Rule No. 15: THE TRAIN DOESN’T STOP TWICE
After years of running and returning, I’ve learned this truth: grace doesn’t always circle back. This rule isn’t just about missed chances—it’s about the urgency of spiritual obedience. From the VBS stage to a train platform in my mind, I reflect on what it means to move when God says move, to surrender while the door is still open, and to stop gambling with borrowed time. Because sometimes... the train doesn’t stop twice.
Rule No. 13: THE UNDERDOG ATTACK
What do you do when preparation isn’t enough? Rule No. 13 is about the moment the storm hits—and how underdogs fight back with holy confidence, spiritual clarity, and relentless faith, even when the odds are stacked against them.
How to Prepare for the Worst Without Living in Fear: Rule No. 12
Some storms don’t give warnings. They arrive without thunder—just a shift in the air. The silence feels… off.
I’ve learned the hard way: positive thinking is not a substitute for spiritual preparation. True peace isn’t found in the forecast.
It’s found in your foundation.
Preparation is a spiritual rhythm. It’s not fear. It’s wisdom. Because strength isn’t about how perfect your plans are—it’s about how rooted you remain when they fall apart.
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.