🔵 By Lumin 8. Photo by lauragrafie.
Where does your loyalty lie, and how deep does it run?
For most of us, our loyalty lies with the friends, family, loved ones we grew up with and surround ourselves with, as well as the places we grew up in or the things we engage in or associate with. But one must be mindful of who or what we dedicate ourselves and our loyalty to. For example, in my up – and – coming urban novel titled Trapped in the Trap: Loyal to a fault, my main character Roc is your everyday street dude at first glance, but upon further inspection, one learns that of his peer group he’s the thinker, the brains of the operation, so much so that they depend on as well as look to him when it comes to making decisions, making him a natural-born leader. He’s also extremely talented when it comes to making music to the extent that he was able to perform at a talent showcase and get the attention of Moneybagg Yo, a solidified rap artist with his own label imprint Bread Gang. His problem is that his unwavering loyalty to his friends and the people he considers to be “homies” won’t allow him to realize his own potential. So rather than pursue his dreams and goals and making something of himself, he tends to more or less disregard them in favor of “ridin’ wit’ the bro’s,” standing in his own way and hindering himself from achieving greatness, the same “bro’s” who, like his bestfriend Mari, don’t even take serious or care about his dreams and goals, or at least, not initially. And the guys aren’t the only ones who do this. Family dies it all the time. You put up an image of what you want to accomplish and who you want to become only for them to tear it down and give you a million reasons why they believe it’ll never happen. Partners too. Significant others are very capable of being anchors that hold you down instead of allowing you to spread your wings and fly.
What we have to do as individuals is learn to disregard the nay-sayers and remain focused on our objectives. Too many times have we dropped our dreams in the gutter due to the views and opinions of others blurring and clouding our vision. If we allow it, peer-pressure, or influence, can be a powerful force, both in a positive or negative aspect. As with Roc, he meets a girl named Amber who influences him to take the steps to obtain his G.E.D and at least establish some dreams and goals. He also meets a friends named Bishop who influences him to pursue his musical talents and even helps him to do so to the point they end up not only as friends but business partners and label mates. The key is to surround yourself with like-minded individuals and pour our loyalty into them, and those wo aren’t on the same page or even in the same book, book store, or library, withdraw our loyalty from them, sometimes even going as far as cutting ties with them and dropping dead weight. If they aren’t trying to help you grow and/or grow with you, they can’t go with you. Simple as that. You’re not obligated to remain the same as you were 5 years, 5 days, or even 5 seconds ago. For anyone and anybody who tries to slow down or stop your growth, obviously doesn’t have your best interest at heart, and is undeserving of your loyalty, and you may have to either learn to love them from a distance, or separate yourself from them. Ni the words of O’Gizzal from KITE magazine: “You can’t reach for the sky while holding on to the grass.”
Don’t miss out on your blessings because you were too busy “keeping it real”.