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Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Drink Up! I Hope It's Good.



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?
Go to AMAZON for hard-copy and Kindle versions or click HERE to purchase an autographed copy.