"AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE"
GUIDING SCRIPTURE: JOSHUA 24:15
It doesn't matter if you are a parent trying to develop a consistent routine or a student-athlete preparing to take advantage of the new NIL Policy, it's extremely important that you take the time to create your OWN CODE to live by. We're all influenced by societies social norms, religion, family and the many other structures of the world but in order to make solid decisions we have to know what our boundaries are. One thing that I suggest is for everyone is to take the time to create your own MISSION, POLICIES & PROCEDURES! This will create a BASELINE for you to filter your decisions through and create CHECKPOINTS! Doing this will help you explore what you're truly all about and what truly makes you who you are. You only want to associate your name with things and people that REPRESENT YOU in a positive light, but without standards you'll be out here saying yes to EVERYTHING THAT HOLLAS!!! Here are three tips to help you get started.
STEP 1: Create your MISSION!
PRAYER is the FIRST STEP! Go to GOD and ask him to lead you to the place he wants you to be. Ask him for direction and to block you from anything that isn’t in his will. Most importantly ask him for discernment.
CREATE Your MISSION! Your mission is simply using your morals and belief system to create your standards and mission statement! This statement REPRESENTS what you're trying to accomplish in life and your goals in general. You may not know what your mission is yet but you can use your bottom line goal to help you develop you mission. Think of this as your blueprint to establishing your own “Mamba Mentality.” Ask yourself the following questions then use the answers to create a general mission statement!
- Who do I represent? What do I want to REPRESENT?
- What is the ultimate goal? - What am I going after in life? - What issue am I trying to solve? How do I want to IMPACT THE WORLD?
STEP 2: Create your POLICIES!
POLICIES are simply your RULES! They are your NON-NEGOTIABLE items that you don’t bend on. This is your CODE… You know kind of like the unspoken bro code or girl code that you have with your friend except this is a PERSONAL CODE! Take a minute to write down the things that are against your morals and standards! Then make a COMMITMENT to yourself that you won‘t put yourself in positions or take deals that compromise the integrity of your policies. Please make sure that you keep these things highlighted in your minds so that you can REMEMBER that this is WHAT YOU NOT GON’ DO!
STEP 3: Create your PROCEDURES!
PROCEDURES are simply how you MOVE! It’s your process your use your standard and policies to develop your PROCEDURES! The biggest part of this section is your INTEGRITY and understanding how you want to be seen! An example of this would be making the decisions that you want to be seen as a TRUTHFUL individual, so you’ll have to decide how that materializes! You're basically deciding what characteristics you want to be associated with your name and taking it a step further by exuding those characteristics in everything that you do!
- What type of person are you going to be?
- What type of people should be around you?
- How will you show those characteristics in real life? What does that look like?
Put some REAL THOUGHT into what’s acceptable and what you want to be associated with your NAME! You have to really understand your personality and your overall mission. As you get approached by different people, businesses and companies be sure to so your research and find out what they’re ALL ABOUT! The thing about signing contracts and agreeing to collaborations is you have to uphold your part of the bargain. Especially after the money is transferred. There are stipulations and requirements that have to be met. The last thing you want to do is be obligated to deal with people or situations that require you to act out of character! You don’t want to have to do things that don’t feel natural to you or go against your standards! So be careful! Please don’t let the amount of money sway you to sell your soul or sellout! Stick to your morals and listen to your GUT! Ask GOD for discernment and be sure that every connection, move, partnetship and deal aligns with your PERSONAL POLICIES & PROCEDURES!
Everyone isn’t going to have the same belief system but you have to make sure that they at least respect your stance. Self-Love and Self-Awareness is the greatest form of RESPECT! If you don’t put some RESPECT on your name NO ONE ELSE WILL! So be CHOOSEY and really intentional about how you move and what you allow to be attached to your name!