“Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance.”   –Bruce Barton

As a product of teenage pregnancy and a heroin addict father, I decided very early in life that I did not want to merely be a product of my environment; I decided I would work to create an environment that would become a product of me.  Raised by a grandmother who left school in the third grade to help her mother clean houses; she made up for in love what she lacked in formal education.  She taught me three things that have been the cornerstones of my philosophy in life. Watching her I learned how to serve through compassion. I learned the importance of education. Perhaps the most valuable lesson she instilled in me is that there is something within all of us that is greater than our circumstance.

This book is a testament to her perseverance, strength and grace.  It is because she not only cared for me but believed in me and taught me to believe in myself that I am able to put these words together and share them with you.  Because sometime a new endeavor or expansion is not about the next step. Sometime it is about our willingness to believe and trust ourselves enough to allow room for both mistakes and transformation with the knowledge that one cannot occur without the other. 

The woman who raised me in my formative years could not read and write and yet it is because of her lessons and demonstrations that today I hold several degree and have had experiences and opportunities that I might not otherwise have experienced. Everything that I am or ever will be is birthed out of the foundation that she gave me. If I stand tall, it is because I stand on her shoulders. 

I grew up next door to a crack house, two blocks away from the projects and across the street from a church. It was a paradox of faith and fear. Each person operated under the belief of one or the other. Their choice was the foundation upon which every thought and action was built. My grandmother practiced faith in a sea of fear, and she taught me to do the same. Her lessons of faith, her belief in me made me believe in myself, and that belief has made ALL the difference in my life. … 

 Please share: Who was the person in your life that made all of the difference and how.

Posted by Rasheem on Wednesday, January 29th, 2014 @ 5:11AM
Categories: Book excerpts: Be More