JDP

A couple of month’s back I had a conversation with a very close friend that was struggling with deciding what direction he wanted to take with his life. A battle that most of us face at one point and time. He came to a fork in the road and had to choose either music or ministry. He proclaimed his love for both. His love and admiration for music was to the point where he dreamed of being the next Sean ‘Puffy” Combs, however, his love to minister and spread Gods word, also made him dream of being the next Bishop T.D. Jakes. Although active in both he wasn’t getting the results he was looking for. When he asked me what I thought that first thing that came to my mind was, “you can’t be someone that’s already here.”

Here’s the question. Why do we plan to be someone that’s already here? People that achieve various levels of success and greatness do not model themselves after the person that stands before them. They push themselves to be better than that person. Statements like the one my friend made in the above paragraph are not uncommon. We’ve been programmed to measure our success against successful people in the field we admire to enter. Although this is harmless please know that success or what is deemed to be successful should differ as much as an individuals fingerprint.

You can spend your days being the 1st you or the 2nd coming of someone else. Let me just say that the original is always better. There is purpose for your life and a gift to be shared with the world. You will never reach the point of realization if you’re busy modeling yourself after someone else’s existence. You have to be comfortable with being who you are. Only then will you receive what is yours.

I never had a problem with the dream my friend had for himself. My problem was that he didn’t place himself in his own dream. I will never be Jonathan Parks, if I measured and modeled myself after Les Brown. Greatness comes in generations. Be prepared to step up when it’s your turn. Find your lane in life and stay in it.

JDP