Change your Thoughts... Change your LIFE! Be Proactive!

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen M.R. Covey I wanted to share one of the Habits Stephen Mr. M.R. Covey describes as an attribute of a Highly Effective Person.  Take some time to read his description and see how you measure up in real life.  Habit 1 : Be Proactive Your life doesn't just "happen." Whether you know it or not, it is carefully designed by you. The choices, after all, are yours. You choose happiness. You choose sadness. You choose decisiveness. You choose ambivalence. You choose success. You choose failure. You choose courage. You choose fear. Just remember that every moment, every situation, provides a new choice. And in doing so, it gives you a perfect opportunity to do things differently to produce more positive results. Habit 1: Be Proactive is about taking responsibility for your life. You can't keep blaming everything on your parents or grandparents. Proactive people recognize that they are "response-able." They don't blame genetics, circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. They know they choose their behavior. Reactive people, on the other hand, are often affected by their physical environment. They find external sources to blame for their behavior. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn't, it affects their attitude and performance, and they blame the weather. All of these external forces act as stimuli that we respond to. Between the stimulus and the response is your greatest power--you have the freedom to choose your response. One of the most important things you choose is what you say. Your language is a good indicator of how you see yourself. A proactive person uses proactive language--I can, I will, I prefer, etc. A reactive person uses reactive language--I can't, I have to, if only. Reactive people believe they are not responsible for what they say and do--they have no choice. Instead of reacting to or worrying about conditions over which they have little or no control, proactive people focus their time and energy on things they can control. The problems, challenges, and opportunities we face fall into two areas--Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence. Proactive people focus their efforts on their Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about: health, children, problems at work. Reactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Concern--things over which they have little or no control: the national debt, terrorism, the weather. Gaining an awareness of the areas in which we expend our energies in is a giant step in becoming proactive.

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Take a Deep Breath and Rest.

Take a Deep Breath and Rest

Life and its challenges go together. Likewise, life is a cycle of effort and rest. In order to continue playing an active role in your life, your family and in the world, there is a need to breathe deep, take a break and rest from time to time. Regular rest is just as essential to a successful life as disciplined effort. Sometimes everything around you might be saying go, move, do this, do that, and you forget to take a break until there is a breakdown. You do not have to wait until you breakdown before taking a break to rest. The truth of the matter is, as long as you live, there will always be something to do. Remind yourself that, taking a break to rest is a part of your to do list.

The cycle of effort and rest is an important part of life. Look at all the trees and plants, they become dormant in the fall and then burst forth with new growth in the spring. It might seem like a waste of time when taking a break to rest, but you will maintain a better focus when you regularly devote time to rest. When you take time to relax your body, rest your mind, and ease your spirit, your efforts become more effective. Let the period of quality rest and relaxation enhance your effectiveness when you get back to work.

When it feels like you cannot take a break that is the best time to give yourself a positive, encouraging break. Take some time and forget the pressures, the challenges, and the problems as these can wait while you regain strength and focus. Renew your spirit and re-focus your mind upon the things which are truly important to you.

Be encouraged, give yourself a break to breathe deep, rest, and you will avoid a breakdown and have more strength for your efforts.

Contribution from Lance Gunning

The CREW Royalty Chronicles

Happy Birthday to YOU!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

Happy Birthday to a Woman I LOVE with all my heart…

          You nourished me,

You created me from the triple dark.

You pushed me forward to begin my mark…

You taught me,

          You LOVED me,

You showed me RIGHT from Wrong.

          You disciplined,

You LOVED me

          You made me STRONG!

To my Mother

A body of LOVE, WARMTH and Generosity…

A Woman of PEACE,

Meekness & LOVE of SELF

Rich with Wisdom; Rich with Insight;

& a character of WEALTH.

I LOVE you for countless reasons, but I’ll gladly name a few:

I LOVE you for life,

 LOVE and laughter

 & all the KIND things you do.

May your Birthday bring you JOY,

HAPPINESS,

& LOTS of loving calls.

This day was wonderfully made for you to ENJOY & have it all!!

Happy Birthday Mom, I LOVE YOU with all my HEART!

http://youtu.be/ZDvJZQbinfg  (So Amazing by Luther Vandross)

Poetry by The CREW Royalty Chronicles - All Rights Reserved.

The Elements and Natural Origin of HIP HOP

The Elements and Natural Origin of HIP HOP


I AM HIP HOP! Let me first let this statement penetrate your membrane. I was one who played 45’s on my Mom’s stereo and rocked to the sounds of Grand Master Flash & the Furious Five, The Message, Run DMC, Flash Light, Shake Your Pants, Planet Rock, and all the songs that had a message of truth. The Roots of HIP HOP start with Jamaican born DJ Clive "Kool Herc" Campbell. He is credited as being highly influential in the pioneering stage of HIP HOP music, in the Bronx, after moving to New York at the age of thirteen. Herc created the blueprint for HIP HOP music and culture.

Knowing HIP HOP originated in The Bronx, New York. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of HIP HOP culture: Mcing, DJing, Breaking and Graffiti writing. Hip Hop music first emerged with disc jockeys creating rhythmic beats by looping breaks on two turntables, many called it sampling. The sounds of the craft traveled across the globe in record speed. We witnessed it go from the East to the West, to the South, to the North and in between to the Midwest in cities like Chicago, Ohio, Detroit, Minneapolis, and then abroad to international status.

We watched the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water materialize into the purest essence of HIP HOP. Graffiti and Graffiti Artist represent the Earth, The DJ represent the Air; The Emcee who rocks the MIC represents the Fire. Most people can attest to how the sounds of Rakim’s voice moved the Crowd; and how KRS-1 reminded us of being Criminal Minded. The B-Boys & B-Girls, Pop Lockers, Break-Dancers represent the Water. Most realize our bodies are made up of 60-70% water, so we’re constantly in motion and in a state of attraction. The author Black Dot put this supreme science into a monumental book titled HIP HOP Decoded. (See source link below).

As HIP HOP blazed the scene and ventured to the WEST coast where Ice-T was up at Six in the morning, then the clock ticked to Eight, MC Eiht that is, and Too Short repped the Ghetto, and tonight was the night for DJ Quick. It was in the WEST when HIP HOP embarked on a new form of freedom of speech called Gangster Rap. NWA (Niggaz wit Attitudes) was credited for the introduction of the intense criminal element of the reality that plagued the inner cities, and ghettos of Compton, California and beyond. We can all agree any music with a message will ignite the masses, so when NWA dropped “F the Police” in 1988-1989, the group went under sever scrutiny. Governmental agencies intervened, Radio’s banned the album, concerts were interrupted when the group performed the song, and an all-out campaign to silence the group was initiated. Many say the late Eazy-E met with George Bush Sr. to discuss the future of NWA. I won’t speculate or open any doors of conspiracy because the idea could go on and on about what could have transpired. As of right now I’m just going to deal with the facts of HIP HOP and how we use to LOVE HER. Big up to Common Sense who brought HIP HOP back full circle; to allow the lovers of the craft to focus on the appreciation and true essence of HIP HOP. A reinstatement of the power and LOVE to uplift a fallen humanity allowed every Emcee the ability to experiment with a new style of self-expression.

As HIP HOP continued to preserver through the many forms of expression and consciousness, through the likes of A Tribe called Quest, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kayne, De La Soul, Special Ed, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Salt & Pepa, Heavy D, LL Cool J, to the Illmatics aka Nas Escobar, AZ, the Roots, Fat Joe, Jay-Z, and the late Big Pun, and Big L, to name a few; to the movement of HIP HOP into the Southern Region.

Many felt the presence of South in the craft when the new dialect emerged with the southern draw sounds of Outcast, Goodie Mob, Eight Ball & MJG, Trick Daddy, Master P, Ludacris, and many others. The South grabbed a hold of the essence and rode it and continues to ride it until the wheels fall off. One time to TI and Grand Hustle. The Southern play a listic style was felt by the masses and well received, as well as the subtle message from Goodie Mob… “Listen to me now, believe me later on.” Let you know The South was on to something much deeper than what was seen on the surface. Which pushes HIP HOP back to the EAST where Wu-Tang grabbed a hold of the essence and let us know about the Killer Bees and the 36 chambers? We got 4 chambers in our heart? Really, is everything presented to us symbolic? Spoken in a way that we have to read the message in between the message? Just a thought for you to ponder and while you’re on that ask yourself…”Does CASH rule everything around you? “Cream get the money dollar dollar bill ya’ll.” Got to love Wu-Tang for giving us so many jewels to study, live by, and rock to all at the same time. Now that’s what I call talent in the highest form.

In closing, how did we fall from the highest forms of being The GOD’s of HIP HOP to the East Coast West Coast battle between Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls aka The Notorious Big? Was it yellow journalism? It’s important to know to silence a movement is to silence the leaders. Two of HIP HOP’s Icon's were gunned down in different cities, but were murdered in a similar manner; was it a coincidence or a set up? You do the math. How many times can someone roll up on an ICON and dump shots into their chest on a Boulevard or Strip with bystanders and witnesses and the case be an unsolved mystery? This battle created a war and division of great magnitude, and the tension between the two Coasts was so thick you could feel it in the air. HIP HOP was on the brink of severe break down and all the elements were out of alignment. Who would restore it now? Who would bring the message of TRUTH? Would the DJ’s step up and give HIP HOP the IV it needed to survive? Would the underground Emcees peek their heads above ground and give us the lyrical content to restore HIP HOP and the legacy to uplift? Or would the Elements continue to run a MUCK? Let’s continue to venture down the path and site the behavior of the craft. To be continued part 2 coming soon.

Written by: The CREW Royalty Chronicles - All Rights Reserved.

Source of Information:

http://www.chemcraft.net/wbody.html

http://www.amazon.com/Hip-Hop-Decoded-Black-Dot/dp/097723570X
http://www.ask.com/wiki/N.W.A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1Dk-obLsiQ

http://www.thecrewisroyalty.com/