. You deny yourself growth and development by sitting in a unfavorable environment. Why live suppressed and defeated, without any goals, hope, knowledge, or faith. Why be in an atmosphere that drains all of your will and strength? You shouldn’t. GET, OUT.

A Tragedy --> A Triumph - Turn your disasters into blessings. Catastrophic events will happen to all of us, and for all their negativity, try to find something positive to take away from them. A horrible event can serve as the seed for something immense. Take a tragedy and create something that is for the good of all. Don’t forget that once your tragedy is a triumph; be sure to assist others to their breakthrough as well.

Beat All The Odds - If you have a negative mindset, you already enter a situation with defeat on your shoulders. Always go into with whatever you do with confidence, a positive and winning mindset, and believing you can achieve – and you can do this without arrogance or pompousness. You can defeat any odd you set your mind to – or at least go out trying. Do not ever concede defeat. You are not truly beaten unless you give up and throw in the towel. Hang in there even when the going is tough, stay motivated; you can accomplish all you set your mind to if you believe you can first.

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Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.
Albert Einstein
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The power of imagination makes us infinite.
John Muir

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Keep Living…
J. Junior II
08-03-2011

Defy All Odds

When you set out to live unconquered, you must realize that you will face obstacles, distractions, derailments, and difficult conquests around every corner you turn. Your personal will can, and will, always be put to the test. There will be situations where your character is pushed to the limit, and that you’re asked to keep moving even though it seems hopeless. You never know what hurdles and obstacles will be thrown at you in your lifetime, but what you can do is make a dedication that no impediment placed in your way will be a deterrent to you continuing along the path of life you set. 

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson   

I’ll turn your attention to Eric LeGrand. For those of you who don’t know, he was a collegiate football player at Rutgers University who was injured this past season. He suffered a severe spinal injury, and was paralyzed as a result. Since his injury October 16^th, he has consistently made it his initiative to defy the odds, stating numerous times that he will walk again. In his latest update, he tweeted pictures of himself alongside his mother in therapy – standing upright. This is the same person in mid-October of 2010 that doctors – for all their intelligence and medical expertise – incorrectly stated he would never walk again. Those same doctors, who predicted LeGrand would be attached to a ventilator the rest of his life. Another misdiagnosis. Whether it be fate, a miracle, or by his sheer will, he has already defied the odds – and continues to every hour, every minute, and every second. Can those of us who complain (myself included) about the simple things, do the same, without complaints or negative attitudes? When I see people such as Eric, or the cancer patients I work with on a daily basis – individuals are defying the odds every second – it gives me the motivation and dedication to hurdle my own hindrances which are minuscule in comparison.

Click for link on Eric LeGrand's progress....

Whatever route through life you choose - always be aware that a detour is available around obstructions if needed. Even if you storm through rough patches like a bull in a china shop – just ensure that you make it through. The saying that “nothing is impossible” is spot on. You are only defeated by a circumstance when you wave your white flag and surrender. Remember – don’t let something conquer you; and in the same token don’t have the mindset that you’ve got to conquer everything in sight. The goal is to be unconquered by your environment, and then being more than a conqueror all-the-while being an example, a leader, a protagonist, and a role model for those who surround you. Don’t feel like you are required to conform to stereotypes or statistics, go against the grain and be a standout.

The odds you experience will vary, but none are too great to be defeated. Have strength, and never succumb to your milieu. Whether you’re in what seems to be an unending and grueling battle with cancer, seeking to walk again, kick that decades long addiction – whatever it is – don’t give up your fight. The road may be hell, but I can assure you the light at the end of the tunnel is there. Always persist, and know that some journeys you depart on may not come to an end. Moreover, if you never reach whatever “destination” it is, it is better to be in the act of traveling, than have given up along the way. Cherish the moment, cherish the journey, and cherish the struggles. A day of struggles is better than no day at all…

Root for those around you to defy all odds too. Do the unthinkable, do what no one believes you can do. I personally believe in vicarious victories. Always support and push forward those in your life with a positive and well intended agenda. All it takes is one person to experience their breakthrough to trigger an avalanche of encouragement, success, and accomplishments. Live united; it’s even better to defy the odds as a posse.  

“Standing tall, we can’t fall….”

- Eric LeGrand

Defy & Live Unconquered.

JJR II

7/19/2011

A Tragedy --> A Triumph

On Independence Day, I spoke of getting out of bad situations, circumstances, atmospheres, and predicaments – in addition to getting away from those who perpetuate inclemency in your life. Sometimes, a lot of the times actually, it is easier said than done. Some events that happen will be out of your realm of control, blind side you, and not necessarily be events and/or circumstances that you prepare for. These tragedies, while they are often accompanied with a horrible set of emotions, must be overcome as well.

Tragedies, misfortunes, heartbreaks, calamity, disaster – whatever you refer to them as – usually strike so hard because of their shock value. That being said, you are expected to have some “depression” or “depressed states” afterwards. The key is to not let this valley linger on so long that it begins to alter you, or leave you in a vulnerable state and prone to slip ups. We all see it, time and time again, how mistakes and wrongs of a person’s long past show up and inflame their circumstance/ situation/ environment of present day. Never let chapter 3 have a direct influence on chapter’s 4, 5, 6, etc. in life – your life should be a direct continuum. Yes this or that may have happened in your past, but don’t let it be the paver of the road that is your future. If you let something that happen ten years ago hover as a cloud and cause turmoil in your present day life – you have essentially empowered that element. Use your knowledge, yourpower, and your keys to get out from under whatever storm clouds are over you, and turn your tragedy into a triumph.

Vow that whatever tragedy happens to you – that you will learn from it, it will mold you into a bigger and better person; then dedicate to create something great out of it. There is no end to the amount of good that can be created out of a personal catastrophe if we all adopt this mindset. Strive to leave a legacy in the honor of whatever misfortune and suffering you suffered. Your goal is to be able to say, “yes this incident happened/ is happening to me (and/or those you know) – but look at what I created out of my ashes of adversity.” You should always be superior to the grief you undergo. Your personal will and strength should always be greater than your surroundings. 

An important key is to turn anything negative that’s happened into something worthwhile. Shape-shift agony into a motivating fuel. Let me break it down with some examples... So someone told you that you can’t/ couldn’t do something? Questioned your skill, goals, purpose, etc.? Work hard to do that very thing. Get it done, BUT don’t do it just to prove your nay-sayers wrong. You do it to prove to yourself you can/could/will do “it” – whatever you set your goals to be. This goes for it all – death, disease, poverty, adultery, employment, disarray, and dysfunction, anything negative. Put a positive light on it. Tell yourself – I’ll accomplish (a, b, c) because of this – then press forward with those plans. Don’t plan for something, only to have the ship you build never take sail… 

I would rather be labeled a failure having dedicated to a great cause and purpose than have great success by supporting malevolence, deceit, and disorder. 

Another important element is knowing that the day you decide to turn over a new leaf that you don’t/won’t/can’t ever go back. Throw out the rear-view mirror. Take the past chapters and tear them out and start anew if you need to. What is the point in turning a calamity into a achievement, only to let your new-found accomplishment be a doorway for more woes in your life? Don’t stumble; keep moving forward even once you’ve reached disaster-induced victory. Lifting yourself out of the chaos and storm clouds doesn’t mean your journey ends. In fact, it’s one of the easier parts if you focus, have discipline, and set steady goals. Instead, you should start sending down “ropes of support” so that those important to you can climb out of the turbulence too.

Anything that causes you pain, disorganization, pessimism, ignorance, debauchery, to be addicted, to steal, to cheat, to hurt others, etc. – let it go. Take out your “mental scissors”, and cut it loose. Everything won’t be something physical, a lot of the times it will be mindsets, thoughts, prejudices, attitudes, and routines. Free up space for your triumph to grow…

The past is just that, the past. It isn’t a foreshadowing experience. It should not have any bearings on your present, or your future. Cut loose any anchors and leeches attached to your side; they’re weighing you down and zapping you dry of your life source. Let a healing onto yourself, get out of any “mess”, and transform your tragedies into triumphs. L-I-V-E….

JJR II, Unconquered.

July 7^th, 2011