The loss of Kobe and Gianna Bryant was both shocking and devastating. The plane crash that took the lives of not only Bryant, but seven other passengers was horrible and tragic.
Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players of all times. I remember it almost felt like the kids born in the late 70's and 80's felt like we watched Kobe grow up with us. I'm not a sports fanatic, but everyone watched this 17 year old kid evolve into this incredible force on the basketball court. I personally watched him take Brandy to prom. You didn't have to be a sports fan to hear Kobe's name on the television as well as in most households. Kobe was the dream story. The generation before us had Micheal Jordan, but we had Kobe. For many of us the sudden death of Kobe was just as tragic the death of R&B singer, Aaliyah who also died in a plane crash. His talent and dedication to the game was undeniable. As I watched athletes, entertainers, and coaches speak about the life of Kobe Bryant the the two things everyone agreed on was his competitiveness was unmatched and his intense training and work ethic was the reason he will forever be one of the greatest of all time. "Mamba Mentality" is the term used to describe Bryant's dedication to the game of basketball. As I listened to some of Kobe's interviews one stuck out in my mind. He talked about how he first started out. He loved basketball.Kobe talked about when he went to basketball camp. He said he didn't make one shot the entire time. From that point on, he pushed himself harder than he had ever pushed himself before. That same attitude followed him for the rest of his career. I learned something when I listened to the interview, and I wanted to share it with you. Writing has always been my passion and some would even say my gift. Although I have four published books, I am guilty of not being consistent, being distracted by other opportunities to make money, doubt, and fear. I learned from Kobe that I must have the "Mamba Mentality" in order to be successful. That means to never give up on my passion, perfect my craft, and be one of the best at it. If it makes money I'm in. As my mother would call it, "I'm a jack of all trades...master of none." This month I was preparing to move forward with another business opportunity. I knew the Spirit was telling me this year I needed to focus on myself and was leading me to close my publishing company so I could focus on my own writing, but I became less focused on my gift and more focused on starting another business. It was just another distraction. I'm thankful that the Spirit interceded through my friends and loved ones reminding me that writing was my first priority. I'm also very thankful that I was able to witness first hand the life of an NBA legend, Oscar winner, and Girl Dad who may be absent from us in body but his Mamba Mentality spirit can live within us all. Go hard. Whatever it is... Go hard. Give it your all...Stay focused...Practice... Be one of the Greatest. Mamba Out.
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Hello luvs, It's been awhile, but only because I have been busy writing, teaching,prioritizing my new life, and binge watching,Jane the Virgin. I have completed,The Memoir Of A Masterpiece. It took for me to go on a writing binge, pray, and block out all of the distractions, but it is finally finished! Sometimes the hardest thing you have to do is something that should be the easiest, but there are also times when you just need some serious self therapy and to be completely transparent. Writing my memoir was probably the most challenging manuscript I have ever written. Some parts of the book nearly pushed me back into a very broken and dark place, but I had to keep writing. I didn't keep writing because this book was a book I wanted to complete. This book was part of my God given assignment to complete. When you know your spiritual gifts and you start living for God things start to shift. Then, one day you realize your whole time on Earth was never about you. It's about helping someone who feels like they can't get out of the very thing you have already been delivered from. There was some things that were painful to write, some things I was embarrassed to write, and some things that brought me so much joy to tell. I smiled as I wrote about the amazing people in my life. There were times, I was angry writing about being hurt by so many people including myself, and then there were the times I realized even though I left God; He never left me. That's what walking in your calling is about--- being naked before God and surrendering yourself for His Glory and not your own. It's about surrendering. The only way to surrender is when you know what you are fighting against. Some people live there entire lives not knowing they are at war. Unfortunately, some of us had to go through the darkness in order to see the light. Just as some of us had to learn to completely let go of ourselves in order to walk the way God intended. The fight is never easy, the story never ends, but in the end you realize Ignorance may be bliss, but Favor and Grace....is what makes the imperfect things perfect. Ephesians 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." xoxo, Krystale Jane'l Walk by Faith Act in Love Express Without Fear It's been 3 weeks since my last day on my job. It took me a week to get acclimated to being at home and working down the hall from my bedroom, and it took the other two weeks for my husband to understand that I work from home...I'm not a housewife.
In less than a month my whole vibe is different. I finally got the pink and blonde hair I have always wanted and as always, God keeps showing me just when I have it figured out ...I don't. One of the things that have literally had me terrified is completing my memoir. It's hard to tell your story as it has been on several occasions in ministry, but it is even harder to not only write your story, but to pour your heart out on paper. Let me tell you, I have ran from writing this book. Now, I'm procrastinating writing some of the most painful times in my life.I wanted to make sure i heard God clearly...and as always he gave me sign after sign that now was the time to write. The more I find myself attempting to be more obedient is the very moment I realize I am being disobedient. At first i blamed writer's block when clearly it wasn't. Just like any other book I could hear myself writing the chapter...but this time I refused to type. I'm looking at so many of my associates living their dreams doing what the love but now....Im treating my gift as some unwanted guest at the family dinner. Ive used my job as an ESL teacher as a distraction, but just like with my real job God showed me stop depending on these checks that men are signing when i am the source of everything. You have learned to trust me with your finances...trust me with your life. God says trust him....I say...I'm getting easy money from home....The day of payday from my main ESL companies...we get an emall that the Typhoon Lukima Every day I strive to be a better person not just for myself but for God and my family. The one thing I have learned is that if you are not truly happy with yourself and if you are not living the life God called you to be your life will never be meaningful and you will never experience the joy our Creator intended for us to have.
It took years for me to understand this, but when I allowed God to be the anchor and the steering wheel life started to change. My talents started to manifest, my vision became more clear, and I had a peace that no one could destroy. It can be scary when you see God’s power up close and personal. It can be even scarier when you are so used to things going wrong, being stressed, being angry and then all of a sudden all of that’ goes away and you realize you are the happiest you have ever been. It’s scary because for the first time in your life you have given God control and the consequences of that are so different than what you are used to. People start to disappear out of your life, things you thought that were good for you the Creator provides something better, and your spirit feels free. It was scary for me after dealing with postpartum depression after the birth of my daughter to all of a sudden the raging waters were still. Everything I perceived was in high definition and I was happy truly happy. The things I wrote down in my journal I wanted to accomplish were manifesting. Even now, I still expect the worse because it’s almost surreal knowing that even though I’m a drama queen about small things; I can honestly say I have joy, peace, happiness, and humility...and that’s scary when you are so used to dealing with emotions not of. God. I have learned to stop minimizing God’s greatness by saying, “When is this going to end?” or expecting the worst out of people I know that God put in my life and the purpose that He created for them in my life. Each day is not perfect, but each day I learn it’s okay to be in love and for it to be reciprocated , it’s okay to be happy, and it’s ok to reap from the good seeds that was sewn. Everyone isn’t going to be happy for you, but if you are around people that you feel like you have to be uncomfortable sharing what God has done expand your circle to people who are rooting for you. Just like Solomon it isn’t about having all the riches of the world, material things, or having all the wisdom or college degrees; Living your best life means living the life God called you to have and allowing Him to be in control. xoxo, Krystale Jane’l dust
/dəst/ Learn to pronounce noun 1. fine, dry powder consisting of tiny particles of earth or waste matter lying on the ground or on surfaces or carried in the air. Black women are the most slept on species on the entire planet. From being the mother of creation with our mitochondrial DNA to being a forgotten remnant of history, From nursing children that were not our own while ours where taken away from us, from birthing the same men that would later grow up to degrade us.What is a lion without a lioness? What is a King without his Queen? A King’s job is to be Powerful and to Protect. While the Queen’s role is to have Strength and Endurance....Strength to endure the hardships of losing our sons to the system and the blood on the concrete, strength to endure the degradation of a society that puts our temple on display and defines our beauty, and strength to endure the pain of being “not enough” in a world that only exists because of OUR womb....We are used to giving everything we have but never demanding reciprocation... So what is Black Girl Magic? It is the resilience to overcome any obstacle presented by adaptation but not losing its consistency. Black Girl Magic cannot be created or destroyed...it can only be protected or changed from one form to the next. Black Girl Magic is still Magic even when there is only dust...the very thing you discard but is the vitality of creation.... Genesis 3:19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." Remenber my Black Sister....without you there is no them...Preserve your magic sis. Xoxo, Krystale Jane’l #OnlytheReal&theWokewillgetthis Hey luvs!
So for those of you who didn’t watch the Oscars let me sum it up for you in two words: Black Excellence. It was a historical for black entertainment from Black Panther making history for Best Score, Costume & Production Design; Black Panther made history. Regina King won Best Supporting Actress and Mahershala Ali picked up his second Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, one moment that truly stood out was Spike Lee’s win (alongside Kevin Willmott) for best adapted screenplay. Spike Lee has been in the film industry since 1983 and his unique but in your face style for addressing common issues in the black community and also addressing topics that were considered risque’ like phone sex. From colorism to race riots in the 90’s Spike Lee’s films were already winners amongst his own people for years. School Daze, one of my favorite films, addressed colorism on HBCU campuses amongst fraternities and sororities, while She’s Gotta Have It addressed feminism and sexual liberation...something almost considered taboo in the 90’s. This year’s Academy Awards Spike Lee finally took home an Oscar. I say all this to say: Trust The Process. Everything happens in God’s timing. Keep using your gift . I have to tell myself this quite often. So maybe this post isn’t for you it’s really for me. When I wrote my first novel I received so much positive feedback. I already knew writing was my gift, but this novel was almost like I was literally watching a movie. I gave my manuscript to literary agencies to find a publisher, submitted it to the O network, Lifetime, and I personally gave a copy of my manuscript to actress Gabriel Union and film producer Devon Franklin. It got to the point I was discouraged. I was tired of the rejection I felt and I was tired of feeling like maybe I was wrong about my book. I went to God in prayer and the answer was simply, “keep writing”. So I will continue to write because I trust God. He is developing me in ways spiritually that I could never have imagined. Not only that, but the rejection from others allowed me to start my own publishing company something I never would have thought about before. I know in due season I will reap my harvest as long as I stay obedient. So trust the process. Be obedient. You may get discouraged, but walk in confidence.. God’s timing is not your timing. With that being said, the irony of this video is right on time. Please watch this video that Devon Franklin posted on his FB page before the Academy Awards. I hope this gives encouragement. As Always, Walk By Faith Act in Love Express without Fear, xoxo, Krystale Jane’l https://www.facebook.com/185112048196202/posts/2728480393859342?sfns=mo |
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