Experience has taught me choosing the right people to have in your life should be a well thought out, deliberate process.

No one makes it to the "top" by themselves. Each step you take is guided by at least one person's blood, sweat and tears. Appreciate those who stand behind you as you rise. They are the only ones who will catch you if you fall. The ladder of success is steadiest when someone's there to support it.

Faith brings clarity. You stop asking why, and prepare for when. You accept that life's biggest disappointments can become the greatest blessings; when one door closes, another opens. When it does, step through fearlessly! If you walk in faith, you will not get lost.

Inasmuch as you cannot predict if and when you will be disappointed, once it happens you have only two choices: You can either let it consume you, until you become bitter and resentful. Or, you can accept what has happened, learn from it and move on. It really is that simple. What we tend to do is over analyze.

As a writer I have a responsibility. As a father, a union organizer, a leader, a son, brother, uncle, friend…as a man… I have a responsibility to be honest, to be trustworthy and to be mindful that people rely on the things I say and do in so many ways.

Insecurity is debilitating. It cripples your motivation and breaks your spirit. The condition is NOT insurmountable, but healing will only begin when self loathing ends. Once you learn to love the person you are, there are no limits to the person you can become.