Aaron Fields's Blog

The Men's Empowerment Coalition at Eastfield College presents Direct Your Future which showcases students involved in the program as well as interviews by Dallas community members.
 
It's important for you men to understand that all of you are natural builders, gifted, talented and constructive. As a man, you should NEVER accept limitations on the great things you're capable of doing. It's imperative that you plan your life and DIRECT YOUR FUTURE. One of the most difficult things you'll have to do is figure out what you're gifted at and how to apply your gifts to the world. Understand that there are very few people who can help you with your gifts and hopefully you will come across great people in your life such as your parents, a guidance counselor, a community leader, a teacher, or a mentor that can help bring out the best in you.



Now keep in mind that you will run into certain hardships in life and it's going to be your job to overcome those obstacles. Instead of giving up when times get hard, learn how to endure any type of adversity by going above and beyond to create the best outcome for your life.  Understand that the biggest enemy you'll have to overcome is yourself. Why is that? It's because in this world we live in, life is rigged for you to come in last place. Believe it or not, you still have time to be the best version of yourself, you just need to stop talking yourself out of it. 



Many of you men will never know your true potential until you understand who you are and what you're capable of. Although life is a game, you do have to play it seriously. In this game you will have to lose sometimes, but that's okay because sometimes in life you can learn more from a lost than from a win. 



Changing your mind or having a different outlook on life comes with wisdom, growth, and experience. The reality is that you're not going to think the same way ten years from now. The way how you think at age twenty-two is going to be a lot different at age thirty-two.  In other words as you get older, you should not be conducting yourself like a little child. Stop throwing temper tantrums and  stop seeking validation from people that don't bring any value to your life. 



The reason why many of you are not getting any respect is because you keep falling for the same old tricks and running into the same traps. This world we live in is a competition, so it's important that you change your tactics in order to compete at a high level. All you have to do is utilize your brain by working smarter and not harder. 



In order to be a great leader, you must have confidence, insight, understanding, knowledge, wisdom, and you must be innovative. It's not always about having a title because most people in this world who have a leadership position are not real leaders, they're just filling up a spot. If you aspire to be a leader, you must learn how to lead yourself first before you lead others.



For those of you men that are aspiring to be leaders, please understand that it's not about rankings. As a man, you should always take a high quality life over a title. NEVER deny the importance of high quality because you have the right to demand it in every aspect of your life. Think about your lifestyle, think about the relationships you're in, think about the people you associate yourself with. Is it high quality? 



In order to DIRECT YOUR FUTURE, you must have a strategy and a healthy outlook on life. For some of you men, it may take some time to understand this concept because some of you guys were not properly taught or coached. That's why it's important for the men that do have the knowledge and wisdom share the information and resources to the men that really need it so they can improve as well. I hope and pray that your gifts will one day manifest into something great that will one day inspire others.