Monday Morning Lift

The Warm-Up:

“Favor, favor, let it fall on me | Till I’m the conversation of all my enemies | Favor, favor, God, not just for me | But so everyone around me can have everything they need | Let all these folks that’s with me, God, have everything they need…” ~Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin, Bless Me

The Core:

“Friends and good manners will carry you where money won’t go.” ~Margaret Walker

“I’ve learned 3 lessons this year. To leave people where they at, accept situations for what they are, and not every action needs a reaction.” ~@ayeepain

“Once you realize physical attraction is not enough for you and there’s more involved like mentally, emotionally and spiritually you choose differently…” ~Tehuti Khem

“Certainly, the game is rigged. Don’t let that stop you; if you don’t bet, you can’t win.” ~Lazarus Long, character in writer Robert A Heinlein’s Future History science fiction series

“Showing more patience for what hasn’t come yet, showing more gratitude to what has already arrived. Finding more grace in the mistakes I made in the past, finding even more softness in the ones I am yet to make.” ~Billy Chapata

“In all of my experience with leadership in the military, empathy was not specifically emphasized. Yet it is fundamental. Leaders don’t lead organizations—they lead the people who make up those organizations. To do that effectively requires empathy.” ~Rich Diviney, The Attributes

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. | A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. | The poor person pleads, but the rich one answers roughly. | One with many friends may be harmed, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.” ~Proverbs 18:21-24

“Incentives are the strongest force in the world. They explain why good people do awful things, why smart people do stupid things, and why ordinary people do amazing things. Nearly everyone underestimates how much their own beliefs and actions are influenced by their incentives, many of which are designed to fulfill someone else’s goals.” ~Morgan Housel, Big Beliefs

“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. So, medicine, law, business, engineering...these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love...these are what we stay alive for.” ~Tom Schumann, recited by Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society

“Hov is a real [playas] dream | My only goal, to make a real [playa] feel seen | Sometimes, it make a fake [playa] hate life | Never my intention, the consequences of my way of life… | Next time we have a discussion who the G.O.A.T., you donkeys know this | Forgive me, that’s my passion talkin’ | Sometimes I feel like Farrakhan talkin’ to Mike Wallace | I think y’all should keep quiet…” ~DJ Khaled, ft. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend, Fridayy, God Did

“The hallmark of a resilient, productive and sustainable culture is that disagreements aren’t risky. When someone cares enough to make an assertion and show their work, a healthy organization or society takes a look. The alternative is the brittle, closed culture of talking points, loyalty oaths and unquestioned status quo. It might be a neighborhood social club, a large corporation or a nation, but the principle remains. What happens when we disagree? Because when the world changes (and it always does) we’ll probably end up disagreeing sooner later. Being good at it is a skill.” ~Seth Godin, And when we disagree…

“Life presents an endless series of interruptions and distractions. You will continually be pulled off course or asked to put out a fire created by someone else. People will disrespect your time and steal your attention—usually with no intention of malice, but simply because different people have different priorities. When your day is interrupted or your progress stalls, it's easy for your mindset to collapse as well. You may feel guilty for not following through on what you intended to do. But you are not guilty, you are human. Everyone gets distracted. In many ways, the real divide is between those who get back on track quickly and those who let interruptions expand into longer periods of inactivity. Top performers get back on track faster than most. This is the skill to develop. You will be interrupted, but you can choose to keep it brief.” ~James Clear, 3-2-1

Last Set:

“Are you lit up because you’re afraid someone’s opinions of you might be true or did you match energy and temporarily become them. First clear their energy, own your aura, reestablish your boundaries and remember who tf you are.” ~Maryam Hasnaa

We appreciate your readership. You can learn more about the MML here. To the extent someone felt compelled to spread the love and this was forwarded to you, you can sign up for the newsletter here.