I’m
feeling nothing but gratitude. I have
made many mistakes; yet God still loves me.
I have gone left when I should have gone right; yet God still walks with
me. I have made unfulfilled promises;
yet God still believes in me. I am far
from perfect (talk to me for five minutes, you’ll see) yet I am so incredibly
blessed.
I
come from a single-parent home. I was a
latch-key kid. For the longest I thought
“we can’t afford that” was our last name.
I was picked on for being the only Black person in class. I was picked on because I had a
bubble-butt. I was picked on because I
had no street smarts. I was picked on because
I held on to my virginity longer than others.
I was picked on because my clothes weren’t trendy. And as a result of it all I hated myself and
wanted to take my life.
But
God had other plans.
For
whatever reason He has chosen to use me in a way that I never imagined
possible. I have been tapped on the shoulder
and asked to speak for those that feel they have no voice – so that’s what I
do.
My
messages are always simple.
Survival. Belief. And triumph.
That’s it. You have to figure out
a way to believe in yourself when no one else will. When no one else wants to. Even when your friends change on you. Even then you must still believe.
For
those that follow me on social media, you know that I was given the gift of
this amazing promotional VIDEO from dear friends and fans. I didn’t ask for it. It was given to me as a thank you for what my
book has done and continues to do for them.
And as I continue to receive this and other small (and large) blessings,
it’s always the same. Some share my
excitement as if it is their own, while others turn their noses up with
jealousy and envy. For years I’ve not
addressed it head-on, because there really is no need to feed negative
energy. But today I’m feeling a little
different. Today I want to speak to the
haters as I quote me from my new book, Still Standing. For those that have a copy, you can follow
along with me. I’ll be starting at the
bottom of page 51…
I’m only talking about those special
few whose colors seemed to change over the course of time. Here’s the deal: they’re excited for you as long as you’re
not doing better than they are. There – I said it. They will high-five you,
pat you on the back and congratulate you as long as you’ve not eclipsed them
too badly in this marathon of life. They’ll even throw you a party if you
surpass them a bit; as long as your coattails are still within arm’s reach. But
the moment you turn a lap, get your second wind and start sprinting like
there’s no tomorrow you can almost kiss your buddy goodbye. You’ve left them;
they feel like they’ll never be able to catch up and now they want nothing to
do with you. Your success, no matter how large or small, holds a mirror to
their face showing them who they could be and what they could have if only they
worked hard enough…were dedicated enough…were focused enough…were determined
enough…were disciplined enough… All of a sudden you’ve proven the impossible to
be possible and though it appears so, they’re not actually upset with you – they’re angry with themselves. These
were hurdles they assumed you’d be jumping together, but you got ants in your
pants and jumped the gun on a few of them, leaving them behind. And what they
fail to realize is that even though you’re a few laps ahead, you’ve still got
their back; you’re still cheering them on; you still want to see them succeed,
but they’re too busy pouting to even see that. It’s such a sad situation. Every
year thousands drink haterade and scores of friendships dissolve because of it.
My advice to those who have lost a buddy or two along the way? Never stop
making new friends. As you climb new towers and reach new heights introduce
yourself to the new bunch around you. They’ll be excited to hear how you got
there and they’ll be ready to cheer you on to your next stepping stone, because they’re headed in the same
direction.
In spite of you – I go.
In spite of you – I do.
In spite of you – I succeed.
In spite of you – I am.
A
sincere “thank you” to all that have my back, that love me unconditionally, and
that root for me even when I can’t seem to root for myself. I love you all dearly. To everyone else…I hope you don’t choke on
your haterade.
My name is Jasmynne Shaye, and this is me STEPPING ON A FEW TOES.
Interested in getting a copy of the book?
