Be Careful Who You Trust

Be careful who you trust.

— Life is Good! (@rulesolife) February 26, 2015

I used to trust everyone, but not anymore. When you trust everyone, you open yourself up to trusting the wrong people. Not everyone is trustworthy so it behooves people to trust in doses. For me, I trust those who I deem as trustworthy, and I expect the same from them. No matter how much some people have been hurt, they're still trusting of everyone. In my mind, I'm side-eyeing them because I'm like "You've been done wrong, and you're still going to trust everyone that comes in your circle" They're better than me because the way I'm set up, you have one time to destroy my trust. Once trust is broken, it takes a while to rebuild or the trust was broken to the point of no return. I look at couples who've been through infidelity, and somehow they rebuild their trust. I can see the first time and rebuilding trust, but if there's repeated instances of infidelity, at some point someone needs to examine their self-worth and be willing to drop that zero. When I say not everyone is trustworthy, I mean it. When you're meeting someone for the first time, they're putting their best foot forward (and you're doing the same) because you two are trying to find common ground. No one's going to be honest enough to tell someone their faults if they're trying to get to know someone. Most people would tell you their good side, and let you find out their faults on your own. After you find out, the choice is yours as to whether you'll overlook their shortcomings and focus on the good. I'm trusting until you violate my trust. Once you violate, most likely I can never see you in the same light; just like if I violate someone's trust, I would expect them NOT to trust me. Trust is like a precious diamond, very valuable and rare.

Anthony

This is a short documentary about a disabled teenager named Anthony who was bullied by black teenagers. He got so tired of the bullying that he tried to kill himself, until something powerful happened: A young lady stopped him from exterminating himself by offering him a helping hand. Anthony has a disability, which made him a bigger target. It's one thing to be a bully, but to bully someone with a disability, well...I don't respect that at all. This is why I advocate mandatory self-defense courses in junior and high school because I believe there would be less bullying if students were taught how to stand up for themselves. Bullies never target those who can give them the blues, they always prey on the weak. Watch the video.

The OTHER Woman

Strawberry Letter: Tired Of Living A Lie

The solution is straightforward, but having this woman cut ties with all these men would be too much like right. Anytime a woman is the side chick, she has to accept that she will NEVER be the main woman. She knew that going into these relationships, so she needs to figure something out. The third man has a woman, and she knows about her (this woman who wrote the letter). Now, either the third man's wife is totally secure in being the main woman, or he's got some polygyny going on. Regardless, I will never understand how some women settle for being an extra when they can find a man that wants to be her ONLY. The guy she's been with for 7 years: You either love someone or you don't, it's just that simple. She loved something about him if they had a 7-year relationship. There's no way a couple can last unless they are compatible on all fronts. Sure, they may have differences, but what they share should outweigh what's different about them. If the differences outweigh similarities, the relationship won't last. Why do some people think many relationships fail? Because there's no common ground. The 2nd guy (known 3 years)-She might as well give that up because there's no way he's leaving his girlfriend for her. Settle for being a sidepiece or she can work on herself before getting into a monogamous relationship with a one-woman man. Mr. MoneyMan-If he's giving her $$$, one can only wonder what she's giving him in return. I don't care what anyone says, but NO MAN is just gonna give a woman money without expecting something in return; that's called tricking. Women like this usually have low self-worth, and feel they can't find their own man, so they settle for another woman's. For the woman who knows about her (the letter writer), kudos to her for supposedly being ok with it, because not too many women would go for that, as they shouldn't.

Strawberry Letter: Husband Requests Wife To Be Unfaithful

Strawberry Letter: Husband Requests Wife Be Unfaithful

First off, I want to say that this husband is a fool. No husband in his right man would co-sign his woman sexing other man. I bet if the wife followed through with his request, all hell would break loose so that's why I have a hard time taking this Strawberry Letter. Going further, many of these letters are for shock value because as I've stated before, nobody has issues of this magnitude, at least not enough to ask Steve for advice. The wife should look at her husband crazy & tell him to fall back with this nonsense. She's doing the right thing by remaining faithful even if her husband encourages her to do otherwise. He says it's to spice up their love life, which may (not) be true, it depends on the couples. You can't put nothing past anyone today, so I wouldn't be surprised if this were valid. His request says a lot about the respect he has for his wife, and I don't blame her for refusing because when you cheat on your spouse, you have to face judgment for your crime. Not only do you have to worry about getting caught, but you have to consider the effect that infidelity would have on one's family. He may like the idea of his wife sexing other man, but again...no REAL man would allow his woman to freak other guys. You know what I think? He's setting his wife up for the okie doke. If she cheats, he has a reason to suspect she was creeping all along. Believe it or not, people get set up for downfalls all the time. It's crazy, but that's the world we live in. He has no respect for himself or his wife, so she has a decision to make. Is she going to throw away 34 years of marriage because of his asinine request? She would be justified in doing so. If his sex life was suffering, maybe both of them could try to rekindle that spark. No reason to want your (wo)man to sleep with other (wo)men. My advice to the husband is to have an arena of seats, and the wife needs to continue being faithful to him, or leave. There's no sense in staying with someone who wants you to disrespect your wedding vows.

Shark Tank

You've probably heard of ABC's hit show Shark Tank. Shark Tank is an entrepreneur-based show where entrepreneurs pitch their companies to investors in hopes of landing an investment. If the sharks like the idea, they agree to invest their own money for a certain percentage of the owner's company. One shark may invest, or multiple sharks may partner with each other in ownership. Friday's Shark Tank got real because Christopher Gray, owner of a scholarship app that helps students secure funding for college and graduate school agreed to a deal with Daymond John and Lori Greiner.  The catch was that he had to take Lori's offer immediately or she was out. Christopher almost missed out on a deal because he hesitated. He was like "I'd like to hear the other offers first." That's fine, but when opportunity presents itself, not all the time can you think about it. Sometimes, you have to take the deal and then find out the terms.

Mark Cuban, Robert Herjavec, & Kevin O'Leary were in their feelings because Daymond and Lori offered Christopher a deal without asking questions about the company. I understand where they're coming from, but I also see where Lori and Daymond's side. Cuban, O'Leary and Herjavec didn't get to where they are by investing all willy nilly. They got where they are by being disciplined investors. They asked tough questions to entrepreneurs because they want to know if they invest, when will they get their money back, and how. Also, they ask questions to gauge how much of a contribution they can be to that person's business. It makes good business sense to ask before you invest. From Lori & Daymond's standpoint, sometimes you have to give people a break. Very few people became successful on their own; most people had doors opened for them to get where they are. We all need a handout from time to time, especially if the successful person knows what it's like to struggle, and (s)he sees that we're trying to make it. It's not always about money, but it's about giving people the break they need.

Run For It, Run For It, Run!

Run For It, Run For It, Run!

The fact that her fiancé lied about his marital status from the jump should’ve told her about his lack of character. Her father was SMART to have him checked out – something that more WOMEN need to start doing to save themselves from walking into unhealthy situations with dishonorable men. There’s a reason her instincts are telling her not to marry this man. Her parents are wise not to mettle. They’re not telling her not to marry him, but aren't encouraging you to do so either. That decision is HERS. Women have intuition for a reason, the problem is they don’t ACT on it – especially when it comes to a man. They’re too pressed and desperate to have one, or hold on to one even if he’s not worth holding onto. She discovered other lies he’s told although these circumstances were in his past and before her; yet more lies. The relationship started out based on a lie (his marital status), then she found out more lies. Guess what, there were probably FUTURE lies as well.

His “baby mamma” drama is going nowhere. Unfortunately, that comes with the territory when dating men with children, particularly young children. She has much to consider. If the positives outweigh the negatives, then she should continue seeing him, and see where it goes. No need to rush into marriage with someone who you have doubts about. That would be foolish.

Wise Beyond Your Years

When you've seen stuff beyond your years, it shows in your demeanor and your thought process. You have a different mindset than most people.

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) February 21, 2015

What does it mean to be wise beyond your years? Depending on who you ask, you could get different answers. I know for me, being wise beyond your years entails having a grown-up, mature mindset even though you're a young age. I used to think something was wrong if a young person was more mature than someone older, but now I embrace it. When I recognize a young person that's wise beyond their years, I think they were raised right from early on. Society will have you believe that you're supposed to do stupid stuff in your youth, but it's refreshing to see more young people being wise beyond their years. Because many people had to take on adult responsibilities as children, they were forced to grow up fast. When you're forced into adult roles as a child, you develop an adult mindset. It shows in your speech and how you carry yourself. What should be sad is seeing adults clowning like children: Gossiping, name-calling, doing childish things. Now THAT'S shameful. When you've seen stuff beyond your years, it shows in your demeanor & your thought process. You have a different mindset than most people. You surround yourself with likeminded folks because you realize that you are the company you keep. Many times, someone becomes wise beyond their years through upbringing; taking on adult responsibilities during childhood. For other people, they had elders pouring into their lives about how life works, and that's also how someone can become wise beyond their years. When it comes down to it, being wise beyond your years is a blessing because you can see things in a way most people can't, which puts you on another level.