L|u Progress Report

First and foremost, to kick this set of updates off, I have to give thanks to everyone for there support during the pre-release timeline of Weathering The Storm. The feedback I've received so far has been nothing short of overwhelming, and has helped me shake off any apprehension I had being a first time author. Over the last week, I have been building a database of contacts (in particular those of those not located in Columbus), and you may have received a packet of information from me highlighting the book and how to obtain a signed copy. Moreover, there are still a lot of individuals out there – especially back home in Virginia – who I don’t have contact information for. If you are interested in a copy of Weathering The Storm or just staying in touch, don’t hesitate to contact me so I can place your contact info into my database.

In the meantime – Weathering The Storm should begin to make its way into the mainstream market over the course of the summer, and I’m excited to shift gears from the author to the marketer/ promoter/ and speaker for the book. I already have the stars aligning for a couple of things pre-Labor Day, and once they’ve been set in stone I will be sure to let everyone know.

Book now available via publisher’s bookstore (click here for link). Over the course of the next month, the book should be made available to other retailers and distributors. I will post updates once they become available.

Over the next few weeks I will be making proposals to publishers on my next two projects – Psoriasis: A Life Changer and Live Unconquered: The Book. It’s been just as excited to work on these sibling projects and being able to reference Weathering The Storm and some of the topics I address while writing them. I expect they will have just as profound an impact, especially Psoriasis: A Life Changer.

Things continue to steam ahead at a rapid pace. I promise I’ll post more frequently over the rest of the summer as things unfold.

L|u

J. Junior II

Book Release Event I

The first of three planned events for my book Weathering The Storm has been finalized.

Saturday, May 19th, 2012


The Ohio Union
1739 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43210
2nd Floor - Sphinx Centennial Leadership Suite
Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm, but I'll be in the suite all day.

Parking Information provided by The Ohio Union: The Ohio State University Transportation and Parking Services offers two parking garages adjacent to the Ohio Union for the guests of the building. The Ohio Union South Garage is on High Street immediately adjacent to the building on the north and will be accessible from High Street and College Road. It offers 800 visitor-only spaces. The Ohio Union North Garage is also on High Street just north of the Ohio Union South Garage and provides an additional 600 visitor parking spaces on off-peak hours. Guests of the Ohio Union may utilize this garage from 4:00 p.m. – 3:00 a.m. Monday through Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. The Ohio Union is not responsible for any costs or risks associated with parking in the garages.

Please use my contact information on the right of my main blog page if you have any questions about this event.

I look forward to seeing you there!

J. Junior

Even In Defeat

I want everyone to know that you can win even when you lose. Victory can be had out of a defeat. It’s all in how you view your setbacks. Know that for every setback you suffer, there are numerous victories to be had.

#1        Don’t ever be discouraged.

#2        Let your setback strengthen your resolve.

#3        Carefully review your setbacks; do a full analysis.

#4        Once your analysis is complete, go over it.

#5        Take your analysis and mold it into a lesson learned.

#6        Stay prepared for the future.

#7        Construct a fail-proof game plan.

#8        Don’t let outside forces dictate your journey.

#9        After any setback, be sure you’re on a team with winners.

#10      If you find that #9 isn’t the case, realign yourself and your motives.

Let’s go through those steps one by one…

#1        Not letting yourself get down is the hardest part. Setbacks can be a blow to your pride more than anything. Here’s the bright side – pride is a sensitive son of a gun anyway. Pride is too superficial for you to put much stock into it – focus on your character. Character is more of the true you and it gets a giant boost every time you get beaten down.

#2        Strengthen your resolve and purpose. You can tell yourself, “yes I was defeated in this particular situation, but next time I’m going to come that much harder”. I’ve always used defeats to my future advantage; aka used a past stumble to mold the road to a future triumph. If you’re determined not to be held down, you won’t be. It can take longer than you’d like sometimes, but let your resolve and determination lead the way when your patience is non-existent.

#3        Time for a full comprehensive review. Be honest with yourself. Why did you fail? Did your environment hasten your defeat? The team you’re surrounded with? Outside forces working against you? While there are often adversaries working to suppress your goals, focus on self. That means taking accountability whenever possible. Don’t bemoan it too much; it’s perfectly fine to admit hey, I screwed up.

#4        Review, review, and review once more. Be sure your analysis is both accurate and honest. If you’re angry, depressed, shocked, or indifferent about your recent failure – revisit the analysis for a second look at a different time. Once your emotions have settled you will more than likely have a different outlook and opinion.

#5        Alright so you’ve went over your analysis and now you’re sitting and wondering what’s next. Time to mold that failure into a roadway for the future; that means learn from your mistakes and let them guide an easier path for your future. Often times, a failure is really meant to alter your focus to where it really needs to be versus where you think it should be. Change your priorities during this time if the need exists.

#6        You always need to be prepared for what lies ahead. Life goes on once you’ve stumbled; have a plan for what you do after the dust settles. This ties into #5 and building a roadway for the future out of your gaffe or setback. But in this particular instance, you not only need to learn from your mistakes and let them guide your future, you need to have your eyes on the horizon and ready for what comes beyond it.

#7        Use the analysis you created in step #3 to construct as close to a fail-proof game plan as you can. Be humble, precise, and rational; being a strong choleric personality I can tend to create a plan out of irritation, stubbornness, and sometimes being hell bent on revenge. Don’t do that, you are automatically setting yourself up for another failure if you do (TRUST me). Implement patience and intellect in any game plans you create; plans developed in foolishness and developed rashly will ultimately cause you to falter.

#8        While I always preach accountability I know that even if you’re 110% responsible, outside forces will sometimes be against you. You can be doing everything right and to the best of your ability and still fail. Unfortunately, we live in a world full of those who are miserable, who abuse their power, and who will shun you just because they can. All you can do is dust your self off, maintain your integrity, and try your hardest to put yourself in a position where outside forces (those above you, those around you, your environment, past actions, etc.) don’t directly affect your game plan(s). This step takes time but can be done with careful planning and keeping yourself enveloped with a winning team (aka the right people).

#9        Speaking of that winning team – examine yours everyday. Be around people who promote, are honest, support you, and are there during your down times to assist you. Be around those who would rather constructively criticize you than sugar coat the truth. Be weary of those who smile in your face but leak acid behind your back. One of my biggest flaws can sometimes be wearing my emotions on my sleeve as a choleric; but I feel it’s important to be honest and upfront on how you feel about situations (it’s all in your presentation; mine can suffer at times). That being said, always aim to present the most truthful presentation (this doesn’t mean be abrasive or condescending), be respectful, be open minded, and be welcoming no matter what. This will draw the winning teammates you desire to you without you even trying.

#10      So you’ve examined your team around you. This step involves making the necessary changes to both the team and the environment you’re in. I strongly believe that you cannot win in an atmosphere that promotes stagnation – no matter how hard you try. So if you’re in stagnation, indifference, suppression, or pessimism – chart a course and move yourself out of it. I’ve had to do it many times, and will many times more in the future. You cannot expect to win surrounded by losers and in a losing atmosphere; nor can you complain about it if you haven’t actively tried to relocate yourself. Don’t let fears of change deter you; don’t ever be scared of starting over if you need to. Sometimes that move could be just what you needed to get your fail-proof game plan underway.

Know that all of these steps won’t apply to everyone. Everyone’s case will vary except for completing an analysis of your situation. Sometimes this will be the first step, and you can then move into the other steps as you determine necessary.

My mindset on failures is that they are the coal to fuel your engine. Think of yourself as a locomotive – stumbling eventually results in you gaining steam down the road if planned carefully and properly. Be dedicated, motivated, and determined all the while realistic, rational, and knowledgeable. If you are, while it might take some time, you eventually won’t be able to help but live unconquered.

J. Junior II

April 24^th, 2012

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

Shaking Off The Dust

Shaking Off The Dust

As we wrap up the first month in 2012, one common theme I am hearing is the deterioration of our New Year resolutions. For whatever reason, we’ve just gotten off the path we set before we brought in 2012.

Don’t worry, because you don’t need it to be a new year to set goals for yourself. Set realistic goals. Start small, stick to the course, and them grow them. Let one goal transform and develop into others. If you want to eat better, start one thing at a time. We can’t go from a diet of cookies, Pringles, and coke to salads and water overnight. Set a goal to replace things overtime and wean yourself away from whatever is bad. Same thing for removing bad habits; take it a day at a time, wean yourself down first and decrease your dependency on things that are bad for you. Looking to lose weight? Start with a pound or so a week. As your energy begins to increase from the weight loss, up the ante to a pound and a half a week. See what I mean?

One small goal I’d like to set for you is that you develop a monthly word of encouragement/ optimism for yourself. As you move into February, use the word “wonderful”.  

<<< Wonderful >>>

Let my month be wonderful – therefore I’ll need to make everyday of the month wonderful. Not only that, I’m going to make the month wonderful for those around me. I will operate in a way so that not only is February wonderful, so is the rest of 2012. My walk, my talk; I will be wonderful.

I put that paragraph in italics because I want you to use that paragraph when developing your word of the month from March 2012 on. It should fit into that paragraph in place of wonderful (it can also be a phrase in some cases). For example let’s replace wonderful with positive.

Let my month be positive – therefore I’ll need to make everyday of the month positive. Not only that, I’m going to make the month positive for those around me. I will operate in a way so that not only is February positive, so is the rest of 2012. My walk, my talk; I will be positive.

If you want to replace that word with things that are negative, that’s fine too, but you better read the paragraph aloud to you with that negative adjective and know that’s the image you are portraying. For example -          

Let my month be trifling – therefore I’ll need to make everyday of the month trifling. Not only that, I’m going to make the month trifling for those around me. I will operate in a way so that not only is February trifling, so is the rest of 2012. My walk, my talk; I will be trifling.

Get my drift?

As this blog is so titled – a lot of the times we don’t really need that new year’s resolution, we just need to shake off the dust and revive ourselves. Looking at myself, I know that one of my bad habits is trying to compare myself to how I was in days long past, for good or for bad. Unfortunately, the past is just that, the past. What we can tend to overlook in yearning for things to be like they were in the “good ole’ days” is the problems that came along with them; we just don’t happen to recall them.

There is nothing wrong with recapturing your glory, but aim to recapture it in the present year and not mirroring days long gone (or projecting into the future). If it’s a different time, then you are (at least should be) a different person. The circumstances could have been vastly different; your environment could have been vastly different. If you feel like you’ve gotten dusty, then try self-revitalization activities. Chat it up with friends (new and old, reestablish friendships), try new hobbies (volunteering, intramural sports, habitat for humanity, etc.), make sure you are appreciative (of your life, your surroundings, of what you do have, your friends, your family, etc), or dedicating yourself (to a cause, to a project, to your work – just don’t overdo it and strain yourself). Don’t center your focus on just your physical; being consumed with that can detract from what really may need fixed – your mental, your spirit, your intellect, etc.

We all will have eras in life that we get stagnant and start to collect dust. The best advice I can give you is to put yourself back into action and move. Move your feet, move your mind, move yourself into a new environment, and most importantly don’t cower from change or the rain in life – they both are excellent removers of dust and rust.

Until the next time –

J. Junior II
January 23^rd, 2012