“Don’t take it personal”

Many of us are way too sensitive to deal with life. We want to cry about this, moan and groan about that, and seek counseling for everything from a paper cut to not being able to figure what to wear to work. Grant it there are moments in life that necessitate a good cry, a shoulder to lean on, or the ear of a good listener; but not every moment is one of the moments. At some point, we have to listen to the criticism, warranted or unwarranted, process it and move on. People are going to feel some way about you no matter how great, terrible or in between you may be. It’s the nature of the beast that is humanity.

I was listening to a line from a song off of Eminem’s latest album Recovery. On one of the tracks he said he contemplated taking shots at Lil Wayne and Kanye West, not because they had said or done anything to him but because at the time they were “doing it” and he wasn’t. He was so angry about the direction his life had gone that he thought about targeting those individuals who had reached the modicum of success he once had. I implore you, if one of the Top 3 rappers of all time, in terms of album sales, can feel a need to take unwarranted shots at others, what would make you think Jim Nobody or Jane Everybody wouldn’t take shots at you? Again, it’s the nature of the beast that is humanity.

We want what we don’t need, lust for what we want, and covet our neighbor’s prosperity. Many of us are too unimaginative to think of what we want on our own, so we search the magazines, music videos, and our neighbor’s garage to figure it out. What it does is breed hate, envy and contempt and before you know it you’re spewing hate for no reason. You hate just for the sake of hating. You hate because you can, because you’re angry and don’t know what to do about it.

What we need to do is fall back from our jealous pursuits and focus on our own dreams, goals and aspirations. How can you ever win the race when you’re not running in your lane? It’s ok to watch, admire and compliment, but hating is totally and completely unnecessary. The energy that you direct towards that dead-end endeavor could be used towards making your first million, buying your first house, or taking that well-deserved and much needed vacation to Brazil.

People are going to say and do what they want and in most cases there isn’t much we can do about it. Sometimes it has something to do with who you are, what you’ve accomplished and where you’re going. Often times it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the person who is directing the hate’s inability to get over themselves, their problems and accept responsibility. “Don’t take it personal.”

Jay-Z used the hateful statements of a school teacher to fuel his dreams. In his album the Blueprint III on the song So Ambitious he states “I felt so inspired by what my teacher said, he said I’d either end up dead or a reefer head.” He later goes on to state how it was statements like those that fueled his dreams, fed his ambition and powered his dreams. Today he’s part
owner of an NBA team, married to one of the most talented and beautiful women in the worldand as of last year has an estimated net worth of $450 million. I would say he did alright.

I’m not encouraging you to become rap stars and hip-hop moguls. I’m challenging you to take the negative and turn it into a positive. When people tell you what you won’t do, show them what you will do. When others doubt your ability prove to them that their hate is an exercise in futility and that you can do anything you put your mind to. My mother taught me that no matter what you say or do, everyone is not going to like you. She says, “They killed Jesus and we’re not better than He was so why should we expect better treatment.”

In this dawn of social networking where everyone has a blog, twitter or facebook account, people feel more empowered more than ever to say what they want, when they want, and how they want. Unless they’re death threats or instances of cyber-bullying, the only thing we can do is suck it up, deal with it and “don’t take it personal.” Instead, use it as steam to power your dreams and as protein to strengthen our resolve to carry whatever burden we may have to carry. Until next time, Stay Up and Stay Blessed!