I also wanted people to read this blog and be inspired. Sure, I don't write a lot of inspirational shit on this forum. "TV's Hottest Milfs" and the piece about me failing as a high school hurdler don't scream inspirational man. Regardless, I hope throughout my life enough people can see the positives that a bring to the table that someone, somewhere can think of me as a role model. Yes, me. A 23 year-old foul-mouthed blogger who writes about basketball, Boardwalk Empire, Leo DiCaprio, Jay Cutler as a role model, dinosaurs, my sweaty dad, hating LeBron, rapper ad libs, stalkers, and the value of flash over fundamentals. Yeah, that guy. That guy is also a recent college graduate from Oakland who cares deeply about people from all walks of life, and has lived his life trying to have a positive impact on everyone he's met. He's not always succeeded, but damn it, he's tried. I don't think of myself a role model because of what I've written or what I've accomplished. But I do think of myself as someone people could look up to because of my approach to things. In everything I attempt to do I make sure I give my all. I treat everyone equally regardless of sex, race, religion, orientation or ability. I'm proud of my roots and am thankful for every person who has had an impact on my life. I live my life to be happy, and I never hesitate when I have the choice to do something that will help me reach that goal.
#TeamNoHesitation was not born in some glorious scene where I discovered my purpose in life. No, it was actually in a frat party in San Jose. (I know, right?) It was the summer of 2013 and I was single at the time. I did what single people did when they're 20 years old. I went to house parties, had some drinks, talked to girls, hit some... medicine, and then went to work the next morning. It was a good summer. Sometime during that summer, my dude Rich tells me to come down with him to San Jose State for a party. Now, I think that was a girl's birthday party, but I'm not so sure because... drinks. That party did get shut down by one time, so me and Rich migrated to a frat party not so far from where we were. This party was coo. Wasn't as crowded as the last, but there were plenty of girls and some good music playing. As the girls danced and moved in front of the DJ there was a crowd of frat guys on the outskirts looking on. They were talking to each other, trying to pump each other up on how to approach these girls to dance. They were second guessing themselves. They were hesitating.
I was pretty well versed in catching twerk at the time. I had been to my fair share of functions, including one of the Project X functions in Oakland. So I knew what I was going to do once I got on that dance floor. But out of respect I wanted to let these guys do their thing. It was their frat house and I pride myself on etiquette. But then a light bulb went off in my head. (It was a blurry light bulb and it swayed back and forth, but it was speaking to me.) I couldn't wait on these guys for me to do what I set out to do, which was to catch some twerk. So I went forward and approached the baddest girl I could find and I did what I did best. And I had a blast. Then I did that some more with other girls at this party. After the party my homeboy and I were laughing at frat guys' resentment toward me. They were salty that I came in out of nowhere and caught all the twerk. I responded with a cocky, "Team No Hesitation." And just like that, a mantra was born.
Are you telling us this phrase that you're trying to pass off as an inspirational mantra was born out of a frat party where you caught a lot of twerk? Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. At first this was just something that I would say at parties or at a night out. It was really just about having a good time and enjoying myself. It was like my version of YOLO, except I hated saying YOLO. (I was never a huge Drake fan.) But it evolved into something more than that. If I could approach my life the same way I approached a night out then I could be happier. If I knew a certain decision would make me happier in the end, why not take that chance? Why wait for other people's approval if I knew that's what I wanted? You can't seriously be saying making a career choice is the same as deciding whether to to be the first or last person in a game of flip cup? Not exactly. But the principle is the same. Now, I'm not saying live your life with reckless abandon. By all means, don't drink and drive, and wear a condom, bruh. I am saying take some risks and once you've made your decision, don't let fear get in your way of following through. If you want to make a career change or you want to get married or you want to travel the world, take a chance and go for it. (Doesn't apply if you want to become a ghost hunter, marry a serial killer, or want to move to Sacramento.)
When I started this blog I didn't really have any writing experience. I mean, all my writing came from class assignments, though I had dabbled in the creative side. In the 5th grade I wrote a comic about a superhero that was half dinosaur, half teenager named Dino-Man, and I had already come up with a tale about a ghost in college. I also had a poem about ninjas published into Prisms. (My friend Omar will swear to you that he wrote that poem for me. He's only half right.) But I never did anything like this. People on the internet were going to be able to click on this link and read what I have to say. The moment as I was about to publish my first post was nerve-racking. I wasn't sure anyone would even read it, much less like it. But I went for it and put myself out there. People read it and they told me they liked it. I kept on doing it and every once in a while people would give me positive feedback. It's been four years now and I'm still out here doing my thing. I don't even need the positive feedback anymore to motivate me. (But please, please shower me with compliments.)
My blog is just a small example of me living life without hesitation. If you want a grander example, look no further than my time in LA. When I was deciding where to go to for colleges, one of the things I was interested in doing was moving to Los Angeles. I thought there were a lot of career opportunities in LA that I couldn't find at home, but more importantly I wanted to force myself to get away from my comfort zone. I thought that by being in Los Angeles away from my friends and family I would have to learn to grow up and become a man, and learn it quickly. I didn't know anyone in the area and it was a scary decision to make. I can imagine how KD must have felt when he was deciding which team to choose in free agency. But I felt that LA was the place I needed to be for the next four (turned out to be five) years, so without hesitation I chose Dominguez Hills. (Pretty sure Kevin Durant thought of me when he woke up on Fourth of July and yelled out, "#TeamNoHesitation" as he dialed Bob Myers' number.) Not going to lie, LA was a tough place for me. I went through a lot of hard times and Dominguez Hills had a way of making things very tough for me. But in the end my experiences there shaped me to be the person I am now, which I think is better than the person who left home in 2011. I'm at another crossroads now. I'm graduated from college and I'm looking to start my career. To be honest I could play this safe and get a regular 9 to 5 with a cubicle and all that. But I want to enjoy the work I do and I don't want it to be easy. Whatever comes next, I'm ready to face it head on with No Hesitation.
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You're an inspiration. I'm not sure if im #teamhesitation but i'll hold down #teamPOMC all day, erreday.
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