How To Be A Better YOU…

When I first moved to Atlanta, GA on the one year anniversary of 9/11 I had a lot doubts about my decision to move. I was afraid and brave and a myriad of different emotions. Hotlanta, Georgia called to my soul the last time I’d been there for a visit, so I had to move away from my home state, Michigan. I unpacked my stuff, helped my cousin unpack his stuff too and we were living together in a nice apartment just right for 2. What if it didn’t work out? Heart pounding out of my chest, I fixed up my resume and began searching for work via the internet.

At the time I still played the bass guitar. It was a gift from Goddess that I had no natural talent to play, or maybe I did according to the best drummer I’ve met in person, Chud. Watching him play drums is a joy, I could do it all day and be satisfied with that choice that I made. It was humbling to my soul that if I wanted to play the bass to get to a level of good, I’d actually have to work at it. Dammit...Most things came naturally to me and work is work. I was only leery of work because what is labelled as work and what work a person is meant to do are different things. At the time, I didn’t know the difference.

Once upon a time I owned a Crate amp, and an EXtreme effects pedal (something you plug in between your amp and guitar to make different noise with your instrument). When I setup my stuff, whenever I tried to use the effects pedal, no sound would come out of the amp. I plug the guitar directly into the amp, no problems. If I wanted to distort the sound with the pedal, no sound. Frustrated I took my broken pedal into Dirt Cheap Music and asked if they could fix it. They said they would try.

I continued looking for work and two weeks later someone called me from Dirt Cheap and said, “Lady,I’ve been over it backwards and forward. I’ve taken it apart looking for a problem, there isn’t one.”

Confused, I answered,“But it doesn’t work for me.”

I could hear the frustration in his voice as he said, “I’m telling you, it works just fine. I know how to do my job. I’ve cleaned the parts, the pedal works just fine. I’m tearing my hair out. Please tell me why you brought me something that’s not broken to fix?”

I said, “I understand what you’re saying. When I plug it in I don’t get sound. The guitar and amp work perfectly for me. So the problem has to be the pedal, doesn’t it?”

The poor guy sighed and said, “I think I figured out your problem. When you plug the pedal in which power supply cord do you plug into the pedal, AC or DC?”

I looked at the power supply cords and read off the one I was using, he told me to use the other one.Just that simple, the problem was fixed. It cost me $15.00 for that priceless life lesson. In other words, when my Power Source is the wrong One, stuff doesn’t work for me. Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut when I trust, believe in my Power Source, my Goddess, The Biggest Baddest Bitch in the Universe, the True ONE and ONLY Supreme Being, The Deity, oh my, well, my life works so well, I can do nothing else but share the joy.

Taking the leap to surrender to IT, is hard. And the confusion is in how you are filtering the message. So many people walking the planet have no idea how blocked up their filter is and how to clean it and hear what has been told to you your entire life. What I mean is, we don't all hear the message in the same language, so the message gets a little messy when you're listening to IT. For example, I barely speak English, though I am fluent in Flirt and Ebonics. I'm having a little trouble with the language of the Youth of America, I guess Will Smith was correct, Parents just don't understand.

So let me tell you the number one fact you need to know for your life. You want the secret, hear it is(yes, I used hear instead of here on purpose). I’ve accepted as part of my mission to Earth is that I’m supposed to translate this simple message to you in terms that you can understand. Ready? Do you want to hear it? Want me to tell you how other people do what they do? What they understand that you don’t seem to get? Here it is, in the simplest terms I can say it in. Please don't be offend that I'm explaining it to you like you're a four year old because I really pray that I can help you understand it. YOU, yes I’m talking to YOU. (don’t say not me,) Neverending Story-style, YOU!

YOU WERE BORN TO CHANGE THE WORLD!

The moment you know IT, believe IT, accept IT, surrendered to IT, you’ll get what other people you admire, idolize already know. You'll understand why some people seem to live a charmed and exceptional lottery ticket winning-esque kind of life and how you can have IT too. That’s the big damn secret. You were born to change the world. They accepted that fact. You haven’t yet.

I'm willing to bet you’re calling bullshit. You ARE sitting there telling me, Bitch you’re lying. You can’t PROVE that. I really hope that’s what your ass is sayin'. How do I know? Silly Rabbit, Trix's are for kids, I mean, Goddess told me that’s what you were going to say. She said to me, okay fine sneaky little bitch prove it to them. Redman-style “Get ‘Em” … You want some proof, okay fine, here’s your damn PROOF that what I call SHE EXISTS...

Might I suggest you turn on the radio. Turn on your television. Go explore the damn internet. Though you could just walk around the world from the safety of your computer, tablet, instrument of choice to connect to the world, I really hope you're brave enough to go out into your community.

Find something that resonates inside you and enjoy it and get connected to the world. Storytellers are all around you, all you have to do is listen to what they are saying to you...Yes you, I do me YOU...Because believe it or not, they are telling you the exact same thing I'm telling you too. Why you may ask? They figured out that they were born to change the world and when told that, believed it. That's the only difference. The dividing line between you and me...Only they may not believe they were born to change the world, instead they believe they were born to save a life, or to create unicorns, I don't know. I just haven't asked enough people why they were born yet.

Not ready for that step? It's a biggy, I know, it's where you see what I'm saying in other people. But you only need to pick up a book and read it. Any book, doesn’t matter the words. If you are brave enough to go out into that big bad scary world, say you decide to head to a coffee shop and have a conversation with the person sitting in the chair next to you, you'll get it a lot faster. If not, listen to some music, watch a video on youtube. 

Might I suggest you go do that right now for about an hour...Let what you love be your religion. Believe in what you say, own it. Have faith that God is always on your side. That can't be true. I don't agree with what so and so said. So how could that be true if I don't agree with someone else? What I realized is, I'm different from other people, an individual. I'm Stephanie Monique, run it backwards, you get a Unique Step. I'm the only person walking the planet that is me. The same is true of you. Yes, you. YOU. I don't have to agree with you, but I respect the fact that God loves us the same. In which case, I agree to disagree with your point of view.

So, there's your assignment, now please go do it. Pretty please with sugar on top and chocolate kisses, I swear you won't be disappointed. Really, it’s that easy. What if I want to worship Satan? You're still worshiping the same God I do, only you're calling IT Satan. Seriously, I’m not lying to you. I swear, I promise, nothing bad will happen to you. Once seen, it can’t be unseen. 

When I realized how easy it was to do, I shook my damn head. It blew up and evolve my locked up mind. Personally, I'm going to let Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliot tell me about IT again while drinking the sweet nectar of a cup of coffee...