5 Things You Should Start Doing

1. Stop Saying No.

I feel like people get stuck in the same situations, because of their daily routines, and then complain about being stuck. Stop saying no to everything! I understand if you are an introvert, and you don’t want to hang out with people, but you need a little fun in your life! Eventually you are going to regret not going to that dinner party, especially when you hear about all the fun that everyone else had.

Saying yes to more questions brings more excitement to your life. Yes, it may make you a little uncomfortable and vulnerable, but who wants to live the same boring life every single day? Try saying yes to something you usually wouldn’t say yes to this week!

2. Start Asking For Help.

There is no reason you should be so prideful that you can’t ask for help when you really need it. I know people who would rather try to do something and fail, rather than ask for help. I can’t understand those people. I embarrass myself on a daily basis. It keeps me grounded, and helps me realize and remember that I’m not better than anyone on God’s great earth. With that being said, I’m being a little hypocritical here, because I try not to ask for a lot of help. Although, if I know I can’t handle something, I will enlist the assistance of my friends, because I know they would do anything for me.

So, let me be completely clear here… If you can’t handle something, ASK FOR HELP! They aren’t going to look at you any differently if you can’t manage the task on your own. No one can read your mind, so stop waiting for him or her to try.

3. Try A Little Harder.

Everyone fails. It’s a part of life that everyone goes through. It’s what you do after that defines you. I fail all the time. I feel like I fail myself if I don’t pass a test. I fail my friends when I’m not there for them. I fail my family when I forget to check on them every once in a while. I fail my boss if I do my job incorrectly. I fail all the time, but I will always try to pick up the pieces, and so should you.

You just got fired? So, now look for a job with better pay and benefits. You didn’t pass a class? Take it again, but study more. Life is all about finding you who are and where you’re meant to be, but you have to work hard to get there. If you think you can’t handle it anymore, just take a minute to collect your thoughts, but then get back to it and try harder. Nobody is going to do it for you.

4. Pay Attention To The News Everyday.

Most of everyone in the world is trying to figure out what his or her role in life is, and most of the time we tell ourselves we want to change the world. Let’s be real, who doesn’t want to change the pathetic, upsetting world that we live in? I know I do. But, before we can change the world, we have to be caught up and informed on the problems it faces. Reading or listening to the news everyday can be a gateway into you making a real difference someday.

5. Be Content With What You Have, While Seeking More.

This will be the hardest one, even for me. I am constantly in this state of wanting more than what I have, even though what I have is pretty awesome. I do it, you do it, your cousin does it, as well as your neighbors, co-workers, etc. It’s natural of us to always want more, BUT if you don’t take time to appreciate what you already have, you are never going to be happy.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s never too late to write that novel, travel the world, create your own business, or even start a new family.

It’s okay to seek out your dreams and goals in life, but the moment you become careless and unthankful of what you have, is the moment that you will lose your happiness, and it is hard to get that back.

Be thankful of where you come from and what you do. It’s not easy trying to find the balance between your ambition and contentment, but sometimes that’s the price of having big dreams.

-The Halfrican

Rule of Reciprocity

WELCOME TO THE HALFRICAN

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What’s up, what’s happening, fam? Recently, I have been struggling with something that I always try to overlook. There is an unspoken rule to the game of life, and it’s called the rule of reciprocity. For those of you who don’t know what that means, it’s basically when someone is nice to you, or shows positive actions toward you, and you should then respond with positive and nice feedback and actions.

Being from the South, it seems like everyone always tries their best with this rule, but unfortunately, some people just cannot understand and/or grasp the meaning of it.

I struggle with this, because I know not everyone is always going to cooperate with this unwritten rule. I wake up every morning trying to always remember to believe there is good left in the world. Most days everything is fine, and the world doesn’t seem so bad. The other few days destroy my faith in humanity. It’s hard to realize that no matter how hard you try, some people will never be there for you, even though you are always there for them.

I think people get in such a routine with their family, friends, co-workers, etc., they forget to appreciate the little things and everything other people do for them. It’s sad that everyone’s number one goal in today’s time is to look out and take care of themselves first, and everyone else comes second. I refuse to behave that way. As one of my favorite TV host says, “Be kind to one another.”

Never lose sight of the good and magic in the world and in you. That’s important.

-The Halfrican

“Automat”

I go out, but I’m not used to being alone.
It’s the time of winter
Where it gets dark at 5 p.m.
It’s cold, but I never used to think about
The coldness until you weren’t here to keep me warm.
I still wear the same green coat everyday.

One month has passed

I still go to our favorite spot.
The one with the gold walls
You thought were ugly. The same color
As my hat that you said made my eyes sparkle.
The one with that old heater in the corner.
You would always stub your foot on it
Every time we left. The spot where
You proposed to me,
knocking over The bowl of fruit that sat on the window sill,
As you kneeled down.

Happy one year, darling.

There’s not a day that passes
That I don’t picture you sitting
In the wooden chair across from me.

Cain

My parents loved my brother, my brother loved my creator.
My creator loved my brother, my brother loved back.

I wanted it all, all that he had, my brother.
My brother was the one to hate,
‘fore he would have given his life to take.

My brother, my brother he did not see,
that he held the world in his hands.
The sin took over, and his world turned wrong.

He did not know I saw
when he and the sin were one, my brother.
My brother, his falseness was his own,
and his actions were misguided.

He planned to betray, and they could not see it.
To me, you could not hide it, my brother.
My brother was the one to hate,
before sin’s unfaltering fate.

I made the plea, take me instead of my brother.
My brother was spared, so my destiny was set.
I slewed him, but it was not by choice.

Sin had no hand on my brother.
My brother was free, and Abel.

Sunset Rock

WELCOME TO THE HALFRICAN

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What’s up, what’s happening, fam? A couple of weeks ago, a couple of friends and I decided to make the hike to Sunset Rock on Lookout, Mt in Chattanooga, TN. Although, most of my friends had been before, this was my first time visiting the beautiful cliffside. The past few weeks have had me thinking about my next step in my adventure of a life.

I am beginning to be ask the question, “So, what are you going to do after college?” I think I sometimes get so fixated on just graduating and get through college, I actually forget what I am going to do after? I am completely lost on what happens after college. I have an idea, but is there any way to truly prepare for the brutal transition into the “real-world”? I find myself worrying more than I should be. (Now to focus back on Sunset Rock) Being up there is like being on top of the world. It’s a new way of life up on those rocks.

I had this realization that everything will work out the way God plans it to. I thought about Jeremiah 29:11 up on Sunset Rock. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Where am I going after college? I have my idea, but nothing is set in stone, because my God will lead me to where I need to be. It’s hard for me to trust, but I trust in the path that God has so gently placed in front of me. I feel that a majority of this world doesn’t know where they are going or what their next move is going to be, so at least I know I am not alone in this endeavor. So, if you are having a hard time take a moment, breathe, and have Jeremiah 29:11 embedded in your mind, because it does help every now and then.

-The Halfrican