Although I started my blog, I didn't have a complete plan. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to write numerous posts a day, once a day, or weekly. The following day after writing my first post I tried to sit down to concentrate on my next one, but the words just wouldn't organize the way I wanted them to. For seven days I tried to harmonize words into paragraphs to focus on a particular topic. I was unsuccessful. At 5:43am my heart started speaking to me, and I woke up to type. Now I know my plan, I will wait for the words to come to me instead of trying to find them myself. It's a given that we will strive to accomplish things in life. Somehow some of us don’t learn to take time to plan what we want to accomplish, and are fools to expect successful results.
There is a pre existing plan a person is expected to follow. We are expected to go to school, graduate, attend college, graduate, start a career, get married, and then focus on starting a family. However, as some of us get older, we begin to create complications in our life that hinders us from following this societal plan. Yeah, there are many who follow this plan and I applaud their ability to stay on track. But what about the ones who don't, such as me, does that make us any less competent than someone who does?
Most of all my closest friends have graduated college, a couple completed their masters, and a few have started their careers. Unlike myself, I am currently working to obtain my bachelors. Yes, we all started college together, but mentally I wasn't ready. So I dropped out, moved back to Atlanta, and my path became redirected. Maybe the lack of a plan, which I strongly encourage young individuals to create, was the reason my path took its own twist and turns. I learned that even if you aren’t living the way anyone else feels like you should, at least have a plan. Don’t just jump head first into something only to bandage the bruises later. The period of healing will always set you back further than you “planned” to go. I was supposed to take a semester off from college, I ended up taking years. And although I choose a different path for my life, I learned lessons far beyond what any classroom could ever teach me. But had I had plan, I could have learned the best of both worlds at the same time. I remember my mother telling me I never seemed to finish anything that I started. Hmmm… I wonder why? LOL! I’ve always heard people say it is best to live for today, but what if tomorrow comes, what do you do then?
With any situation in our life, in order for it to be successful, we must have a plan. A student can’t go through college, without choosing a general career plan. An entrepreneur can’t start a business, without first creating a business plan. A relationship, although it isn’t written, follows a goal and expectation plan. And even something as simple as writing a paper can’t be written properly without first drafting an outline. There is nothing about our life, besides the ability to wake up every morning, that doesn’t require us to think about what we want to achieve. And ultimately, there must be a plan to accomplish it. Majority of the most successful individuals have every moment of their day planned, and following that plan enables them to achieve such status. I don’t see how it can be any different for us “regular folks”. What about you? How do you feel? Critiques anyone?
Man, this excerpt is amazing. Being a serial planner myself, you have to make sure you leave yourself room to be spontaneous. Although I am successful, and I accomplish many goals that I set, sometimes I wish that I would've taken time to enjoy simple things along the way. Everything in life can't be planned, some things you have to just allow things to happen. Success and fun can coexist simultaneously. Balance is key.
ReplyDelete"If its not written, its not done!" My daughter's mother has a first cousin that has one of the two most prominent and highest earning African American film production companies in all of America. His company, Rainforest Films just wrapped up production of the film, "Think Like A Man" in Los Angeles. The film stars Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Michael Ealy, Tocarra (ANTM), Terrence Jenkins (Terrence J of 106 & Park) and Chris Brown among others. It comes out next April. He too had a plan, he graduated from a non traditional high school, went to Florida A&M and majored in Mechanical Engineering. While at FAMU, he won produced a student film, "Chocolate City." Rob Hardy began his career as a high school Senior, with the camcorder-shot movie G-Man. While pursuing a degree at Florida A & M University, he made the leap to film with the low-budget motion picture Chocolate City. This experience earned him the institution's highest honor, the Bernard Hendricks Student Leadership Award, and launched his company Rainforest Films. The underground buzz on the project soon led to his controversial film Trois. Hardy not only directed and co-wrote the thriller, he was also instrumental in self-distributing the project to be the fastest Independent African American film to pass the $1 million dollar mark. In 2003, after directing the critically acclaimed thriller Pandora's Box, he added the role of "Producer" to his credits by collaborating with business partner Will Packer, to produce Motives. 2004 saw Hardy Executive Producing Trois: The Escort, and penning an "untitled Usher" project for MTV Films. Hardy then wrote and directed the spiritually themed drama entitled The Gospel, and produced the companion Gospel Live!. Executive producing Mekhi Phifer's directorial film debut Puff Puff Pass, soon followed, before serving as Executive Producer of Stomp The Yard, which held the #1 position at the box office for two weekends in January of 2007 and received the 2007 Movie of the Year Award from the BET Hip Hop awards. Afterwards came Motives: Retribution and Three Can Play that Game. His hard-earned success has garnered a 2006 “Best Screenplay” (Black Movie Awards) nomination for The Gospel. The Hollywood Reporter (December 2002) listed him amongst the New Establishment of Black Power Brokers. Florida A&M University awarded him with the Meritorious Achievement Award, which is the highest honor bestowed on an alumnus. After which he received the inaugural Woody Strode / Paul Robeson Award of Excellence from his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
ReplyDeleteHis company Rainforest Films, was listed as one of the Top 25 Money Makers in Entertainment (2007) by Black Enterprise Magazine. Most recently Hardy has continued his network episodic directing with stints on Criminal Minds and NBC’s Heroes (the webisodes). With several studio projects in development Hardy has also broken into reality television with his creating Sprite Step Off for MTV2. Additionally, Hardy completed studies at the New York Film Academy, and has begun directing commercial projects for clients, including: CNN, TBS (Turner Broadcasting), American Honda, Coca-Cola, Georgia Lottery and The National Cancer Institute. He serves on the Advisory Board for the International Feature Project (IFP) Film Lab series.
What Rob would tell you was most important about his success was that he and his business partner had a plan after graduating from FAMU. They decided that they would give their shot at being successful filmmakers five years to materialize. Although, they were told NO numerous times, they didn't let that deter them from accomplishing their goal. The most important point in this life is: You will succeed when you realize that no one can stop you but YOU! I wish you continued success. You are a smart woman and a brilliant writer. The World needs to hear your story. Keep Writing!!!