“I am unwritten. Can’t read my mind. I’m undefined. I’m just beginning. The pen is in my hand. Ending unplanned. Staring at the blank page before you.” — Natasha Bedingfield

Click on the highlighted word “Unwritten” to watch Ms. Natasha Bedingfield’s video. I hope you will enjoy this visual masterpiece as much as I have and still do.  May this inspiring song cure your writer’s block.

“Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten” — Natasha Bedingfield

Yesterday’s homecoming celebration of Mr. Tim Russert, television journalist and moderator of “Meet The Press,” has inspired this post. To Tim’s wife, Maureen, may God’s love comfort you and your family during these difficult days. To Tim’s son, Luke, may your father’s precious soul rest in God’s peaceful presence always and forever.

Never again will my Sunday mornings be the same without the privilege of watching the one man whose effective example of “personal leadership” has inspired millions of ordinary, everyday people to “Go Get Em!!” May today’s post challenge all who read these words to live without limits, love without conditions, and lead like Jesus Christ did — by example.

If tomorrow never comes, how much more valuable would your yesterday become to you today? If you knew beforehand when your last tomorrow was going to come, what would you choose to do differently with the rest of your todays?

“For the first time,” would you choose to finally face your biggest and deepest fears? Would you challenge the people you love to dig deep enough inside the heart of their gifted souls to unearth the courage needed to learn how to love loving one another?

If tomorrow never comes, how would you choose to live the rest of your life today? Think about it. But please don’t take too long because it’s later than you think.

Copyright 2008 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

Ms. Marvalus, author of “The Marvalus View,” was one of the first bloggers who chose to invest in an autographed copy of Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness, When Good People Become Great.

“Manchild…

I finished reading your wonderful piece of work and I couldn’t wait to come over and tell you that it has inspired me beyond words!

I weep at the amount of inspiration you have given to me, and thank you for sharing this with us…I am going to do a write up on my site to share this book with my audience over the next couple of days…

Thank you again…blessings to you!” — Ms. Marva

Please click on “Marva’s Book Review” to read what Marva had to say about this introspective, inspirational story about “personal leadership.”

Copyright 2008 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

This “revised” post now only contains the Prologue to Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness, “When Good People Become Great.” As time permits, I will begin posting brief excerpts from this introspective, inspirational story about “personal leadership” to inspire you to “face your fears and embrace Change.” Only then will you choose to take the next step necessary to make your “Big Dream” come true.

In the meantime, please feel free to peruse “The Archives” to see how far this humbled beginner has come by faith since January 1, 2007.  As many of you know, I didn’t “choose to write this book.” Over 10 years ago, this thought-provoking, 272 page book chose me.   If I can beat the odds with God’s help and choose to “keep risin’ to my feet after every fall I survived,” you can do the same.  The choice to do so will always be yours alone to make. So choose wisely.

“But by grace still go I.”

The Prologue — “Always Expect The Unexpected”

Quick question. Did reading the Prologue to Steppin’ Out Of the Darkness inspire you to sit up in your seat and say “Hmmmm” upon first glance?  Hopefully, what you found has peaked your curiosity about what else you’ll find beneath this book’s cover.

When time permits, post a comment to let me know if you felt inspired you to “finish writing the vision” you prematurely abandoned in the “valley of sun-dried bones” sometime “after the fall” you survived.

Copyright © 2007-2008 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

For those of you who don’t know, B.M.A.D.™ In 2008 means “Bloggers Making A Difference™ In 2008.” Mr. Troy Anthony Davis, a Death Row inmate for the past 15 years, needs your help, your presence, and your support to help save his life. Mr. Davis is yet another Black man whose accusers have admitted that they “incorrectly” identified him as the perpetrator of a crime he was found guilty of committing.

Because America’s criminal justice system remains flawed beyond belief as evidenced by the heinous murder of Ms. Kathryn Johnson by undercover Atlanta police officers, I am “against” the “Death Penalty.” It’s undisputed that a disproportionate number of Black men are falsely arrested, falsely accused, and found guilty of crimes they didn’t commit. But by grace still go you and I.

Ms. Laura Moye, from Amnesty International, is hosting a “Free Troy Anthony Davis Rally” on the steps of City Hall building in Atlanta, Georgia this Saturday, May 17, 2008, from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Click on the words “Free Troy Anthony Davis” for additional information. Click on the words “Sign The Petition” to help save the life of a man who doesn’t deserve to die for a crime he didn’t commit.

Thank each and everyone of you who live in the Atlanta metro area and choose to attend Saturday’s rally for the gift of your time. If you can’t attend, call somebody, sign the petition, and do what you would want somebody to do for you. Together, we can make a difference. I’m willing to try. Are you? I hope so.

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

1 John 4:4

Quick question. Who or what is still keeping you from steppin’ out of the darkness of the hopeless that Despair creates and crossing the troubled, white-water rapids of Jordan’s River? Think about it.

“Greater is He” who dwells within me than ______________.

End this sentence by “filling in the blank” with the name of your biggest antagonist, your biggest obstacle, your greatest weakness, your worst bad habit, your biggest fear, or whatsoever is exacerbating your efforts to beat the odds with God’s help. As you already know, “impossible ain’t nothing but a word” to Greater Is He.

May completing the aforementioned sentence inspire you to face your biggest and deepest fears so you can begin to honestly believe that you can achieve great things and do what you’ve never done before. Overcoming your crisis of faith will challenge you to believe that you can achieve what you previously thought was an impossibility.”

But be forewarned! Steppin’ outside the imaginary box of your comfort zone will severely test your faith in God and challenge your ability to trust God when the invisible fist of Adversity strikes. I double-dog dare you to see if you posses the inner core strength to stand in the menacing face of whatsoever can make you faint each time you try to take the first step across Jordan’s River.

As many of you who’ve been reading this blog already know, “personal leadership” is an “act of faith.” Leadership is a personal choice that will always be yours alone to make until a defining moment in your life occurs and challenges you to “live, love, and lead like Jesus Christ did — by example.”

As evidenced by the Prologue to my book, Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness, “When Good People Become Great,” always expect the unexpected to happen when least expected.

Copyright 2008 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

“The important and decisive factor in life is not what happens to us, but the attitude we take toward what happens. The surest revelation of one’s character is the way one bears one’s suffering. Circumstances and situations may color life, but by the grace of God, we have been given the power to choose what that color shall be. The effect that misfortune, handicap, sickness, and sorrow have upon life is determined by the way in which we meet them.”

– Charles R. Woodson

“There is only one thing which will really train the human mind, and that is the voluntary use of the mind by the man himself. You may aid him, you may guide him, you may suggest to him, and, above all you may inspire him; but the only thing worth having is that which he gets by his own exertions: and what he gets is proportionate to the effort he puts into it.”

– A. Lawrence Lowell

Last year, my wife, KWiz, and I watched the movie “Freedom Writers.” This year, we watched “The Great Debaters.” Both are unforgettable films. If you’re an aspiring writer who needs a reason to finish writing your book, please don’t wait to see either of these films. Both are amazing examples of the art of story-telling.

It’s true! Everybody has a story to tell. Some of you are extremely talented, gifted writers who can effortlessly employ the power of the written word to tell your stories. For me, writing is a struggle, which is why I started blogging last year. Have you ever wondered if there’s some secret formula or writing technique that will make one book sell better than another?

Can “talent alone” ensure the success of the books that authors allegedly choose to write? Who or what enables prolific writers to repeat the meticulous process behind the creative chaos that made your book a success? Does the timing of a book’s release play a significant part in its author’s ability to emotionally connect with one generation and not another? Do you believe that book sales, or the lack thereof, are an accurate indication of the perceived success or the failure of a book?

According to prolific author Paulo Coelho’s profile, “Slow initial sales [of The Alchemist] convinced his first publisher to drop the novel, but it went on to become one of the best selling Brazilian books of all time.

Have any of you ever pondered the possibility that the part you played did little to determine the success of your book? Did God’s sovereign will and perfect plan have anything to do with the success of your book? If yes, does it really matter whether or not an author chooses to employ “urban street teams” or “main stream” marketeers to promote a book that’s destined to become a national best seller? As writers, what part do we play in the books we author?

Do books choose their writers or do writers choose the books they pen? I had no desire to write a book before I began to pen Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness. I believe the book that I birthed chose me. I can still recall waking up in the middle of the night to write the first page of my big dream. Once I began writing it, I couldn’t stop. Whenever I felt inspired to write, I didn’t sleep much. I didn’t eat. I didn’t talk. Since I didn’t have anything to distract me, I just wrote. I constantly canceled or rescheduled appointments until the words stopped flowing from somewhere deep within the heart of my soul.

Am I crazy or has this ever happened to any of you? What did you do initially? Did you look around the room to see if you were all alone? Did you ignore the words you heard or did you heed the still, small voice that inspired you to believe that you could achieve something bigger than yourself? Did people laugh at you, ridicule you, and reject you when they heard about the genesis of your big dream? My mother and my wife stood by me at a time when I needed their love and support the most.

Writing Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness was an act of faith for me. I wrote on anything and everything I could get my hands on as evidenced by all the cardboard boxes still stuffed with the hastily scribbled notes that I stockpiled over the years. During those difficult days when I had no place to lay my head, I didn’t have time to feel sorry for myself. For reasons that still escape me, I refused to give up after the fall I survived.

Nevertheless, trusting God when nothing made sense wasn’t easy. To challenge myself to keep getting up and showing up for my street fight with Adversity, I started writing poetic essays. Writing literally saved my life after my business failed and I was forced to file bankruptcy. Because of the vision that God gifted to me, I had a plan that I could believe in. God’s unchanging love gave me hope during my darkest days. It’s true! Without a vision, people with no reason to hope will perish.

For reasons now known, “But by grace still go I” is not just some empty Christian phrase that I casually toss around to sound spiritual. If you’re a published writer, did your book choose you or did you choose your book? I hope this post has encouraged somebody to rise to your feet and inspired you to honestly believe that you can beat impossible odds with God’s help. If so, please let me know.

Copyright (c) 2008 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.

“I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”

–Picasso

Guess what? My blog is “broken.” Why? Because I broke it during a failed attempt to fix a possible security risk that upgrading to WordPress 2.3.1 is supposed to resolve. Quick question. How many bloggers have not attempted to upgrade to WordPress 2.3.1 because you’re afraid you might fail? As evidenced by my “Home Page,” my efforts to finish this arduous upgrade have failed.

Why is failure and failing perceived as a bad thing if one learns more by failing to “do something” than by succeeding to “do nothing?” Does failing and failure frighten you? If not, share your “success story” by letting us know what you’ve done for the “first time” during 2007. Before you post a comment, think about how you’ve been programmed, conditioned, and taught to define “success” and “failure.”

What have you done for the first time this year? For the first time, I’ve published a blog. Did I fail to write perfect, error-free posts?  Most Definitely!  Did I fail to achieve all the goals I set out to accomplish thus far? Most definitely! But I’ve learned so much and met so many beautiful bloggers because I stepped outside the boat of my self-imposed limitations.  Steppin’ outside the boat of what gave me a false sense of security and launching this blog was truly an act of faith for a person like me with perfectionistic tendencies like mine.

Because my site is not monetized, I sacrificed my blogging goals as a blogger to birth my big dream by finishing a literary project that began before leaving Los Angeles, California in 1997.  For the first time, I’ve “successfully” written, designed, and produced a 272 page book that has taken me over 10 years to complete. Only by the grace of God is Steppin’ Out Of The Darkness finished.

But because I’ve failed to write a post for this blog as frequently as expected to become a successful blogger, am I a failure in the eyes of my peers? Does anybody know who wrote the rules that govern bloggers and blogging?  Who sat down and wrote the formulas  and algorithms that determine “Page Rankings?”  Did they succeed or fail?  Does money earned determine who becomes a successful blogger?

How many of my prolific peers in the blogosphere will vilify me, ridicule me, reject me, and think less of me because I’ve failed, fallen short, and missed the mark set by a few professional bloggers? How many of my “subscribers” will stop supporting my relentless efforts to make a difference by abandoning my community because I’ve failed to rise to the level of your expectations? How many of you still believe that nobody loves a “loser” as much as everybody loves a “winner?”

During your quiet talk with God in your secret place, ask yourself, Does failing and failure frighten you because you still fear ridicule and rejection? Think about your answer before posting your comment.

Copyright © 2007 by Roderick O. Solomon. All Rights Reserved.