ya'll gon' make me loose my cool. please leave me ALONE.

picture 1: my morning prayer and meditation space, picture 2: my morning basketball/meditation practice, and picture 3: a beautiful piece of art I photographed on the Mall while in Charlottesville, Virginia a couple of months ago.

the world scares me many days. it sometimes feels like a vicious, unforgiving, and confusing place. it's hard to know who to trust, what to believe, how much of yourself to give, how to feel safe, the list goes on. i sometimes wish to be a child again, when the illusion of safety and the reassurance of benevolent authority felt real. as an adult, it's so easy to feel like i'm just fending for myself everyday against the rush of adversity, uncertainty and menace that the world so often offers. it's so easy to feel ALONE.

ALONE is exactly how i want to feel every morning, first thing in the morning. and that's exactly the environment i create for myself...thanks to my incredible wife, Victoria, who allows me the space and time for my daily practice. i'm always running. running to my next goal. running away from my fears. running far from the noise of the world. running on empty. my quiet time each morning in my "cathedral" and my "sanctuary" re-fill my spirit. the time takes me to a place of stillness, calm, reflection and non-judgmental introspection. i pray to my God, i meditate over my life, my actions and the people i love and care about. and, i work through my problems and anxieties, and find encouragement and courage to face my day.

that's how i start every single morning. ALONE, in communion with my God and myself. it's how i try to find clarity and peace in a world that's really good at trying to steal it from me each day. i'm so thankful for this time and space that i'm privileged to have. i really wish it for everybody, because it makes such a huge difference for me. the game is in our minds. to enjoy and thrive in the game, we must protect, exercise, rest and expand our minds. those are the key elements of my mental health/strength exercise. i consider myself an athlete-entrepreneur. that means i love to run at 1000 mph to build teams and companies that make a dent in the universe. the only way that lifestyle works is if i am able to cultivate a practice that empowers me to be the "eye of the storm" in situations where things are going crazy and everything is uncertain.

by the way, let's stop killing BLACK MEN and BOYS in the streets. that's not going to fly. here's a link to a list of 108 names I wish you were about to learn for another reason.

term of the day: wrath. this is always the inevitable result of extreme, cruel and persistent injustice and evil.

song of the day: What it Feels Like by Nipsey Hussle ft. Jay-Z. these guys speak for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyA7917eb3U