Are we products of our environment or do we determine our own destiny?

One day I overheard a member of my staff cussing and believe me when I say he can cuss. I said “boy you so ghetto” and he just laughed. He is really from the ghetto and I was just teasing him as I do sometimes. We talked about his family and early life but I noticed that he mentioned constantly that he was at a different place from his siblings in his mind and behavior. I asked him how was it that he was so different from the other members of his family in how he generally carries himself and his outlook on life. (After all I am doing research for my blog). 😉 Without sounding condescending he behaves and looks very middle class. His response was that he “decided to break the cycle. ” I was lost and asked him to explain. He said and I quote “exposure is a hell of a thing”. He explained that he got a full academic scholarship to a private school when he was very young. He met children of a totally different background and he decided that he would be like that. He wasn’t envious, he was motivated. He decided not to have kids early, get a tertiary education and move out of the ghetto. He did just that and his kids will have a different reality.

There are so many persons that would not see life the way he did from his community and they think how they live is all that can happen. The government can’t change you, nobody can change you. You have to get up and decide what you want. Do you want to live the way you do now or is there something better?

It’s not just where you live but how you live. Is drama the norm? Are you constantly anxious about money? Do you live like there is no tomorrow? How will you change your outlook? What will you do differently starting today? There are so many books that can help. Use the internet to help yourself get out of the rut instead of only for entertainment. As my dad would say “never look back on your life and say, if only I had, look back and say I did.”

I guess I was blessed to have had my parents who had a very broad view of the world. My father encouraged me to see the world, even more than my mother did, I think she was a little afraid for me. He understood what it would do for me. Traveling can help to expand your view of the world. It really did for me.

I traveled very often by myself and got to know me very early in life. It’s very important to get to know yourself and make the necessary changes that can have an impact on how you view and inevitably live your life.

Let me know if you will make changes and what you will do to take the first step. Get to know yourself. It’s important.

See you next Wednesday at 8:00 pm.

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