Who Motivates The Motivator?

Years ago, when, I was in the ranks of the Nation of Islam in my hometown (San Diego, CA.) My first Captain, a Brother name Robert Muhammad would ask us, the F. O. I. (Fruit of Islam), who Motivates The Motivator? We would pop to attention and say in UNITY, “me, myself, and Allah!”

Our captain, Brother Robert was teaching us that the Motivator is Motivated by himself or herself and with the God within. As the group Mary Mary song: “God In Me.” They were stating the God within themselves inspires and motivates them.

Les Brown says in his book: (Live Your Dreams) “When you get discouraged-and you will-it takes hunger to develop the course to try again and again and never quit. Some people are naturally hungry. Some have hunger imposed upon them by circumstances. If you are not naturally motivated, you are going to have to learn how to make yourself hungry.” – Les Brown

As, I previously wrote in my last blog I was motivated to go back to college five years ago. I was motivated from getting overlooked several times, when, it came to promoting someone. I was motivated by my growing family (my daughters), the youth (I mentored) with my nonprofit business, and I was motivated by my financial circumstances.

We all need some inspiration and motivation. I wrote down my short-term goals and my long-term goals. I keep these goals on a piece of paper in my wallet. I look at these goals every now and then, so I can check them off as I complete them. Every few years, I update them and I add more.

I also use my past as motivation. I have shared in a previous blog as a youngster, I journeyed down the path of gangs and I was introduced to all that came with that path. Through the Nation of Islam, I found a different path and that path helped to inspire me and motivate me to change my life for the better.

I have family members and friends who chose to continue down the wrong path that led some of them to prison and some to the grave….

That has also became a motivation to me. I think about those certain family members and friends and what their lives became. So, when, I am feeling down or feeling like I may want to give up. I ask myself, “Who Motivates The Motivator?”

The motivator within me, motivated me to go back to college to get my associates, bachelors, and masters degree. At this time of writing, I am looking to return to get my doctorate degree and hopefully in a few years, if, I am still writing this blog, I will write about completing it.

Our journeys are not always ease or the way we may like them to be but we must continue on and when we are feeling drained and wanting to give up, we must ask ourselves, “Who Motivates The Motivator?”

There Is Nothing More Powerful Than A Made Up Mind

Nearly five years ago, I decided to go back to college to get my associates degree in criminal justice. One of the main reasons of me going back to college, I was tired of seeing people at my job getting promoted over me. Some of these people never worked in my field (security) and I was training them to be in positions over me. So one day, I decided to ask my supervisor why was people fresh off the street (new hires/with no experience) getting promoted over me?

     My supervisor said, they were getting promoted over me because they had college degrees. That was the moment I decided to go back to college. But, that was not the only reason. The second reason was because returning to college to get my degree was on my long term list. The third reason was because in my nonprofit business, I encourage youth to go to college or to trade school. I always encourage youth to further their education because “knowledge is power and a mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

     One particular day, I was telling some of my male mentees to go to college and one of them said, what about you? I asked him what about me? He said, how can you tell us to go college and you never finished? That weighed heavy on my mind!! My last reason is because I wanted to set a good example for my four daughters.

     When, I finally made my mind to go back to college, I said to myself that I have been out of college for many years. When, I go back, I am going to stay in for many years. I am going to finish my associates degree, get bachelor’s degree, my master’s degree, and my doctoral degree!! Associates, bachelor’s, and master’s are all done!! Last on the list is doctoral degree which I am hoping to check off the list.

     I truly learned this saying is true, “there is nothing more powerful than a made up mind.” My mind has been made up on what I want to do. 

     In the last five years of my striving to obtain my degrees, I was married and my then wife who gave birth to my two youngest daughters, we end up separating, and eventually got divorced. My apartment caught on fire and I became homeless. It was times, I had to pawn my laptop and I had lost my laptop to the pawnshop and I had to buy a new one. 

    When I did not have a laptop, I had to go to the library to use the computer and most times, I had to do my assignments on my cellphone. But, no matter what, I found away and made it happen!! Why? Because there is nothing more powerful than a made up mind.

 

The Fear of Black Unity

The government always infiltrate us with our very own people (Black people)....

This is not a thing of the past, the government still sends Black agents, informants/stool pigeons  into organizations like Black Lives Matter and The New Black Panthers Party.

Religions that are doing something for the Black community like various churches and the Nation of Islam is infiltrated....

Why?! Because racists White supremacists in higher positions fear the rise of Black people and the rise of the Black Messiah!!

They know our UNITY is more powerful than a atomic bomb!!

 

A Savior Was Born

 

At the age of 9, I began to believe that there was not a God. I did not grow up in a religious home. We rarely visited anyone’s church, my mom said there is a God but did not teach who He was. 

I remember, I asked my mom what did God look like? She showed me a little picture she had of a White Jesus knocking on a door and she said that he was God. I remember, that, day like it was yesterday. I was 9 years old and that is when I began disbelieving that there is a God.

Some or a lot you that is reading this may be wondering why? Me as a 9 year old, that, rarely attended church who grew up in the hood/ghetto of San Diego, CA. The only time, I saw White people was when I attended my elementary school with my White teachers and predominantly White classmates. I got a taste and I experienced White supremacy so this assisted in my disbeliefs in God, especially, if He was White!!

At the age 13, I started gang banging and hustling. My disbeliefs there is a God fully grew and I did not know what to call it until a year later. While, watching the movie “Boyz n the Hood” with my best friend who is like my brother. Ice Cube character, (Doughboy) was saying to Cuba Gooding Jr character, (Tre) that he did not believe there was a God and if there was one, why was He allowing people to get killed? It was then, I told my best friend, I believe like Doughboy and my friend said, “you are a atheist.” That is when I became a atheist or knew what to call myself.

It was not until I was 19 years old, I became a believer in God. As, I shared before one fatal night while at a gas station with one of my homeboys/a friend, I got out of the car with him while he was pumping gas. Two guys with blue rags over their faces was shooting at us. That night opened up my eyes and I became a believer that there is a God because our lives was spared!!

It was not until, I joined the Nation of Islam a few months later that my beliefs that there is a God was confirmed…. 

At first, I was hesitant to accept the beliefs that God came in the person of Master Fard Muhammad because of His skin complexion and His title “Master.” The more, I asked questions and studied. The more, I became a believer and a knower!!

As I studied, I learned why Master Fard Muhammad carried the title “Master” and why He came in fair skin. He carried the title “Master” because He became a master of Himself and by gaining the knowledge of Self, others, and the worlds. He came in fair skin because His father, (Alfonso) a dark skin Black man could not come Himself. 

His father knew that the government of America was looking for the Black Messiah and His father knew Black people would not accept His skin complexion. Why?! Because we were taught self-hatred, we were taught Jesus (the son of God) was White, which, subconsciously made his father (God White) which made us, (Black people), love and worship White people as gods.

So, Master Fard Muhammad had to come as the scriptures written of Him as a thief in the night and no one knew the hour and the time He would come but Him. He came unexpected. 

On February 26, 1877 in the Holy city, Mecca, Arabia a Savior was born!!

To learn more about Master Fard Muhammad and His coming please read the following:

https://new.finalcall.com/2021/02/16/the-greatness-of-master-fard-muhammad-3/

https://new.finalcall.com/2021/02/16/a-birth-rooted-in-prophecy/

https://new.finalcall.com/2021/02/16/the-coming-of-god-in-person-the-son-of-man-the-greatest-secret-ever-revealed/

Bible:

Matthew 24:27

Romans 8:3

Happy New Year?

 

We do not know what to expect this New Year especially during this pandemic but we must keep a positive mind.

I once read, our attitude determines our altitude. So we must think positive to be positive. We must make the best out of what life gives us….

I made the title of this blog with a question at the end because we truly do not know what to expect but let’s hope and pray for the best.

Last year, I believed was going to be my year. I was supposed to graduate with my master's degree in November but my school overlooked a class and I thought I was going to be a teacher but things came to a halt. And if you all would have told me, that, some of the people that I was close too that we were no longer going to be close I wouldn’t have believed it!!

Also, last year a couple of people I personally knew died and one of them happened to be a former high school football teammate and a neighborhood friend.

One of the positive things that happened last year was my oldest daughter made me a grandfather.

So last year was not the best but one of the positive things we all can say who is reading this….

That we all lived through it to welcome a Happy New Year?!!

How My Eyes Got Opened

 

Several months ago, I wrote, I would share how my eyes got opened. How I became a believer that there is a God and how I end up joining the Nation of Islam.

Before I joined the Nation of Islam, I was an atheist, a gang member, a hustler, and a womanizer.

I started gang banging when I was thirteen years old and that is around the time I grew into disbelief that there was a God due to some of my friends/members of the gang I was in getting killed by rival gangs.

I started to doubt and question if there is a God why is he permitting my friends/members of my gang to be killed and some of them were just a few years older than me.

I said I would never believe in God until I meet Him in person and He would have to show and prove to me He is God.

One night, in April of 1995, I became a believer…. One of my friends, who was a Blood like me but from another gang. We stopped at a gas station so he can get some gas and while he was pumping the gas. I got out of the car to talk to him.

All of a sudden, people were running, jumping in their cars, and speeding off. A woman at the gas pump a crossed from us, said, “y’all need to get up out of here, they are shooting at y’all!”

I felt some wind passing quickly by my head, not knowing it was a bullet.

My friend and I started rushing to get in his car and I am not sure if he got all the gas or any at all, we did not care!!

There were two guys (Crips) with blue rags covering their faces. I am not sure if they were shooting at my friend or if they were shooting at me.

All I know, me and my friend could have been killed.

That night…. For the first time in a long time, I prayed because I knew my life was spared.

I told God or Jesus, whatever, Your name is, thank you because I know they (the two Crips) could have killed us.

I made a pledge to God, that, I was going to join the military. A few weeks later, I contacted a recruiter but I did not pass the test.

Then one day, the voice in my head said, “join the Black Muslims.” That is what they called the Nation of Islam in my neighborhood.

I did not know much about the Nation of Islam. Mostly what I heard of them was negative. But, I remember, someone in my neighborhood who was a Blood but from a different gang who joined the Nation of Islam while in prison.

I remembered how the Nation of Islam changed his life. So I began looking for the Black Muslims (the Nation of Islam) and I end up running across a friend from high school who I thought was a Black Muslim but he only visited the mosque and it was Orthodox Islam.

He took down my number because he said he had a flyer that he received on the campus of San Diego State University.

He called me on the three-way with a member of the Nation of Islam and the Brother got my information and I visited the mosque on a Friday night for their study group.

I continued to go to the mosque and I end up becoming a registered member (Damon X) on Sunday, December 24, 1995.

That was and is one of the happiest days of my life. To see, Brothers (FOI), shed some tears because I got my name in the lamb book of life.

I only spent my first four years as a Muslim/FOI in San Diego until I moved but that was my foundation, my spiritual birthplace which I will never forget.

I lived in several different cities and I have been honored and blessed to serve, either the mosque or study group in those cities but I can never forget where it all started for me….

I am thankful for all the Brothers and Sisters who played a part/had a role in my spiritual growth and development.

Mainly the Brothers and Sisters in San Diego (my hometown/spiritual birthplace) but also those in Oklahoma City, Tulsa Oklahoma, Dallas, and Fort Worth, Texas.

The picture, I shared are of some of the Brothers and Sisters who made an impact on me in San Diego, and the song I share below: “Look A Devil In His Eyes” is about my spiritual awaking/how my eyes got opened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0JF9ulZguo

 

 

 

 

Trials And Tribulations

 

Years ago, I wrote one of my all-time favorite writer and Minister, Jabril Muhammad. Who has a weekly column in The Final Call Newspaper. I asked him a question relating to trials in life.

He wrote me back sharing a story that The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad shared with him about a donkey that fell in a ditch. The people of the town and their children came out mocking the donkey and throwing rocks at it.

They did it daily, until, there was enough rocks in the ditch that the donkey was able to climb out.

Jabril Muhammad also told me in that letter, The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad told him, “what appears to be against you is sometimes for you, every knock is a boost.”

Our trials and tribulations may appear to be against us but they are really for us. To help build us and mold us. Our trials and tribulations can make us stronger especially if we do not allow them to break us.

It is like working out. If you never worked out before or have not worked out in a long time. It is going to be painful but if you continue it will not be painful as it was.

The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad said, “pressure makes a diamond.” Our trials and tribulations is making diamonds out of us. One day, after we meet and overcome our trials and tribulations we will be bright shining diamonds (smile)!!

Below is one of my classic songs titled “Trials And Tribulations” enjoy!!

https://youtu.be/DVkwJBnwUOU