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version of this Newsletter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1X3dz8V_Yk

I was subbing at this school, and I was talking to this 17-year-old teen named Carl who's always in trouble. As we were having a conversation, he kept mentioning how street smart and gangster he was, but I could tell by his body language and words he wasn't any one of those.

I said to Carl, "You are wasting your time with this street and gangster act. I'm from the streets, and I'm no gangster, but I can tell you that real gangsters don't talk as much as you do. People who are really about that street life stay silent because they want to decrease their chances of getting arrested or killed. So why don't you tell me how you really grew up."

He smirked and said "I grew up in a nice neighborhood with my mother and siblings. My mom is very educated, and she has provided for us very well. I've never met my daddy, but I do believe if he was in my life, I probably wouldn't be getting in so much trouble."

He then asked "Mr. Mosley do you know who the rapper Jay D is?" "I do." "Man he was so gangster and I admire the way he lived that gangster life despite what anyone said." "Really! I find that interesting because he died at 23 years old." "I know, but the way his homeboys all showed up at his funeral wearing their gangster bandanas and his face on their shirts was real."

"Enlighten me by telling me what was so real about his gangster death?" "Gangster Death? I've never heard of anyone calling it that." "Well, that is what you are admiring. So tell me what's so real about it." He sat silently and looked into the sky and said "I don't really know. I guess it's how people admired him for being a gangster." "So you are saying that dying at 23 years old for other people's admiration is real." "That's not what I'm saying." "Okay, then what are you saying?"

I could tell these questions were forcing him to think about his admiration of the rapper's Gangster Death. So I said "Carl. Earlier you said that if your daddy had been in your life, you may not have gotten in so much trouble. I, too, grew up without my daddy, so I also know how tough it is to grow up without a father figure. Carl, do you hope others grow up without a father because you didn't?" "No! Why would I wish that?" "I'm just making sure because I'm sure you are aware that Jay D's gangster life which ended with him being shot to death also results in him leaving his 2-year-old son without a father. So tell me what is so real about this?"

Carl sat silently and looked at the ground, and it seemed that he was rethinking his whole perspective on the rapper's death. I said, "Oh by the way, Carl, Jay D was only 6 years older than you. Would it be real for you to die 6 years from now?" He looked up and said "No, now that you have brought up all of this, I realize he wasted his life. I wasn't even thinking about his son growing up without a father and how young he actually was when he died." "I know you weren't and that is why I decided to challenge your Gangster Death Admiration."

Carl responded, "Let me be real with you Mr. Mosley, I want to live a long life and I don't want to die young like Jay Dee. The gangster life is appealing but after talking about the details of his death, I realize it's not worth it." "That is good to hear Carl, so that means you need to come up with a plan for your life." "Is that how you made it out of the hood Mr. Mosley?" "Absolutely! I had a plan and I executed it and that's why I'm able to be your substitute teacher today".

The bell rang. Carl grabbed his stuff and as he was walking out of the classroom he said "I really appreciate you being real with me and I will come up with my own plan".

Carl's admiration for a Gangster Death evaporated when his perspective on the gangster rapper's death was challenged.

You may not have an admiration for a Gangster's death, but you may have a flawed perspective in some area of your life that is holding you back or can lead to your destruction. You know what this area is for you, so I want to give you an opportunity to change that perspective by:

1) Writing down the area of your life where you are holding an unproductive perspective that is holding you back.

2) Write what results that you believe this perspective will create if you don't change it.

3) Write the results you hope to obtain in your life by changing your perspective in this area of your life.

4) List 3 steps you can take that can help you change this perspective.

5) Choose the easiest of these steps and schedule a day and time you will take this step in the next couple of days.

6) If you believe you will need professional help in this area, find at least 3 professional resources you will contact in the next couple of days.

7) Find a trusted loved one that you can tell about your decision to challenge the perspective in this area of your life who you know will support you.

Challenging old perspectives in any area of our lives is never easy. It takes deep self-assessment, so we can become self-aware of the areas in which we need to change our perspective the most. But it's necessary if you want to reach your full potential, so you can have the impact in this world that you desire. So I encourage you to challenge the perspective that is holding you back, so you can reach your full potential because you are WORTHY TO BE GREAT!