Clifton Brantley

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You Don't Have to Settle For a Lesser Life

I was thinking not long ago about why I am the way I am vs. the way I grew up. Many days I am frustrated with myself for not doing something "productive" that I was supposed to do. Several times I told myself I was going to quit trying to be "better" and just live on the level I'm on. The thing is, when I think about NOT reading about inner child work, or think about NOT having a podcast or thriving you tube channel, I actually cannot imagine just working a 9-5, going to work and back home every day and watch TV all night til bed time. I've seen a few friends online and said "why can't I be like them? They are not worried about a pod nor cast!"

The crazy thing about this unshakeable desire to be "great" was not given to me in childhood. Some people are raised and some just grew up. I grew up. Yep, I grew up groomed for an average job paying around $45k or a blue collar job like truck driver or postal worker making a little more. I'm laughing right now because I remember my mother asking me if I was gonna to job corp after I graduate. She had a lot of confidence in my future lol. Anyway, the point is, where did I get this crazy, unrelenting fire inside of me? I truly have no idea of how I got here. My conclusion is that this was God's plan all along. Which speaks to what God can and will do no matter what your parents did to you.

(And it also means that you parents raising children with all of these special techniques, robbing children of their childhood because you parent in fear can STOP doing that because they will become who they are to become. Your number one goal is to prepare them for relationships. If you do that then your child wins!! We do relationships from the cradle to the grave. The reason I have such a thriving business, unfortunately, is because of childhood issues showing up in adulthood.)

There are days when I feel like the goals I have are too high, especially for my age. I will be 50 in less than 30 days and I’m not even close to my goals. This is another reason why I sometimes wish I could just quit trying to be better and just live an average life. Tonight happens to be one of those nights where I’m looking at my closet where I keep the cake and ice cream and a party hats for the pity parties I be having. And man let me tell you, my pity parties be LIT! But to be honest, I am too old to be partying like that, and I never feel good when the party is over, which then sometimes triggers another party. I digress. So tonight I was supposed to be working on podcast ideas but I found myself on YouTube trying to distract myself. I came across a video about Master P. If you don’t know who Master P is, look him up. Master P is close to a billionaire, if not one already. But Percy Miller (Master P) grew up in the projects in New Orleans. He said that he told his lil son, “one day we gone make it out these bricks (the projects) and we gone own our own business too.” If I was on video I would just pause right now so that could sink in. A poor black young man who is used to the street life decided to dream.

So as I am thinking about the human mind and how Master P literally went from the bottom to the top. I have no aspirations for that kind of fame, but I began to ask myself if I had anything as marketable as P did? But then I thought about the fact that Master P did NOT make great music. Master P is not wealthy because of his music. The best artist on his label was Mystikal and he left after 2 albums. Percy Miller became Master P because of his dream, his desire, and his hustle (because faith without works is dead). That actually encouraged me! It reminded me that we are ALL just regular humans. There are NO super humans. So every human who does super human things is doing it as a regular human. And goes what you are? That’s right, a regular human. That means that you don’t have to settle for a life less than your dream. But first, it means you should be dreaming! Let’s start there. What are you dreaming up? I heard Steve Harvey say that your dream is a preview of what it possible for you. I don’t know if that is true but it does make sense. I don’t dream about being a fire fighter or a doctor or a pilot. I have no dreams about things that are not for me.

If you can dream it you can have it. Whether or not you SHOULD have it is a different conversation. But I want to encourage you to push past your limits and become great! You deserve it.