D3: THE DOUBLE DUTCH DILEMMA

Along this road that I walk I have come across some great things and met some great and inspirational people. People who have worked hard and bust their hump to reach their goals and make their dreams come true. It has inspired me to do the same. I would have not been afforded that chance had I not taken the steps to pursue my wants and needs in life. With that said, I also had the misfortune of coming across the polar opposite. People who make a lot of claims of them wanting to make things happen but never make the jump or effort to do so when they had the chance. Some were afraid, others were just plain lazy and didn't want to do it what it takes when they discovered how hard or how long it would be to get to the point of success. Then you have the folks who don't put their all into it when they do get such an opportunity and waste it all away. I cannot tell you how that burns me up seeing wasted potential like that.

To those who question their ability to be assertive and fear the chance at an opportunity to do something they always wanted to do or meant to do, beware of what I call the "D3 aka Double Dutch Dilemma".

You don’t have to play the game in order to understand the rules but the rules are what's important here. To use this in the form of an analogy, it means one who is afraid to step into the proverbial ropes of opportunity because they fear failure or the despair of not being successful at the things they want in life before they even attempt. In other words sabotaging oneself and creating a ones own self fulfilling prophecies. One who is strong willed understands that nothing is perfect in life; however constant effort feeds prosperity. Therefore, you should not fear making that attempt to jump into the rope.

Because for the rest of your life all you will ask yourself is:

"Why didn't I do it while I had the chance?"

"I could've done that?"

"You see what that person is doing? I thought about that a long time ago?"

I am sure there are more things that you can think of here, but the point of it all leads to you not doing what you wanted and desired to do. I learned never take your dreams to the grave. Let them out and express them to the world around you anyway you can.

We are not guaranteed eternity. The real fun to life because of that fact is doing everything you can before you go. I love that challenge. I realize this and accept this whole heartily. I am someone who lacked many things growing up and still lack things now that I am looking to gain. I have had roadblocks come my way on many occasions from social road blocks, political roadblocks, and racial roadblocks, and managed to smash through them all in my path to achieving what I want. It is an ongoing process as I still go through them as I am developing this blog entry (NOTE: hopefully someday I can edit this and say this in past tense). But I use that to help encourage and challenge me. So I embrace it.

The fact of the matter is that when you jump into that rope you are not going to get out of it unscathed (at least not the first few times). There will be struggles to master the elements. You will not be successful at first (unless you are a prodigy of sorts) and you will have to learn in order to get it right. Your dreams is something that does now form in days, weeks, or even months. But it will happen. You just have to have the planning, patience, and the confidence to accomplish your goal. Maintain it by utilizing the 4P Formula which will give you the understanding of how to make it happen.

When the rope of opportunity approaches you it is usually based upon someone presenting you with a chance to do something they believe is special or something that could alter the events in your life possibly based on ones professional or person status which consequently could afford one a chance at upward mobility in some form or fashion and even making it to the next level of social stratification. It can also be something that caught your attention maybe online, TV, promotional ads, etc. It also could be something that you have dreamed of doing for quite some time. Or It could be that you are helping to elevate the lives of others. So when people present you with opportunities that could benefit you it is best to hear them out. If it is something that is definitely worth your time and effort you take it and run with it. Let me tell you they don't come very often.

Do not be afraid to get hit by the rope or fail while entering the rope as the rules of Double Dutch states that if you are touched by the rope while entering you lose your turn. However it does not mean that you have lost. As long as you choose to keep playing the game eventually you will learn how not to lose again. MMA Fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson said it best which I tend to use quite often when he said " If you don't know why you lost (a fight) or won (a fight), you shouldn't be fighting". His quote about fighting can also be said when achieving ones goal. Meaning if you don't understand how you lost only then you have truly lost. On top of that to give up on it because you didn't want to learn your faults and weaknesses is even worse in my opinion.

Know that there will be other opportunities to jump in and excel. Not enough that you should disregard them as they normally are rarely that consistent in this day and age. But most of all, DO NOT HESITATE TO MAKE THE JUMP AND TAKE A RISK AND DEFINITELY DON'T GIVE UP ON THE FIRST FEW TRIES. If your dreams mean anything to you then you will go to great lengths to make them come true.

The most important thing of all to realize here is that you have to think about are the one(s) holding the rope. As the one(s) holding that rope and providing you with the chance to achieve will eventually become tired of waiting for you to jump.

Once that happens they will more than likely release that rope from their hands and it is game over for you. Which means on to the next one while you are wondering if you will ever get that chance again.

This is an important factor in that applies to ones everyday life, from finding a new career, a new love, or even a new you.

Never miss out on your chance.