I recently watched HBO’s “The Defiant One’s” and without revealing any of the plot, was really impressed and even inspired by the show.  While it was awesome to see and hear music from some of the greatest artist of all times; to see the behind the scenes stories; to reminisce and relive my youth through the music; the real story was the rise of Dr Dre and Jimmy lovine.  To be exact, it was the total disregard for conventional wisdom of the Defiant One’s (Dr Dre and Jimmy lovine) that grabbed my attention and held it hostage the entire show.  These men were not only producers and artist, they were passionate visionaries.

These men ushered in a music and cultural revolution and forever changed the way we experience to music.  How?  It’s simple, they were themselves and refused to let anyone stand in the way of their creativity and passion.  They had a vision and refused to allow anyone to change their vision.  They decided early in their lives, whether they were subconsciously aware of it or not, that they were going to change the world through their  artistic creativity.  They were defiant by being themselves and THAT is how they became legends.  They refused to bend to traditional wisdom and did it their own way.

Why does it matters to YOU?  It’s simple, one day you will die.  How do you want to be remembered?  What kind of life are you going to live before you die?  If these questions don’t matter to you, read no further, this message is not for you.  This message is for people like me that are starving for something bigger than ourselves.  This message is for  people like me that are up at 3am with a burning vision and a passion to shake up the world.  This message is for people at the fork in the road and unsure of what to do next.

If this message does apply to you and you are at the fork in the road, deciding whether to go right or left, your next step is to FIND YOUR OWN LANE.  In case you missed it or don’t understand what I mean, let me be more clear:

F%^& traditional wisdom, I made own lane! 

To find your own lane, to mark out your place in this world, you have to follow your heart.  Your heart is the key to living the life you were meant to live.  When you are following your own heart, you will learn to ignore the outside voices telling you to behave, and start coloring outside the lines.  Your heart demands you standup, follow your passion, and make an impact on this life!  Your heart demands you to find your own lane and stop just existing and go live.  Remember you don’t have to be a lion to roar, just follow your heart!

Don’t work on being normal, work on being YOU!

To make a splash on this world, to seize life, you will need to be defiant with your own truth.  To be defiant, you must be yourself, unapologetically you.  You have something to contribute to this world.  I know this may sound simplistic and typical motivational jargon, but to be truly successful you must be who you were designed to be.  This world was waiting for your story and you must own it!

To make an impact on this earth, you will need brutal self-reflection, personal courage and be driven (to be motivated x 100) to find your own lane:

My name is C.J. Guy and I’m weird, a bit nerdy, fiercely loyal, sometimes I don’t like the way I look in pictures, I don’t dress the sharpest, I have a temper I work hard to control, I’m so driven to succeed I push others away from me, I love Bruce Lee teachings, I used to lack confidence, I love very hard, I wish I had gotten braces when I was younger, I day-dream all the time, I’m brave, I’m a future writer learning to express myself,  I have made mistakes and hurt people, I’m passionate, I’m fiercely determined to succeed, I’m an extrovert with introvert tendencies sometimes, and my heart has told me I will change the world.

I’m weird, I’m not normal, I don’t want to fit in, I feel like a legend, I’m defiant and my story will change this world.

C.J. Guy