Tag Archives: McGhee’s Manifesto

The truth is: Everybody doesn’t believe in you

18 Saturday Feb 2012

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Everybody doesn’t believe in you.  I don’t say this to be harsh; I say this to be honest.  Since this is the case you must believe in yourself.

Believing in oneself has become underrated in today’s society.  We live in a culture where we are too often seeking the approval of others.  Often times before we decide whether or not to believe in ourselves, or our ideas.

This happens no matter who you are, or where you are in your life.  Regardless of whether or not you are an honor roll student or a stand-out athlete.  Regardless of your title as bank President or your job as a gas station attendant.  Regardless of the nice clothes you wear or the nice car you drive.  Regardless of the 1,000 plus facebook friends and several twitter followers you have.  None of these things are more important than you believing in you.

In other words, it really doesn’t matter who believes in you.  All that matters is what and who (God and yourself) you believe in.

© David McGhee

Hurry up and R.E.L.A.X.

23 Monday Jan 2012

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There comes a point in all of our lives when we need to Hurry up and R.E.L.A.X.

R – Release

Simply put, there are some things in our lives that we need to release.  Nothing productive comes from doing that which you are not supposed to be doing.  Nothing!  Be it bad habits, or negative people, make sure you recognize them for what they are and release them from your life.

E – Encourage

Encouragement goes a long way.  When we encourage others we give them the extra push they need to keep going.  Think about a time where you were at the end of your hope, where you wanted to give up and then received an encouraging word.  This may have been the difference maker; the one thing that propelled you to keep going.  Finally, if all else fails, encourage yourself.

L – Lighten

Lighten the load for someone else.  Find someone to be successful for, and do something to enrich their lives and make their walk easier.  Why should you?  Jesus did it for you!

A – Attempt

Attempt something great each week, at least.  Dare to attempt something that scares you.  This is where greatness lies.  Nelson Mandela said it this way, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

X – X-ray

To X-ray is to examine.  An X-ray allows you to see beyond the surface, exposing things that are critical but aren’t seen by the naked eye alone.  We need to X-ray ourselves.  Dig deep and discover who you really are.  What makes you, you?

With God, nothing is impossible…

© David McGhee

Turning Statistics into Solutions

01 Sunday Jan 2012

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Today’s world is full of statistics – Good, Bad, Alarming, Meaningless. You name it, they exist! Every facet of our lives has a set of statistics attached to it, regardless of our race, gender, age, or social economic standing.

Statistics into Solutions

Statistics into Solutions

For example, we live in a country where the unemployment rate hovers around 9 percent. Sadly, African-Americans make up 17 percent of this number. Furthermore, when you look at some metropolitan cities, African-American males share an unemployment rate of 50 percent!

These statistics are just an example of the negative statistics that exist. Even if you are employed, there are many statistics that haunt you too. Just pause to think about the negative forces and statistics that are centered on who you are, where you are, or where you are trying to go in your life. They are there, but that doesn’t mean you have to subscribe to them. Let the world do what the world is going to do with statistics. You, my friend, stay focused on solutions!

So, how do we turn statistics into solutions?

  1. Look within yourself first – Don’t let the media headlines teach you or the television tutor you. Look deep within yourself and find your greatness. Too often we look elsewhere for answers that we already have ourselves.
  2. Don’t allow where you are poison who you are – We can’t control where we are born, nor can we control all of the extraneous forces that confront us. You may not be living in the most desirable city, and you may not have the job of your dreams, but don’t allow this to poison the great person that you are and where you are heading in life.
  3. Break the cycle – This is where it gets personal. Every family has a cycle of something negative that exist. Many families also have a history of abuse, addiction, or low academic achievement. Whatever that “thing” is in your family, find it and break the cycle.

With God, nothing is impossible…

© David McGhee

Ordinary is Your Enemy

11 Sunday Dec 2011

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Until you believe that you can do extraordinary things, you never will.  Many of us dream of doing extraordinary things, but deep down inside we don’t think we can.  Why?  Because it’s easy to dream, but acting on those dreams and believing in them is a bit difficult.  Having a dream isn’t that hard, you know.  You can fall asleep and have one.  Truly believing that you can do that which is extraordinary, however, trumps any dream any day (or night).

It is a crime, in my opinion, to be okay with ordinary.  In fact, ordinary is your enemy.  Each and every one of us is uniquely designed to be extraordinary.  We are the same, yet so different.  No two people walking the face of this earth have finger prints that are the same.  This alone should propel you to embrace your uniqueness.  Once you do this, you can see beyond your dreams, you can see beyond ordinary.  I’ve learned that there are four types of people on the path to being extraordinary.

  1. Those who never see; never believe.  They just wake up daily, and go through the motions.
  2. Those who only see.  They are too afraid to believe in what they see or act on anything.
  3. Those who see and believe.  These individuals mostly achieve great success, but it stops there.
  4. Those who see, believe, and help others.  These individuals are extraordinary.

“No one can make you be an extraordinary person.  You have to pull it out of yourself, yourself.” – McGhee’s Manifesto

With God, nothing is impossible…

© David McGhee

Victory Isn’t Always Pretty

24 Monday Oct 2011

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Winning will cost you something.  When you lose its fatal, it’s over.  But if you want to win, you have to be willing to go through what it takes to win.  Winning in life (personally, professionally, spiritually, etc.) is the same way.  Rocky Balboa, when talking to his son, referred to it like this:

The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows.  It is a very mean and nasty place.  It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.  You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life.  But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!

This quote confirms that at times life will beat us to our knees, but yet, we can still be victorious.  Don’t let the black eyes, cuts and bruises of life stop you.

Even if we are wounded, we can still be winners.  Winning, in life, doesn’t guarantee us that we won’t be tired or that we won’t have to work hard.  Nothing worth anything in our lives will come easy.  And in life, if we get beat, it is important that we understand this fundamental truth: You don’t get beat because you want to get beat.  You get beat because you don’t know how to fight!

Fighting with God in your corner is “how” you should fight.  When God is on your side, you will be victorious.  Always!

© David McGhee

Do You Have A Giant?

02 Tuesday Aug 2011

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Sir Issac Newton once said “If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants”.   In recent times, rapper Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter has been quoted saying “A midget standing on a giants shoulder, can see much further than the giant.”  Whichever phrase/quote you prefer or are familiar with, this point should not be overlooked.

As a society, we do a good job at collecting things.  As a kid, I collected basketball cards, and when I got older I began to collect sneakers.   The tendency to collect things almost seems natural.  Think about it.  Sports cards or sneakers may not be your passion.  But be it coins, stamps, refrigerator magnets, shot glasses, hand bags, books, or something else, there is a good chance that you collect something.  Studies show that one in every three Americans collect something.

I say this to say, imagine how different our lives would be if we collected people.  Yes people!  No, I’m not suggesting that you kidnap people and hide them in your basement.  I am insisting, however, that we build strong relationships with others; relationships that can be beneficial to our personal and professional futures.  Yes, I am insisting that we collect Giants.

On The Shoulders Of Giants

Giants help guide you in life’s journey, showing you the opportunity within the obstacles.  Giants speak up for you and speak out for you, at times when you aren’t even around.  Giants can be found anywhere.  When you find one, consider yourself blessed – and make sure you collect him/her.  While we know that our own education and insights will take us to great heights, being on the shoulders of Giants will help us see (achieve) that much more.

With God, nothing is impossible…

© David McGhee

“What’s up, Doc?”

22 Tuesday Mar 2011

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‘What’s Up?’ is a term that is widely used across our nation – especially amongst the younger generation.  It seems as if, when a group of young people get together, these two words are the first thing that comes out of their mouth.  The handle “up” has evolved and has found itself attached to many words in our twenty-first-century vocabulary.

What’s Up!  Shut Up!  Even, Man Up!

There have even been authors, such as Susan Johnson Cook, who have penned books on how we attach “up” to the words in our vocabulary.  As you can see, this has become a constant phenomenon.  With this in mind, as we lead and live our lives, the handle “up” has more value than we may think.

The first, Show Up! There are 1,440 minutes in each day.  We must ‘show up’ during every waking moment in our lives.

After we Show Up! We must Stand Up! Stand up and be noticed!  Stand up for what is right!  When we stand up, we give others the permission to do the same.

After we Stand Up! We must Speak Up! We should never let anyone else speak for us.  If we allow this privilege, we run the risk of letting others define us.

After we Speak Up! We must Book Up! It is no secret that your bookshelf says a lot about the type of person you are.  I’m not suggesting that reading is the determining factor to your success, but it will allow you to learn more had you not picked up a book.

After we Book Up!  We must Listen Up! There is a time to speak and a time to listen.  At times we must be still and just hear God speak.

After we Listen Up!  We must Hang Up! To everything, there is a season.  There is value in assessing our current affiliations with people, businesses, and organizations.  If they aren’t helping us move forward…we have to hang em’ up!

After we Hang Up!  We must Make Up! When people hurt us, it is a must that we forgive them.  If we don’t, we won’t be able to prosper.  Staying angry too long is not good.  That energy can be used for something positive.

After we Make Up!  We must Wake Up! There is greatness inside each and every one of us.  We have to wake up to it.  Wake up to the endless possibilities that God has allowed for us to benefit from.  The only thing that comes to a sleeper is a dream.  We must wake up and strive to make our dreams reality.

After we Wake Up!  We must Cheer Up! On all accounts, regardless of our circumstances, things could be worst.  To live and lead with our best selves, we must cheer up!

And lastly, after we Cheer Up!  We must never forget to Look Up! There is a power that is greater than you, me, and any other human being.  We must not be afraid to Look Up and get our strength from God.

With God, nothing is impossible…

© David McGhee