Rule No. 26: THE 24-HOUR RULE
This week in The Playbook, I’m unpacking the 24-hour rule—the discipline of celebrating or grieving for a day, then moving on. Wins can become pedestals, losses can become prisons. God invites us into emotional stewardship: to learn, release, and keep walking with Him into what’s next.
Rule No. 25: CREATE A HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
We weren’t designed to win alone. In Rule No. 25, we explore how God uses community—friends, mentors, spiritual family—to steady us, strengthen us, and shape our growth. Learn how building your “home court advantage” can carry you through seasons of uncertainty, transition, and transformation.
Rule No. 24: GROWTH TAKES PLACE OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
Growth doesn’t happen in safety — it happens in surrender.
In Rule No. 24 of The Playbook, Daniel C. Haynes explores what he calls “growth’s rubric”: the way God measures who we are while we’re still becoming. From Abraham’s obedience to late-night lessons at St. John’s, this reflection reminds us that every stretch is preparation, not punishment.
Rule No. 23: BRING YOUR OWN BALL
We’ve all lived this rule before—when the game ended because the person who owned the ball had to leave. I learned early: if I had my own ball, I could keep playing.
As adults, the arena changes, but the truth remains. God has already placed everything you need in your hands. It may look small, but when you use it faithfully, He multiplies it. Don’t wait for someone else’s opportunity or approval—play with what you’ve been given.
Because in the Kingdom, the game never ends when others leave—it begins when you bring what’s in your hands to God.
Rule No. 22: CONTROL YOUR THINKING
What we think about most is what we march toward and become. Our mind determines our direction, shaping what we see and what we build. Rule No. 22: Control Your Thinking reminds us that true positive thinking is rooted in faith—acknowledging pain but believing everything can still be redeemed.
Rule No. 20: EMOTIONS ARE THE WORST ADVISORS
Emotions are not the problem—it’s what happens when we let them steer our decisions. Feelings can serve as signals, like dashboard lights flashing warnings, but they were never meant to grab the wheel. Anger, sadness, or even joy can cloud judgment and leave us cleaning up consequences long after the moment has passed.
Rule No. 19: MISTAKES ARE INEVITABLE BUT DON’T LET THEM DEFINE YOU
Mistakes are inevitable, but they don’t define you. They sting, they humble, and sometimes they leave cracks in the mirror—but grace has the final word. In this week’s Rule, I share lessons from my own missteps, a poem on the courage of restraint, and the reminder that your story is still being written by the One who never puts down His pen.
Rule No. 18: NEVER BE AFRAID TO GET FIRED
No one wants to be fired, laid off, or rejected. But sometimes being forced out is the only way God calls us up. Rule No. 18 reminds us that closed doors can become open ones, and detours can lead straight to destiny—if we trust Him enough to let go and step forward.
Rule No. 17: YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS CAN BECOME YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH
Your greatest weakness doesn’t have to be your downfall. Through God’s grace, even weakness can become the foundation of your greatest strength.
RULE NO. 16: STRONG ALONE, UNSTOPPABLE TOGETHER
It doesn’t matter how strong you are—where’s your team?
I’ve learned the hard way that isolation can look like strength, but underneath, it’s often a wound wearing armor. We tell ourselves we’re better off alone, that no one understands. But real healing rarely happens in hiding.
For years I called solitude safety. But God showed me the difference between being set apart and being cut off. One leads to restoration. The other to ruin…
Rule No. 9: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF
Blending is not becoming. And survival is not living. At some point, if you keep betraying your truest self, the fracture always shows.
The Edge of Becoming
Still, I’m here, and not just here, but standing in purpose. I ended March with a commitment to continuing to build legacy. Continuing to move forward, regardless of everything going on around me. And that simple truth—breathing, writing, bearing witness, stimulating young minds through my poetry, and commanding the spaces younger me dreamed of—reminds me that unyielding faith is also a form of courage.
Hold Fast, Stay True: Endurance & Conviction in Life’s Storms
Standing on the J train platform at Broadway Junction, the wind cut sharp, carving fresh lines into my face where old stress had once settled.
"Why am I out in this cold?"
It was the first thought that surfaced, followed quickly by another.
Mountain Tops Are Small. And The Air Is Thin: Rule No.6
Success is rented space, and the rent is due every day. The mistake isn’t in the climb—it’s in believing you can stay at the top without effort. In this piece, we explore the nature of success and failure, how to redefine growth, and why champions never stop climbing.
The Cost of Victory: Why Champions Keep Moving Forward: Rule #5
The arena is never empty. The crowd never quiets. Whether I am alone in my room or standing at the precipice of a challenge, I hear them—those voices, spectral and unrelenting. Some belong to those I have known: mentors, friends, skeptics, family. Others are strangers whose words have carved themselves into the marrow of my self-perception, echoing in the chamber of my mind.
They whisper caution. They roar doubt. They ask, again and again, Are you sure?
The Privilege of Pressure: Rule #4
Billie Jean King, the tennis legend and Medal of Freedom recipient, once said: “Pressure is a privilege.”
The first time I heard it, I recoiled. Could pressure really be a privilege? Or was this just another polished mantra designed to reframe hardship as something noble?
But now, I see it clearly.
Blind Spots and Breakthroughs: Embracing Rule #2
It’s fair to say that at some point, we’ve all been victims. I think it’s also fair to say that we’ve all felt like a victim—whether a victim of circumstance, the patriarchy, the system, or someone else’s actions.
When I first revisited this rule, my knee-jerk reaction was to internalize it and start hastily crafting my defenses. I heard myself say, “Well, Daniel, you’re not a victim. You don’t make yourself a victim. You’re a survivor, a fighter, and resilient. You’re all these things you’ve said about yourself and heard others say about you.”
But instead of leaning into that deceptive comfort, I did what the teacher in me would advise my scholars to do:
Grab the dictionary and define the word.
Read it a few times to fully understand it.
Process it with clarity and intention.
Thoughts on Christmas Morning—8 Years of Christmas
Experience eight transformative Christmases through this heartfelt journey of resilience, cultural connection, and personal growth. From Guyanese traditions like pepper pot and black cake to navigating survival mode in the U.S., this reflective memoir captures the essence of identity, ambition, and gratitude. Discover how the holidays shape our stories and offer moments of clarity amidst life's challenges