Ryan Roberts: (excerpt from the book Man-U-Script)
To be a Black man means (to me) that you have no other option but to commit to excellence. I believe that a life that is not committed to excellence is a life that is already behind the eight ball. The outcome of living contrary to a life of excellence is comparable to building a house on sand. We know that a house built on sand is not sturdy enough to withstand the storms that will inevitably come its way. At the end of the day, a life lived outside of the pursuit of excellence will not bear good fruit.
To bear good fruit and to positively impact lives, you must have pure intentions. Furthermore, if you’re spiritual and you believe in the Lord, then your intentions must be grounded in God’s principles. God’s principles will take you further than you could ever imagine.
Being a Black man in America is challenging. Black men encounter so many opposing forces. A Black man is all too often met with inaccurate stereotypes when he walks into an establishment. In order to move forward he has to stay focused on his objectives and step over the negative preconceptions. Real talk, he needs to step over the dumb stuff and focus on his reason for being. He must NEVER allow the negative stereotypes to dictate his outcome, decisions, or his drive. A forward-thinking man can and will use the negative stereotypes as a spring board to his success, even though he must put forth more of an effort than his colleagues.
Many of us are not privy to the educational tools that exist in other communities. Even though this disadvantage has delayed many, our progress over the past decades is due in part to the resiliency of our people.
Despite having started off on an uneven playing field, I continue to succeed because of my commitment to excellence God’s way. I continue to walk in faith with the knowledge that God will see me through. I’m committed to doing the right thing, whether people notice or not. Why? Because, the Lord is going to give me what’s mine and give everyone else what’s theirs. This is how I live and do business. Going through life this way means that I don’t live with regret or with anything hanging over my head. We were not designed to live in defeat, guilt, regret, or in the shadow of anything lingering over our heads.
My initial decision to pursue excellence came the day I made a critical life changing decision. I came to a point in my life where I had to choose a side. I had to ask myself if I was going to accept God’s way or was I going to accept what society tells me is ok. I chose God’s way. Is God’s way always easy? No. But He gives a level of satisfaction that you can’t put a price tag on. Above all, God gives a level of peace that you just can’t explain.
I can say that my decision to choose Jesus Christ as head of my life was my defining moment. God changed me. He changed my life. If I tell anyone else about life, I can only tell them from this perspective. God is real. I can attest to that. I can tell people that God does hear our prayers, and He’s here to help.
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