Talent is not so much about your God given ability
More so about your drive,
and having the opportunity
To put your gift to good use -
Your willingness to work hard
And follow through,
And the strength of your belief
That changing the world with your talent
Is what you were put here to do.
© 2008 Patricia B.
---
Ever since Friday the 14th, at about 530 in the evening, I've been thinking about just what I was put here to do. You see - I failed the bar exam in July - and at the moment I found out I failed, I questioned my decision to take it in the first place and the decision I made back in college to start the journey towards becoming an attorney. I love to write - I live to write and as of late, I write to live. I love words. And I am passionate about helping people and "changing the world." All of that doesn't necessarily mean I need to be an attorney - but it sure helps. I questioned my decision the moment I found out my result but then I shut that question down - I just don't believe, I KNOW what I was meant to do and I also know that my impact on the world won't be dealt with a singular blow.
So I'm taking the bar exam in February. I deemed today to be the day I'd really head into my studies with full force - but it didn't happen. I bought a new handbag from Daffy's and contemplated my talents, and my drive, and my need for success.
Here's the quote that helped me start my day and will be on my mind as I focus on studying tomorrow:
The only thing that separates successful people from the ones who aren't is the willingness to work very, very hard.
-- Helen Gurley Brown
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Fire Inside
Burn brightly if in the midst of the cold dark night.
The light source you'll ever need is within you -
Being constantly renewed
By your life source
And your life's force is driven forth
By your internal illumination.
But many of us choose not to guide our paths with this light.
We think it best not to shine bright
But to glimmer, if at all, dimly
And to seek the radiance that abounds from another.
Lamely, many of us ignore our luminance potential
And some of us are taught that we don't shine at all
And learn to ignore the spark we might feel on occasion.
But luminescence resides in us all, with the power
To brighten the entire world with its resonance.
It's why you'll often find that one man can lead a great nation -
He has allowed his light to shine
And pierce through the darkness that seeks to snuff out his inner flame
And brighten the eyesight of those in the shadows
And to bring the fire to spark the flameless wicks of others.
If one man can illuminate a nation with his singular radiance
Imagine the combined power of our light multiplied!
The cold dark nights would still come, as they may
But your force won't be frozen
Your sight wont be blinded
If you tap into the fire inside
And shine.
© 2008 Patricia B.
---
I wrote this on October 30 - one week ago, when I and everyone else was merely hopeful about the results of the election. I'm so very very glad that the poem fits the outcome and I hope it fits the future of our country.
The light source you'll ever need is within you -
Being constantly renewed
By your life source
And your life's force is driven forth
By your internal illumination.
But many of us choose not to guide our paths with this light.
We think it best not to shine bright
But to glimmer, if at all, dimly
And to seek the radiance that abounds from another.
Lamely, many of us ignore our luminance potential
And some of us are taught that we don't shine at all
And learn to ignore the spark we might feel on occasion.
But luminescence resides in us all, with the power
To brighten the entire world with its resonance.
It's why you'll often find that one man can lead a great nation -
He has allowed his light to shine
And pierce through the darkness that seeks to snuff out his inner flame
And brighten the eyesight of those in the shadows
And to bring the fire to spark the flameless wicks of others.
If one man can illuminate a nation with his singular radiance
Imagine the combined power of our light multiplied!
The cold dark nights would still come, as they may
But your force won't be frozen
Your sight wont be blinded
If you tap into the fire inside
And shine.
© 2008 Patricia B.
---
I wrote this on October 30 - one week ago, when I and everyone else was merely hopeful about the results of the election. I'm so very very glad that the poem fits the outcome and I hope it fits the future of our country.
Monday, October 13, 2008
My Originality:
We were each uniquely made, fearfully and wonderfully by the Creator.
We each have a unique set of talents and gifts provided by God,
With our own unique physical structure
Which include a pair of unique feet
With which we walk on our own unique paths.
In our uniqueness we are the same:
We all have something that makes us distinct somehow
But what makes me an original are not my distinguishable features
But my ability to recognize just what makes me distinct,
My love for my individual character and
My respect and admiration for the diversity of others.
---
So I was reading the great Afrobella's blog just now and saw she and a company called Ododo Originals are doing a giveaway for this fabulous hair clip. Isn't it pretty? I love the color and (what appears to be) beading. It's lovely - and of the wide variety of colors available in this hair clip, this "Morning, Sunshine" and "Imperial" are my favorites!
So for the giveaway, they asked Afrobella readers to submit an answer in some form to the question "What makes you an original?" The above was my response. I don't know if it'll be a winner but I like it.
It's an interesting question. What makes someone an original? In thinking about my response and looking at all the other answers - most of which included something about responder's lovely natural hair, interestingly enough - I was reminded of a pretty obvious yet I think largely overlooked truth: everyone's an individual. We all have a number of things about ourselves that make us stand out - whether readily perceptible or not. So in the most basic sense of originality, we're all originals - and thus the question of what exactly makes one an original isn't an easy one to answer genuinely - at least for me. I could have talked about my lovely natural hair or my beautiful brown skin, big eyes, full lips, large love to learn mind, my writing ability, and a host of other things - but when I consider the things that may make some think of me as "different" (depending on the context and the circumstances I'm in) I realize that there are SO MANY OTHERS that have pretty much the same things going on. They might not have as much - or they may have more - or they have it all but they use it differently - but they have it. What I have is special not simply because it was specially given to me - but because I recognize it, I love it, and it's not threatened and undermined by whatever else other people have going on.
Here's another post of mine on individuality - as related to weight loss. Enjoy!
---
True originality consists not in a new manner but in a new vision.
Edith Wharton
We each have a unique set of talents and gifts provided by God,
With our own unique physical structure
Which include a pair of unique feet
With which we walk on our own unique paths.
In our uniqueness we are the same:
We all have something that makes us distinct somehow
But what makes me an original are not my distinguishable features
But my ability to recognize just what makes me distinct,
My love for my individual character and
My respect and admiration for the diversity of others.
---
So I was reading the great Afrobella's blog just now and saw she and a company called Ododo Originals are doing a giveaway for this fabulous hair clip. Isn't it pretty? I love the color and (what appears to be) beading. It's lovely - and of the wide variety of colors available in this hair clip, this "Morning, Sunshine" and "Imperial" are my favorites!
So for the giveaway, they asked Afrobella readers to submit an answer in some form to the question "What makes you an original?" The above was my response. I don't know if it'll be a winner but I like it.
It's an interesting question. What makes someone an original? In thinking about my response and looking at all the other answers - most of which included something about responder's lovely natural hair, interestingly enough - I was reminded of a pretty obvious yet I think largely overlooked truth: everyone's an individual. We all have a number of things about ourselves that make us stand out - whether readily perceptible or not. So in the most basic sense of originality, we're all originals - and thus the question of what exactly makes one an original isn't an easy one to answer genuinely - at least for me. I could have talked about my lovely natural hair or my beautiful brown skin, big eyes, full lips, large love to learn mind, my writing ability, and a host of other things - but when I consider the things that may make some think of me as "different" (depending on the context and the circumstances I'm in) I realize that there are SO MANY OTHERS that have pretty much the same things going on. They might not have as much - or they may have more - or they have it all but they use it differently - but they have it. What I have is special not simply because it was specially given to me - but because I recognize it, I love it, and it's not threatened and undermined by whatever else other people have going on.
Here's another post of mine on individuality - as related to weight loss. Enjoy!
---
True originality consists not in a new manner but in a new vision.
Edith Wharton
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