Thursday, March 29, 2018
Resilience
Today's word of the day is resilience. I'm thankful for resilience, I'm also thankful for the struggle. I met up with my old teacher and a couple of my elementary school buddies and we went for dinner and had a great night of laughs, jokes, advice and overall memorable moments. One thing that we kept talking about is resilience. The idea of responding and persevering through your struggle/difficult time. I actually met up with my teacher and his significant other, who also happens to be a teacher. So she was like a lot of the kids in her class, and I'll go on to say a lot of the high school kids and under today lack resilience. What does that mean you ask? Well for one, I don't wanna make it seem like I'm taking shots. But she went on to say how her class lacks resilience, they're entitled, too used to getting their way that when they face struggle or difficulty they freeze because they don''t know what to do. I actually agree with that almost whole-heartedly. I look at the kids I've taught in schools, in church and stuff...they're so used to getting what they want that they're not equipped to handle when something doesn't go their way. Failure, setbacks, obstacles, difficult times, struggles...it shapes you, it changes you, it teaches you. I know I sound very cliche, I'm not trying to I swear lol. My brother and I always joke about what life would be like if we were rich, how easy life would be. No stress, no worries...we'd be able to get whatever we wanted. We then think about the kinda people we'd be. Probably snobby, uptight and very selfish for the most part. As much as you or I may hate the struggle, because it sucks, it's hard...it's also necessary. I mean, if only good things happened to me in my life, I wouldn't appreciate it as much as when I go through struggles, fail, then finally overcome it. Imagine if my life were like getting good grades, going to a good university, finding a good job, marrying a beautiful girl, having kids, retiring, that's it. Yeah that sounds dope and all, but I don't think I'd appreciate it as much as if I were to fail some courses, question whether I'd even graduate before finally graduating. I'm not really too sure where I'm going with this tbh. Like all my posts, it's a reminder to myself...and hopefully a reminder or encouragement to you...to embrace your struggle. That failure and rejection is a normal and healthy part of life. I think we all constantly need that reminder, cuz when we're stuck in that failure, that storm in our life...we can't help but think why, if only it were easier. But yeah, it's your struggles that build character, that teach you way more than your triumphs ever could, it also makes it all the more sweeter when you do overcome that obstacle. So keep your head up, stay strong, persevere and keep your eyes on the finish line, peace out.
Thursday, March 22, 2018
TEENS CONFERENCE 2018
TEENS CONFERENCE 2017
Greetings friends, hope you're doing well. So I'm gonna do my best to not make this too long of a post lol. I'm becoming more and more aware of my tendencies to ramble both on this blog and in real life. To sum it up, Teens Conference is a 4 day Christian conference for teens (grades 7-12), it's put together by a bunch of churches across the GTA and many university and up kids volunteer to help out and such. There's worship, messages, games, skits...a lot of team bonding and such. Anyways, I'm gonna skip the long intro cuz I'm assuming most of y'all know what Teens Conference (TC) is, or you can always google it. So this year was my second year as an attendee and also again as a coach. I'll tell you I debated not doing it at all at first. I was like I already went once, got the experience, it was cool but I'm good now. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone and I felt God was really pushing me to do so as well. Once I made the decision to coach, I was like alright, do I wanna just do one conference cuz you know, two days is already enough, they're long days, it's tiring, maybe I'll just do one conference. Then I thought about it again and I was like damn Rodmond, that's selfish, you're not really putting much into it, your captains aren't really gonna get much out of you...it's kinda you just doing your good deed just to say you did it. I had a heart to heart with myself and was like alright, if you're gonna do it, you're all in, if not then don't do it at all. So I decided to coach both conferences, all 4 days. This year was different because I applied early, unlike last year when I joined my team super late. So I got to get to know my team right from the get go, we had a bunch of meetings, get togethers and days to just plan things. Before I even met my captains, I met my co-coach, and he was probably one of the coolest dudes I've met in a while. You ever just meet somebody and all click right away and you're like alright, this is gonna be the start of something dope...that's exactly what it was, it was a perfect balance of joking around and also getting down to work, and I'm super thankful for him and for that. Once we met our captains, it was jokes cuz we had three captains, my co-coach already knew one of them and I kinda knew the other two, so our dynamics were pretty solid from the beginning. My captains were...interesting when I first met them. One seemed super quiet, hesitant to break out of her shell but I could tell she had it in her if she wanted to. The second was just a big ball of energy and you could tell he had a huge heart for people, he really cared. The third one was odd I won't lie, but he was real and I think people saw that and connected with him through that. Lemme tell you there was a lot of procrastination lol, I think all of us at some point or another questioned whether we\d be able to get everything done in time..but we were having fun along the way...well at least I was.
The conference itself was...exhausting, in all aspects...but in a good way. For one, I got to see so many of the people that were on my team last year, seeing how much they've grown and changed. One of my biggest highlights was seeing the kid I counselled last year, the one who literally broke down and hugged me. Words can't express how happy I was to see him again, how much he'd grown, how deep his voice was LOL. The skits were dope as usual, I really enjoyed how they were all connected, each with it's own individual story but also all coming together to form a larger one. Shoutout to my boy D for killing it, through mistakes and all, real is real my friend. The overall theme, the sermon, the worship...really hit me. This idea of the storms in your life, the struggles in your life. Having faith that even if God doesn't calm the storm, that He's right there with you walking through it. There's so much I could elaborate on with just that, but I'll save that for a later post. What else, the two teams were really cool. The jrs were full of energy, and I mean FULL of energy...like they would not stop talking and moving around and fidgeting lol, it kinda felt like babysitting almost at times. But it was a good reminder to not look at them from my own point of view with expectations of how someone my age would be, but to look at them from their own perspective and try to notice the little things. With the srs, I definitely felt more comfortable, you could sit down and have conversation and ask them how they're doing and such. I met and was able to talk to some really interesting people, I'm happy about that. I guess I'll make one last point about the whole conference. I did a lot of thinking throughout the four days. The amount of time you put into your teams, the other coaches, I think for me at least...what really stuck out and became super important to me was how much you put into your leadership team...meaning your coaches and your captains. I say this because you literally spend like a solid 2-4 months I would say with them, prepping, planning, getting to know them and their struggles. As much as you pour out into the conference itself, you only see the groups of kids for 2 days apiece, you see the other coaches from other teams sporadically, but you're with your own team every single moment of the day during the actual conference, and leading up you spend so much time prepping and planning and just being in each other's companies.
I tried, but I just kept writing and I know it's super long, but finally...
Thank you J, for being super cool. For making it easier for me to come out of my shell cuz you're just as foolish as I am, but you also have a maturity in you that goes beyond your age. Thank you for being someone I could lean and depend on these past few months.
Thank you J, for being bold and taking risks. Thanks for dealing with us weirdos but thank you for becoming one yourself lol. Thanks for also trusting and confiding in me despite not really knowing who I am and if I'm crazy or not.
Thank you N, for taking charge, sometimes it felt like you were the coach LOL. I really admire how much you care about people, that's not a common trait nowadays and I hope you carry that with you throughout your life. I also hope you don't stop being super positive and happy cuz it really rubs off on people.
Thank you J, for being super open about your life from the get go, it's never easy being open and honest, you seem to have a good grasp of that. As quirky as you are, I hope you never change cuz it's that boldness and self-confidence in who you are that draws people to you.
Thanks to my team for making my job hella easy, for making it feel like I was just chilling with my friends rather than having to be all responsible and parental like lol, wish y'all all the best and see y'all soon.
Greetings friends, hope you're doing well. So I'm gonna do my best to not make this too long of a post lol. I'm becoming more and more aware of my tendencies to ramble both on this blog and in real life. To sum it up, Teens Conference is a 4 day Christian conference for teens (grades 7-12), it's put together by a bunch of churches across the GTA and many university and up kids volunteer to help out and such. There's worship, messages, games, skits...a lot of team bonding and such. Anyways, I'm gonna skip the long intro cuz I'm assuming most of y'all know what Teens Conference (TC) is, or you can always google it. So this year was my second year as an attendee and also again as a coach. I'll tell you I debated not doing it at all at first. I was like I already went once, got the experience, it was cool but I'm good now. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone and I felt God was really pushing me to do so as well. Once I made the decision to coach, I was like alright, do I wanna just do one conference cuz you know, two days is already enough, they're long days, it's tiring, maybe I'll just do one conference. Then I thought about it again and I was like damn Rodmond, that's selfish, you're not really putting much into it, your captains aren't really gonna get much out of you...it's kinda you just doing your good deed just to say you did it. I had a heart to heart with myself and was like alright, if you're gonna do it, you're all in, if not then don't do it at all. So I decided to coach both conferences, all 4 days. This year was different because I applied early, unlike last year when I joined my team super late. So I got to get to know my team right from the get go, we had a bunch of meetings, get togethers and days to just plan things. Before I even met my captains, I met my co-coach, and he was probably one of the coolest dudes I've met in a while. You ever just meet somebody and all click right away and you're like alright, this is gonna be the start of something dope...that's exactly what it was, it was a perfect balance of joking around and also getting down to work, and I'm super thankful for him and for that. Once we met our captains, it was jokes cuz we had three captains, my co-coach already knew one of them and I kinda knew the other two, so our dynamics were pretty solid from the beginning. My captains were...interesting when I first met them. One seemed super quiet, hesitant to break out of her shell but I could tell she had it in her if she wanted to. The second was just a big ball of energy and you could tell he had a huge heart for people, he really cared. The third one was odd I won't lie, but he was real and I think people saw that and connected with him through that. Lemme tell you there was a lot of procrastination lol, I think all of us at some point or another questioned whether we\d be able to get everything done in time..but we were having fun along the way...well at least I was.
The conference itself was...exhausting, in all aspects...but in a good way. For one, I got to see so many of the people that were on my team last year, seeing how much they've grown and changed. One of my biggest highlights was seeing the kid I counselled last year, the one who literally broke down and hugged me. Words can't express how happy I was to see him again, how much he'd grown, how deep his voice was LOL. The skits were dope as usual, I really enjoyed how they were all connected, each with it's own individual story but also all coming together to form a larger one. Shoutout to my boy D for killing it, through mistakes and all, real is real my friend. The overall theme, the sermon, the worship...really hit me. This idea of the storms in your life, the struggles in your life. Having faith that even if God doesn't calm the storm, that He's right there with you walking through it. There's so much I could elaborate on with just that, but I'll save that for a later post. What else, the two teams were really cool. The jrs were full of energy, and I mean FULL of energy...like they would not stop talking and moving around and fidgeting lol, it kinda felt like babysitting almost at times. But it was a good reminder to not look at them from my own point of view with expectations of how someone my age would be, but to look at them from their own perspective and try to notice the little things. With the srs, I definitely felt more comfortable, you could sit down and have conversation and ask them how they're doing and such. I met and was able to talk to some really interesting people, I'm happy about that. I guess I'll make one last point about the whole conference. I did a lot of thinking throughout the four days. The amount of time you put into your teams, the other coaches, I think for me at least...what really stuck out and became super important to me was how much you put into your leadership team...meaning your coaches and your captains. I say this because you literally spend like a solid 2-4 months I would say with them, prepping, planning, getting to know them and their struggles. As much as you pour out into the conference itself, you only see the groups of kids for 2 days apiece, you see the other coaches from other teams sporadically, but you're with your own team every single moment of the day during the actual conference, and leading up you spend so much time prepping and planning and just being in each other's companies.
I tried, but I just kept writing and I know it's super long, but finally...
Thank you J, for being super cool. For making it easier for me to come out of my shell cuz you're just as foolish as I am, but you also have a maturity in you that goes beyond your age. Thank you for being someone I could lean and depend on these past few months.
Thank you J, for being bold and taking risks. Thanks for dealing with us weirdos but thank you for becoming one yourself lol. Thanks for also trusting and confiding in me despite not really knowing who I am and if I'm crazy or not.
Thank you N, for taking charge, sometimes it felt like you were the coach LOL. I really admire how much you care about people, that's not a common trait nowadays and I hope you carry that with you throughout your life. I also hope you don't stop being super positive and happy cuz it really rubs off on people.
Thank you J, for being super open about your life from the get go, it's never easy being open and honest, you seem to have a good grasp of that. As quirky as you are, I hope you never change cuz it's that boldness and self-confidence in who you are that draws people to you.
Thanks to my team for making my job hella easy, for making it feel like I was just chilling with my friends rather than having to be all responsible and parental like lol, wish y'all all the best and see y'all soon.
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Let's Talk
Hello friends, it's been way too long since we last spoke, I apologize. But uh, yeah I just wanted to talk to you guys catch y'all up with what's been going on in life and such. One thing that's been on my mind with regards to this blog at least is that it's very easy to get caught up in like how many views I'm getting or how many people are reading my blog and such. Sometimes I think to myself like oh damn, that wasn't a good post because it didn't get as many views as I'd have liked or expected it to. And that really messes with you and how you approach say the next post for example. It kinda brings me to my next thing which is like the whole 'comments' on my blog. It's pretty rare I get comments on the blog, most people just tell me things in person or privately. I think when it comes to this kinda stuff or even any of those online anonymous question things that you post and allow people to ask you questions or comment. That stuff is hella toxic for a person's self esteem and overall mental health, I swear. Like I did that stuff as a kid and you like crave that attention and satisfaction of people telling you oh wow you're so dope or wow you're so cool, but in reality it's just an anonymous outlet for people to talk ish about you...cuz I've seen a lot of the comments and stuff that people write on other people's forms and it's hella waste and unproductive imo. It makes me think of like youtube comment sections, how as a youtuber for example...reading that kinda stuff everyday can be hella depressing as much as it'd be uplifting. Half the people would be telling you how dope you are while the other half would be telling you to go die or something of the sort. That's why I never try to get wrapped up around that kinda stuff, cuz it can really damage you y'feel? It's also why I've grown really thick skin, because at the end of the day...it's all perspective and opinion and has and should have no genuine influence on my life. But yeah, that was just me little tangent. What's been going on lately? Well last week I attended and helped out at a 4 day Christian conference for high school kids, I'll have a post for that hopefully sometime this coming week. I'm really excited to share with y'all what God's been teaching me as of late, which will also be in a separate post. I've been praying for like signs from God, some sort of message y'feel and I feel like he's been shoving this one particular one in my face and making sure I get it...and I'm really excited to share it with y'all. Other than that, it's back to the grind of job hunting lol. It's crazy to think that we're literally almost 1/4 into 2018, also crazy to think I'll be turning 26 in a few months...considering I used to think like 18 was when you're like a man and 25 is like considered hella old...geez, how time has just flown by. But life is all about stages right...and every stage has smaller stages...I've been saying that like I feel I'm in a transitional stage of life. The transition to becoming a man, trying to be more independent, more responsible and more serious in general about life and the things that come with it. So yeah, I'm excited to bring y'all on that journey with me as we do life together, see you soon, peace.
Tuesday, March 06, 2018
Dear Nice Guy Part 4
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Dear Nice Guy,
It's been a while since we last spoke, I hope you're doing well. I was talking to my mentor a couple of weeks ago and every time he sees me he loves to ask me how my girl situation is going lol. I told him it was alright, been on a couple of dates here and there, was seeing a girl for a couple of months that didn't end up working out. He was like "Rodmond, for you and for most if not all nice guys, it sometimes takes a bit longer to figure it all out." He went on to say things like it'll be worth the wait and such, you just gotta be patient and wait for the right one rather than settling for the wrong one. But back to you nice guy, this serves as an encouragement to you as well as a reminder to myself. Stay the course, every storm passes...in time. I know the feeling, I really do. You've always envied the jerk, the a-hole who seemingly always gets the girl, who girls seem literally drawn to. You wanted to be him because it seemed like he was the man. Be patient, nothing in life that's worth having comes easy. I know sometimes you think to yourself if 'that time' and 'that girl' will ever come. I'm hopeful for myself and for you that it will, in due time. I know you've always wondered what it would be like to be 'that guy' that seemingly every girl wants. That doesn't need to chase because girls simply flock at him. The guy that can simply do no wrong, I promise you that that life is not as glamorous and attractive as it may seem. And I stand by what I'm said countless of times, I truly believe in my heart of hearts that deep down, every girl wants a nice guy that will treat the right. So stay the course, don't change or feel the need to compromise yourself or your beliefs for a girl. Find the person that compliments you and let it flow. Don't force yourself into something and end up regretting or realizing it's not what you wanted or expected because that isn't fun for either party. So I leave you with this nice guy, yes there are so many people who are in relationships, but there are also just as if not more people who are single and content and truly happy. Be patient, live your life, don't let your happiness be dependent on someone else. Once you find that level of contentment and the right person does happen to come along, that'll just be bonus. Stay the course nice guy, I'm with you, peace.
Dear Nice Guy,
It's been a while since we last spoke, I hope you're doing well. I was talking to my mentor a couple of weeks ago and every time he sees me he loves to ask me how my girl situation is going lol. I told him it was alright, been on a couple of dates here and there, was seeing a girl for a couple of months that didn't end up working out. He was like "Rodmond, for you and for most if not all nice guys, it sometimes takes a bit longer to figure it all out." He went on to say things like it'll be worth the wait and such, you just gotta be patient and wait for the right one rather than settling for the wrong one. But back to you nice guy, this serves as an encouragement to you as well as a reminder to myself. Stay the course, every storm passes...in time. I know the feeling, I really do. You've always envied the jerk, the a-hole who seemingly always gets the girl, who girls seem literally drawn to. You wanted to be him because it seemed like he was the man. Be patient, nothing in life that's worth having comes easy. I know sometimes you think to yourself if 'that time' and 'that girl' will ever come. I'm hopeful for myself and for you that it will, in due time. I know you've always wondered what it would be like to be 'that guy' that seemingly every girl wants. That doesn't need to chase because girls simply flock at him. The guy that can simply do no wrong, I promise you that that life is not as glamorous and attractive as it may seem. And I stand by what I'm said countless of times, I truly believe in my heart of hearts that deep down, every girl wants a nice guy that will treat the right. So stay the course, don't change or feel the need to compromise yourself or your beliefs for a girl. Find the person that compliments you and let it flow. Don't force yourself into something and end up regretting or realizing it's not what you wanted or expected because that isn't fun for either party. So I leave you with this nice guy, yes there are so many people who are in relationships, but there are also just as if not more people who are single and content and truly happy. Be patient, live your life, don't let your happiness be dependent on someone else. Once you find that level of contentment and the right person does happen to come along, that'll just be bonus. Stay the course nice guy, I'm with you, peace.
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