now or never
"Patience" might be one of my guiding words for ‘25, but I can’t help but feel the lyrics of this Kendrick Lamar song; I randomly chose it to be the background music to a video I posted yesterday of two bald eagles I saw on my way home from getting a hair cut—the Universe decided to show me loudly that this year was going to be a great one and that I’m heading in the right direction…
“keep pursuing” the Universe said.
The song “Now or Never” is off of Kendrick’s Good Kid Mad City album and is one of the few songs I might skip when listening to the album, but for some reason, yesterday I listened to it, and the lyrics spoke to me (bold is my emphasis)…
Kendrick Lamar:
“We on?
A'ight
One, two, three, go!
Waking up in a dream
Sleepwalking on another big stage
You never heard peace 'til you hear people scream
Your name in unison, I'm so far away
From the place I used to be, struggling usually
Look at the newer me, fate pursuing me
I can feel the energy in the air
It feel like I'm supposed to be here
Mary J. Blige:
Everywhere I go, I'm getting so much love
Fans, the stars, everyone
Sayin' how they can't wait for the LP
And I'm gonna blow, they believe in me
Feel so good in what you do
Helps somebody else get through
That's why I do the best I can
Because I know how blessed I am
I'm so high, I can touch the sky
I know it's my time, and it's now or never
Shine so bright, I light the night
And it feels so right, ain't nothing better
Kendrick Lamar:
A fool if I take it all for granted
A smart man if I keep my feet planted
To the earth, 'cause the people that hurt can understand it
You speakin' outlandish, I'ma show you how to make it all work
Another planet, it's a short-term goal for me
A record sold for me, it's just more of me in your ear
For you to hear Kendrick persevere, defenses I feel relentless
Ambition with a clear vision
Takin' off, I ain't takin' off these Pistons
I'm takin' off on the inner me, you're distance
Came across me, how much it'll cost me
To get you out my business
I said a planet is a short-term goal, no sky is the limit
I'm past that, now pass that award
Not one but four times two plus yours
Mary J. Blige:
I see myself performing there (K.dot)
Sold out shows where the room is packed
Sitting at the Grammy's winning five awards
See myself on big billboards
Traveling around the world with endorsement deals
Can't imagine how it feels
That's why I'm smiling everyday
Because my dream ain't far away
I'm so high, I can touch the sky
I know it's my time, and it's now or never
Shine so bright, I light the night
And it feels so right, ain't nothing better
Kendrick Lamar:
You looking at me, and you tell me I'm blessed
Calculated my steps, my heart, my breath
Breathe in lungs of a victory and vividly
You see me when at my best, my worst
This verse dedicated to the days that I slept
With a curse research my paid dues, I'm reimbursed
I burst in the crowd with a voice and a crown
I'm a King on the prowl and I see mama smile
And I vow on the tape that I'll never break
You can break bread with me now
We can all take a bow on the edge of the pedestal
Then scream out loud that we made it off the avenue
And walked that mile
In the darkness I often sit back and get lost in the rap that I wrote
When you told me that it spoke to your soul
I was talking to you, I was walking it through every ghetto
Tell success "Hello"
We here
Mary J. Blige:
And I'm so happy I cry 'cause I can't believe
All the things I ever wanted are finally happening for me
And it's so surreal that I almost feel
That any minute I can wake up from this fantasy
When you pray so hard, and you've come so far
And you know that it's the time for you to lift your bar
And I'm gonna do it, watch me
I'm so high, I can touch the sky
I know it's my time, and it's now or never
Shine so bright, I light the night
And it feels so right, ain't nothing better
I'm so high, I can touch the sky
I know it's my time, and it's now or never
Shine so bright, I light the night
And it feels so right, ain't nothing better.”
I expect to see this song in my year-end Spotify Wrap with how much I’ll listen to it in the coming year.
I wanted to revisit one line quickly,
“I see myself performing there (K.dot)
Sold out shows where the room is packed”
I see my Self performing on big stages in the future, and one of the ways I am working towards this vision is by bringing back the Keep Pursuing Series of talks; this year, I’ll be hosting a monthly talk, and last night, I released the dates and Eventbrite to secure tickets for each of the talks.
You can see the titles of each of the talks below and grab your tickets here.
See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,
JC
🦅 Some ways I might be able to help you live your authentic life:
🤝 One on Ones Let's hop on Zoom to do a guided meditation, a creative brainstorming session, or an overcoming an obstacle session.
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🤝 Outsourced life planning As your outsourced life planner, you bring me in to take your client through the Kinder Institute of Life Planning’s EVOKE process to help them better understand who they are, what they want their life to look like, and create a vision of this life for you to execute on the financial plan. Since you are their financial advisor, you will be a part of each of the meetings, so you understand the “why” behind your client’s new plan.
