New Years Resolution

As, the New Year slowly creeps on in, it’s the great time of the year to set goals for the upcoming year.  Your goals maybe to help make you a better student, lose weight or even help get rid of bad habits, travel somewhere or maybe broaden your intellect as a person. I would like to offer some advice on how to you to accomplish goals and make sure you take away from them what you need too.

Two methods I try to utilize when making goals is one I say them out loud so my friends and peers can hold me accountable. Two I keep a copy of my goals on me at all times in my book bag and I also hang them up on the wall beside my bed.  Which gives you a visual on what you are working towards for that semester.

Clearly define goals- As human beings we are not perfect and sometimes we can set goals for our self but we don’t clearly define what we want to achieve.  A simple goal is to say I want to study more. A good general goal but how much more do you want to study. A better goal for this is to say I want to study 15 or 20 hours every week. Adding a number helps gives a visual on what you want to achieve and also it makes the goal more measurable and more likely for you to accomplish.

No Goal is to Small- goals make it easier to accomplish bigger goals. For instance if you want to run a marathon long term there is a lot of work and conditioning you need to accomplish in the short term to be able to run a marathon.  A smaller goal would look run 10 miles in a given week to prepare for your long term goal. Also, these small goals will allow you to see results if life comes in. This past semester I set the goal to study/ do hw2-3 hours a day. When life happened and my cousin got killed I was able to measure my goal by timing how much I was in the library or by how  much time I spent doing homework.

Ask for help- Some goals are too big for one to take on by themselves. We all need help fulfilling goals we want.  One of my goals for next semester is to get a job on campus. This can be a huge problem with 24,000 students attending schools. I personally reached out to my mentor who can help me he is more familiar with campus and he knows what places are hiring. But saying I want a job is not measurable I can set a goal saying I will put in five applications on my quest to find a job. I can live with those results.

Set goals with friends- One thing I always used struggled with is losing my body fat.  For my next semester I decided to take a weight lifting class with some of my friends. Its good having friends when working  out. For some people the whole talk of losing weigh or even trying to tones one’s body can be scary. Friends are there to support you, so use them when you need help or try to take on a tough goal.

Measure Success/ results – Any progress you makes towards a goal is a win for you.  Set deadlines and give yourself time to evaluate the goals. Why where you successful with one goal and not with another. If your goal was to study 15 hours a week and you studied 12. If you had not made that goal you probably would not have reached 13. Also see what obstacles stopped you from reaching goals. If you wanted to work out more and you started a new job and you only have time to work, go to class, and do homework it’s something to learn from.

Some of my Goals for 2012

Study/do homework 16 hrs. a week

Workout 3 times a week

Spend 5 hrs. a month reconnecting with friends from high school via skype, phonecalls, text messaging, and other social networks 

Get a job on campus( put in a minimum of 5 applications)

What Goals are you setting for the New Year?

Liberation

The only thing worst in our country then being black is being a being a young black male in between the age of 13-33 your set up for many disappointments in life. One, you are stereotyped and assumed to be a gang banger. Also, people don’t believe you have the full potential that you possess. This semester in continuing the journey of educating myself in Black Studies I took a Black Male Contemporary issues class.  I am currently a Political Science Major with a minor in Black Studies. I am also a Black 20 yr. old male from the South Side of Chicago. In this class we looked to analyze and comprehend what it took to be an African Man.  We read and analyzed two text Visions for Black Man by Na'am Akbar and Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys by Jawanza Kunjufu.

These books helped bring to light that the Black man is killing the black race rather it is intentional or not it’s a problem keeping our people from progressing forward. In being a black man you should never allow anyone to call you a boy it is the most degrading term and it is the ultimate victory one can have over you mind. Akbar made reference to the great productive black minds being incarcerated during their most productive years. When we hear death we only think of the physical meaning of it but there are two other ways to be dead. One can be institutionally dead and mentally dead. You can achieve the last two by being mis-educated, not taking to time to educate yourself on black history and if you become a victim to the jail system you are very much enslaved and dead.

And finishing up my third semester in college i looked to do extensive research following someone who is a black man but not well recognized for their contributions to the world and black society. I Researched Chekh Anta Diop a renounced black leader from Senegal who proved to the world that Blacks and Africa are the center of world civilization. If you don’t believe feel free to look in depth at his Two Cradle Theory in which he explains. But knowing our history is power we must teach ourselves and teach others. We can’t live without trying to change the problems around us. As leaders we must work with other leaders to fix our problems. In the past, too many of our great leaders worked along instead of teaming up with other great leaders to get the job done. We must not just live to build societies based on our weakness but build societies that show our strengths as an individual and as a race. Only then will we begin to fix problems that plaque us.

If no one ever told you Black is beautiful Black is Power and Black Is Great....

First year Reflection of College

My first year of  college is over and i am glad to say i Made it. It was far from easy but hard works pay off. I would not be in the position i am today without the help of mentors from school, and back home friends who wanted to see me achieve and family who have been behind me every step of the way. The great thing about college is meeting new people. I really had a blast. I met some people i am glad to call my friends i also met some people who i could really do without in my life. I want to thank all my friends for an amazing  and unforgetable year.

Im glad with the decisions i made to what organizations i chose to be a part of. They gave me a chance to be me and thrive as a leader on campus. I remember back in high school i got a little intemeidated thinking how would i go form being one of the best leaders in my school district to a nobody on campus? Well after this year im not just a nobody. I have really established myself on campus as a good positive leader ans the future only gets brighter. 

I want to give a shout out to my bros and mentors Yesi, Dave, Delonta Johnson, Sekou, Blex, Khiry, Farouk, Chris Pitts, Delonte Leflore, Guiliano, Jaemin and Thaddaeus. But also i have to  thank Mrs. Regina Curry, Derrick Smith, and Don Bramlett, and my hall director Martise Cooks. Also i would like to thank some of my high school teachers who have been a tremendous help to me this year Mr Kubey, Mrs. Dillon, and Dr. Wyatt, Marlon Mclachlan and the whole Mikva staff. You guys rock

This year could of been alot harder but because of the support system ive had. I was able to learn how to work the system. Im looking forward going back to school this upcoming semester and im also looking forward what great things NIU and my friends will bring for me. 

Not everybody you start this journey will be able to stand with you at the end. But you owe it to yourself to fight and overcome adversity And in my case man up and not be afraid to ask for help or afraid to try something new. Also distance yourself from those who do not want to see you succeed and those who dont have the same plan as you. You put yourself around success it rubs off and you want success. Lastly i want to thank my family once again because wihtout all their love ans support i would not have been able to accomnplish many of the things i have.