If You Try

If You Try

Monday, January 30, 2012

When Giving Up Isn't An Option (The Rocky Balboa Factor)


There are times in life when you will feel like quiting. Sometimes the pressure from everything surrounding you can weigh you down to such a degree that you give up hope that things will change. These are the times that make us stronger and fortify our resolve. One of the hardest things to do is hang in there, but it is necessary. There are more people watching you than you know and a lot of what they will be inspired to do will stem from you. You have to face your fears. There will be periods where the initial outcome will not be pleasant, but you will reap huge rewards in the long run if you stay the course and don't throw in the towel.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Happy Birthday to the Most Amazing Woman on the Planet!




I want to wish a very special and happy birthday to the love of my life, Menzelle Jacobs. Baby I love you more than these words can reflect. You truly are my heart beat and I know that I would not even be close to where I am today if I didn't have you beside me. You encourage and inspire me. You allow me to dream big and do everything in your power to help me see my visions through (no matter how crazy they seem). You are the best cook that I know, you take care of your boy in the kitchen. You are gorgeous, both inside and out and I want the world to know how blessed I am. It is an honor being your husband and I hope this day will be one you can positively reflect on in the years to come. I pray God's richest blessing on you, that he give you even greater insight, wisdom, strength, and grace as you continue to fulfill your calling as a daughter of the Most High. You are excellent, praise worthy, noble, and you give life to my bones. You are my crown and the world is a much better place because you are in it. Keep shining queen!

-From hubby

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

What Are You Doing To Realize Your Dream?



I don't know if you noticed, but 2012 is already moving pretty quick. Many of us have made resolutions, set goals, and made plans to improve our situation. My goal through this post is just to encourage you to stay on the path you have started. Don't be like most people who quit between late January and early February. Stay diligent in what you are working on. Your dreams, goals, and visions are not going to accomplish themselves. Keep going until you develop a rhythm and then that rhythm will work for you. You'll knock out your bite sized goals (leading to the bigger ones) in your sleep. Then at the end of the year, what was once formidable is now attainable. Hang in there!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Harnessing Your Passion To Produce Something Worthwhile (The Steve Jobs Factor)



Would you consider yourself a passionate person? Is there something that fires you up and gets your engine going? Good, this is for you then. Often times we let this valuable passion (or intense desire) go to waste or use it in a destructive manner. Passion can lead to great accomplishment if it is channelled the right way. You can chose to let it be fuel for you creativity or let it just flicker and fizzle out through passionate talk that amounts to nothing. I've learned a huge lesson in harnessing my passion. Don't talk about it, or at least don't let my passion flow out all at once through my speech, especially if the audience probably wont take it and run with it. We often express our passions through conversations, social media, etc. and fail to produce something tangible. Most times, you are losing thunder when you just blab about what you want to do or how strongly you feel about a particular subject (don't get me wrong,I love using social media to convey my thoughts). Take it one step further, write an article or a book, start a peer group, create a product, or whatever else you can think of to show how passionate you are. Don't just talk about it, most people will forget what you say anyway. Make your passion count for something that will last and improve your life and those around you.

"Do you want to sell sugared water forever or do you want to change the world" -Steve Jobs

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Sharp Skills Talks Marriage



I recently had a friend of mine hit me up and ask me about marriage, I thought that there may be other people who can benefit from this and decided to share my response. See the question and answer below.

"Sharp, thanks for sharing your blog on 'the artistry of marriage'. I've had a lot of pastors, family, and trusted friends give me advice on Marriage and how to prepare, but I'd love to hear from you in a little more in depth.


Here is my question: As a 21-year old, what can I be doing right now - in my singleness - to be best preparing for marriage? I would love to hear your thoughts on this."

Answer: I can't act like I got this perfect when I was single, but one thing that I did to prepare for marriage was try to forget about it and focus on where I was headed in life. So many people become so consumed on when and who they will marry that they are distracted from doing what they are called to while single. With that said though, I also begin to read books and other material on relationships and how to have successful ones, not just marriage (though that was included and a main area of interest for me). Lastly, I was sort of mentored unknowingly by a young married couple. They allowed me to hang around them even as a single young man and shortly after I found my wife. The biggest and most important thing you can do right now is deepen your relationship with God, get a vision for your life, and begin to move toward it. Hope that helps a bit.

-Sharp