Unfinished Business: Making Hard Decisions in the New Year
The world is a scary place when you don’t trust yourself. When you can rattle off a list of mistakes and bad decisions with the ease that Catholic school children recite the Holy Rosary, it is easy to question your…
Life ‘Behind Schedule’
Last night I struggled to fall asleep, distracted by the loud, hollow ticking of my life clock. My mind quickly caught its rhythm and insisted that I was behind schedule. There are places I expected to be, doing things I…
Perfect Shmerfect: the Path to Success
I should have stopped her at “perfect.” It was arts and crafts time at Vacation Bible School and I was demonstrating how to construct an origami boat. I followed the picture guide in front of me as the kids and…
Paying Inspiration Forward: Maya, My Book & Your Dream
I considered many things while working on my upcoming book. Who was it for? What story was I trying to tell? What would people think of it, and of me? There is one thing that did not occur to me…
A Leap of Faith: I Published a Book!
Some people take dramatic leaps of faith; others wade. He goes with us either way. Years ago, after my second open mic performance, another artist approached me and said, “I need your book.” Since I had written just three spoken…
Becoming ‘The Greatest:’ What Ali Taught Me
When boxer Cassius Clay changed his name in 1964 after converting to Islam, it took some time for ‘Muhammad Ali’ to stick. As I toured the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky., last week, I watched footage of old media interviews in…
Dream Chasing: Are You Willing to Pay Your Dues?
I recently watched my old friend Denise Huxtable discover a new dream. She, the scatterbrained middle child on the long-running television hit The Cosby Show, was known for changing callings like Carrie Bradshaw swaps shoes. In this particular episode, Denise dropped…
