(ThyBlackMan.com) Back in the 1990s, the rapper Master P created a song called “Bout it Bout it.” The song had a catchy chorus and helped him build his multi-million dollar musical empire. I can’t say that I listen to Master P anymore, but I woke up thinking about his song this morning.
That led me to also think about the phrase “about it.” I realized how often most of us use that phrase when it comes to deciding whether or not we are serious about achieving our goals, making ourselves accountable, or overcoming personal obstacles.
One thing I’ve found to be fundamentally true is that nearly everyone has some kind of dream or fantasy. What is also true is that most of those who have a dream never achieve it. No one grows up hoping to one day be broke, in prison, in a bad marriage or working on a job they hate. But sometimes, a toxic life can creep up on us when we are not focused on proactively creating the life we want to live.
So, in the spirit of Master P, I wanted to lay out some of the ways that the phrase “about it” comes into our lives when it’s time to decide if we want our dreams to become reality or to dissipate in the wind. In fact, you may hear yourself or someone you love using these phrases when they run into obstacles in their lives:
1) I’m gonna think about it: A lot of us believe that if we think about something hard enough, that this is the same as actually doing it. I can, in 30
seconds, imagine building a multi-million dollar publishing company. But that conception of an idea is very different from doing the decades of legwork necessary to turn that dream into a reality.
2) I’m gonna pray about it: I’m glad you have a good relationship with God, but after you’re done praying, you should probably start doing something (your pastor will probably agree). If God wanted to do everything for you, he wouldn’t have given you arms, legs and free will in order to do things for yourself.
3) I’ve been talking about it: Talk is cheap. That’s why politicians give us words instead of resources unless we ask for more. Don’t fool yourself into believing that talking about a problem is the same as doing something about the problem. Talking has tremendous value, since the sharing of ideas can be important. But if your talk isn’t backed up with substantive and consistent execution, then it’s almost as if you said nothing in the first place.
4) Try this – I’m going to DO SOMETHING about it: Bingo. After you think, pray, talk, plan and prepare, you have to execute. When you consider the gap between the millions of people who start off with a big dream and the one percent who actually reach their goal, there is typically one variable that makes all the difference: A willingness to execute. In fact, nothing matters if you choose not to act, and you must be consistent in your day-to-day activity.
Staff Writer; Dr. Boyce Watkins
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. For more information, please visit http://BoyceWatkins.com.