Can't Stop. Won't Stop.

Have you ever heard the phrase "Crabs in A Bucket"? It is definitely a dated one, but somehow fits into the thought that we are all fighting to get out of whatever we grew up knowing and its normalcy. Thinking of it, that is literally me and pretty much all the the people whom I have EVER known. Our hometown of Fresno, California has a little bit of The Good, Bad, and Ugly of those crabs. People will go to either hold you in the bucket, or you make you spar your way out. Others, take to the bottom of the bucket and are happy just staying out of the way, playing it safe. My role as coming from such a place took to The Leader Crab. The Inspiring Crab. The One that would make it by any means necessary, and once I did that's where life seem to begin for me. This read is about how moving towards bigger and better while channeling your inner greatness.

Moving to a big city like Atlanta, Georgia sounds overly exciting. With its amazing entertainment opportunities, huge skylines and country loving, my heart pounded with excitement to have an input on something I loved, no matter what it was. As long as I was being utilized toward something else than being a crab, It didn't matter. This could be the same for a lot of you. Being in that "Bucket" where we fight, we spar, and do whatever it takes to get out no matter what creates a silence on your inspiration. Your real voice could be muffled by the sounds of the claws of the other crabs. It is so refreshing to be able to be in room full of people who actually want to hear what you have to say and acknowledge your opinion. For a long time I had fear that I wouldn't make it to my full potential or honestly, just had every excuse in the book to why I could not go get my blessing.

Part of that real reason was that I was listening to those crabs. I felt like the opinions of my young friends from grade school and high school would be the outcome of who I am. And for a while, I fell for it. A deep hole of negativity, depression, and being the "bottom crab" that was okay with staying at the bottom. Life outside of that bucket wasn't necessarily any better. I was a college dropout with divorced parents, bad friends, and I just lost my job. I allowed my mind to squander me into a dark place and when I questioned myself asking "Why am I like this?" I calculated how many steps I took to bring my own self there and I couldn't blame anyone else. I wanted better. I needed better. I knew I wanted to leave but didn't know how the hell I was getting there. So I did what anybody might do, I called my Mom.

Sometimes when we are moving forward or want to move forward, we are so used to being by ourselves and for ourselves, we don't know when we could actually use a hand. Think about all of the people that you may know that you actually do like or maybe educational mentors that you look up too. They are all lifelines. Placed in your life for a divine reason. Become a Utilizer, and take full charge of your life. A user is a negative term usually, meaning to take advantage of a limited supply. To utilize means to make practical and effective use of something or someone. I feel like if you utilize a situation, you can make a lifetime a life changing connection so, pay attention to who or what you can utilize.

My mother had moved to Atlanta post divorce around 2010, but during that time I just had graduated high school and wanted to do the whole college life, independent thing. For that, I spent that time getting into the groove of who I wanted to be in life. Again, I just didn't know how I was going to get there. She told me that I could come there and she would help me out until I got on my feet so with that, I ended up officially deciding 5 years later that I finally wanted a fresh start. I finally decided to get out of my bucket! I mean, just like that, I wholeheartly took control of my life and what I wanted to get out of it. I will admit, It is easier said than done. But, the baby steps turned into a whole flight of stairs and that was only the beginning. A lot of times, us in human nature, will wait until things get so stuck and so bad to finally move on. I could've done this way earlier. Some also wait for something to happen with no action and drown in their own fears of being great. To be great, is a powerful decision. You decide every day that you will put the effort, courage and your mind to achieving more, no matter who or what stands in your way. For me, I always resorted back to the other crabs who were used me being around and secretly wanted me to never make it out. With the toxicity of different environments, you would think that we would all want to change and be better people. Unfortunately, there are some who will never want that for you because they don't even want it for themselves. Some call them friends. I call them Haters.

Your "Haters" should be part of of your growth. A very wise man once said, "If You Ain't Got No Haters, You Ain't Poppin." And that quote holds true to who you really are inside. Energy doesn't lie. The Greatness inside of you cannot be ignored or denied. People can feel it. Aside from them, You have to feel it for yourself. Your confidence has to match this awesome inner being so you can be prepared for all of that hate. And no, I don't mean everyone hates you but, just know you are being watched, talked about good or bad, or also inspiring someone to follow behind you. You have to be able to put yourself first in the good fight of even teaching some one else to be great, because we all will make our mistakes and have our flaws, yet we have to be able to see our own futures in hopes that we can inspire the others to do the same. This creates a positive cycle of change.

Its now been 6 years since I moved here to Atlanta and I call it home for now. It still excites me and has taught me how to survive, how to be a better leader, how to enjoy the small wins, how to be alone, how to overcome fears of the unknown, and most importantly how to love myself. I can make 10 additional lists of different amazing job opportunities I've worked, amazing life long friends I've met, and of course the food. People who've known me over the years who have been going through the journey with me from other cities, have told me they see the growth and how I am not the same person. I am inspiring my community to make one step toward their goals. I am humbled yet proud to keep making those steps. In your own life, you should think of your influence and the things you want to teach the community who knows who you used to be. Because the world is watching. Your friends are watching. And you got to know the haters are watching too. When you are being a light working in the flow of the universe, you cannot be stopped. So, don't ever think that you can't escape the bucket and don't ever stop trying.