The Revitalization of my Life-Day 83-The CHANGE-12

I was so excited about reaching my goal yesterday until I forgot to tell the other part of what happened to me. Tuesday night, I stopped by Barnes and Nobles to work on a poem and to read a few books. On my way in, I looked over at Jos A Bank and decided to go and just window shop. If anyone knows me, they know that I like to dress. I take pride in looking presentable. When I walked in, I saw these sale signs all over the place. The sign said: Buy 1 wool suit at regular price and get $1000 worth of merchandise for FREE (exclusions-shoes and gift cards). The cheapest wool suit was $550. I thought about it for a minute just to see if it was a good deal. I am a very logical thinker. After careful consideration, I thought it was a good deal. I even went to the extent of carefully picking out my $1000 worth of merchandise. I was in the store for about forty-five minutes. Here I was, had reached my goal for starting to save and this BIG deal comes along. Not to mention that my wife had just told me the day before that I had lost my swag when it came to dressing. I had the money in my pocket, the clothes in my hand and what did I do.....

I kindly placed the clothes down and walked out. When I left that deal on the table, I felt good. As much as I like to dress and take pride in dressing, I let it go. I let it go because I have things in my life that are more important than clothes and good deals. I am not the single man I use to be. I am now a married man, that loves his wife dearly. I walked away from it because of something my wife said to me before we got married. We were talking one day about our future and at that time I was still working at Walmart. We were discussing finances and what would happen if I got a job making better wages. I told her that I hope I don't go back to buying a lot of clothes like I use to. Her respond to that was, "that's what I'm afraid of." Those words never left me. When I made the remark, I was be sarcastic but her response wasn't. She was serious. When I realized that she was serious, it made me think. I started thinking that I have to show her that she doesn't have to worry about me being that way. Even though we weren't married, I didn't want her feeling this way. After we took our vows, I took it even more serious. That's why when I walked out of that store and left that deal on the table, I felt good. I felt good because deep down inside I knew that I had made my wife proud. Even though she wasn't with me, she was with me. I felt as if she was right by my side saying, "job well done Swint."

Sometimes we have to really let go of what we use to do. Not saying give up everything, but sometimes you need to give up some things to see just how much it really means to you. And then there are times where you just need to do it, just because you know that it will make the other person happy. Even if it means passing up a GOOD deal. Because sometimes even the GOOD deals aren't as GOOD as the feeling you get when you know you have made someone else proud. You will become a better person and you will realize that it's not all about you but more so about the two of you....which adds up to ONE-not regular math, but GODs math!


"The more you do right, the harder the fight"-Rhonda Faye Brown

The Revitalization of my Life-Day 82-The CHANGE-11

All I can say this morning is thank God! In order to really reach any of your goals in life, you have to make sacrifices and you have to show that you have faith. I have been trying to get on this savings plan that I created but in order to get on it I had to save a small cushion first. Well, every time I try to save my cushion, something came up. Either something was needed for my car or something was needed for my wife's car. It just seemed as if I wasn't ever going to get to implement my savings plan at all. Well, once again, I heard that voice gain. This time it said don't worry about anything, just have faith that everything will be all right, I got you! I had to listen because every time I have listened to the voice, it was right. So I made up in my mind that I was going to implement my savings plan without my cushion. I spent all of my money on my bills and to get my car and my wife's car fixed. I shuffled out all my my money. Well the ultimate test came. I had a few dollars left to get me to pay day and then I had to refill my prescription. This left me with nothing but a few dollars in my account. When I got in my car, I saw that the gas tank was on E and I had to go to work the next day. I just drove home as if everything was OK. I didn't think about it, I just went home and laid on the sofa and watched movies all day. I still had one more day to go before payday. I didn't worry, I just had faith. My wife walked in the house with an envelope. Inside the envelope was a check from the US Treasury. Now mind you, i had already received my income tax check. My wife thought it was my state income tax check, but i told her it wasn't. She then asked me what was it for. I told her I didn't know, but on the inside I was saying, "it was for having faith." Now the check was only for $25 but that was all I needed to put gas in my car until payday.

Sometimes if we just have a little faith God will supply us with what we need. I think a lot of times we miss his blessings because we are looking for it to come in the way that we want instead of the way that we need it. Some people will lose all of their money gambling because of the chances that they have on winning. Most would not spend all of their money on bills and just ride on faith the rest of the way. I stepped out on faith and now I am a few steps ahead on my savings plan. I couldn't have done it without putting it all in his hands. I am not telling you to go and spend all your money on your bills and just have faith that God will make something happen. What I am saying is sit down and try to make life better for yourself and listen to that voice that tells you how to make it happen. You can't do what everyone else does because your situation is not the same as there's. But what you can do that they did is have the same faith and listen to God when he speaks. Don't worry, you will know when it's him, he has a very distinct voice.

"Don't do exactly what Swint did, but do use the same concept-have FAITH"-K.J Swint

The Revitalization of my Life-Day 81-The CHANGE-10

Today, was one of those wake up and feel GREAT days! I got plenty of sleep. Yesterday I fertilized my lawn with an old folks recipe. I hope that it works. I used a lot of things that I care not mention until I see if it works. I talked to an old guy who loves the earth. He does a lot of landscaping and gardening. He gave me this idea and now I am going to see what happens. I guess this is straight to the point week.

Some times you have to just get up and do it. I had been thinking about fertilizing my grass for a while. Now I don't know anything about grass, flowers or anything outdoors. This was my excuse. I always said that I was going to wait until I found the right thing in order to get it done. Then I started thinking, you won't know what's right until you try something. I was also told that it cost to fertilize and as you know I am on a savings kick so this really pushed me from doing it. Then as I was talking to the old guy, he asked me a question he asked, "what did they use back in the day to fertilize lawn?" I thought about this for a while and then I answered I don't know. He proceeds to say, "they didn't have all the chemicals and lawn care products we have now and there grass was probably greener. The difference is care. There are a lot of things that will work, but the main thing that makes any of it work is care." It made sense. In order to get anything you want, you have to care for it and maintain it.

Today, it's your chance to care and maintain whatever it is you want to grow. Whether it be finances or relationships. You have to start somewhere. If you don't think you have what you need, ask someone for assistance. No one in the world knows everything. You may think you don't need help, but take a look at yourself right now and ask yourself, "is there anything that someone can help me with right now...ANYTHING?" It can be as simple as finding a phone number. The whole point is that everyone needs help with something. I don't hesitate to call my uncle when I need help fixing something around the house or on my car and he doesn't hesitate to call me if something is wrong with his computer. If you want to improve anything in your life, figure out what needs improving and then get help in the area. You can't say that you don't need help because if you didn't you wouldn't need to improve it.

"A lot would be nothing without a little"-K.J Swint

The Revitalization of my Life-Day 80-The CHANGE-9

Today I am running behind. I woke up late. Well, I didn't actually wake up late, I just laid there being lazy. From time to time I have these spells where I get very fatigue. It's from the medication that I am on. Once I found this out, I knew I had to change my ways. I told myself that I had to work very hard when I was not fatigue so that I wouldn't have to make up anything when I am tired.

This is how we have to be in our everyday life. We have to account for our mishaps and keep moving. There is no reason not to get anything done unless you don't have life in you. There are too many people who have excuses and don't use them. They find a way to work around their mishaps. Today, my post might not be long, but I think it's powerful. It would have been longer, but I have to get to work. And also this is probably what God wanted me to say. I think he is trying to tell me to shut up and get to the point.


"All mishaps aren't meant to hinder you. Some are there to uplift you"-K.J Swint

The Revitalization of my Life-Day 79-The CHANGE-8

Today, I woke again feeling GREAT! I have no extraordinary reason except that I am getting my life in order. I learned to appreciate the small things in life at an early age. Yesterday, I went to Walmart and purchased a ladder so that I could change the light bulb in our living room. We have 12ft ceilings. I change the light bulb, well my uncle changed it because he likes to talk about me being dyslexic when it comes to doing handy work. He also fixed a problem with my toilet. I'm not dyslexic...well, not like you think. I have never done any handy work before and I am not ashamed to say it. I have what he likes to call a lot of book sense. Put it in a book and I know it. Doing it by hand and experimenting, I'm lost. I like to think of it as knowing my strong and weak points. Now when it comes to computers, I am the man. He calls me every time something is wrong with his computer. All in all we are one in the same. He won't admit, but that's the truth

Sometimes we have to face the truth about ourselves. Truth about me, I can't fix anything! I know I can't and when something needs to be fixed, I call my uncle. I know that he is good at fixing things and figuring out how to fix it. The smart thing about this is that I know who to call to get the job done. I am not about to try and fix it myself, knowing I know someone that can get it done and get it done fast. Know your limits and try to make the best of your life by calling someone who knows how to get something done that you don't. Doing this will make life easier and more enjoyable for you. After my uncle left, I cracked open me a Heineken and then went walking with my wife. Sounds weird, but I enjoyed it!

Getting your life in order little by little is a GREAT thing to do. When God blesses you with a little, make use of it. It will not only make you feel better, but it will set you up to be blessed again and this time it will be bigger. I am making do with the little that I have, what are you doing with your little bit?

"A lot couldn't be anything without a little"-K.J Swint

The Revitalization of my Life-Day 78-The CHANGE-7

Today, I woke up feeling GREAT! Of course you know there is a story behind this feeling and yes, I will go ahead and tell you. Yesterday was an off day for me. I was off from work and off from working out. I made up my mind to get a LOT done and spend the rest of the evening with my wife just chilling. I got up around 8am and started cleaning out my garage. Once I got one side clean, I pulled out the lawnmower and started cutting the grass. This took about an hour (we have a nice size yard). After I finished cutting the yard, I took all of he trash to the dumpster. I took all of my wife's unneeded shoes and accessories to the dumpster. Once I finished the yard, I cleaned the other side of the garage. Now that the outside of the house was done (I cleaned the inside on Friday) I could breathe. But I didn't stop there. I told my wife to call her mother and tell her that I was coming to clean her car. To help you to understand the significance about this story I have to back track a little.

My wife uses her mothers car to travel to grad school in Montgomery. My car was in the shop for over a week and was down two weeks prior to that. It's only one night a month that she uses her car because she car pools with several other teachers that are in the same program. Then on top of this, while my car was in the shop, her brother went to Florida for spring break and he let her use his car the entire week. That really helped up us out a lot. So I decided to do a little something for them since they were nice to her. I washed her mothers car and her brothers car. I also had his oil changed and filled his gas tank up. I figured that was the least that we could do. I also left him a little cash. He is college and I know that anything you do for a college students helps them out especially giving them cash. I learned this from my dear old uncle. He would always give me cash hear and there just because he figured I could use it.

Most people would say that I didn't have to do what I did. They would also say that filling his gas tank up was good enough (especially with the price of gas!). Well, I was taught to help people out when you have a chance especially if you see that they need it. God has blessed me and my wife so I figured, why not be a blessing to someone else. And while me and my wife were at home after I finished doing my duties, I opened a bottle of wine and told her to have a toast with me. We toast to the good times and the bad times and to just being blessed and that was a GREAT way to end the night.


"Giving may be an act, but it sure does have a GREAT feeling attached to it"-K.J Swint

The Revitalization of my Life-Day 77-The CHANGE-6

Once I catch my breath and stop shaking, I will be able to explain myself. Man, I am tired and sore, but I'm pushing. I just finished working out for the second time and I would be lieing if I said it feels good. Well, mentally it feels good, but physically it hurts. Today I decided to workout before I went to work because I have to go in late today. Just trying to utilize my time.

Today I wanted to just do a recap since this is day 77. When I first started this blog it was intended to keep me motivated for working out. I never knew that it would make it this far. I started out working out and then I stopped. I started back and then stopped. But this time I think I am on a role and that's only because during those start and stop processes, I made mental progression. When I wasn't working out, I was getting my mind right for the next phase in my life. And it has taught me a lesson. It taught me that you have to get prepared mentally before you can get there physically. I knew this from playing high school basketball, but that was then and this is now. You have to retrain yourself on somethings. And just because you stop doing something, doesn't mean that you have given up. As long as you are doing something to better yourself. If you stop working out and you are trying to lose weight, make sure you are eating right. Once you start back you will be better than when you started out because your diet is different and you might be a little lighter. But the key to it all in whatever you do is to keep at it. Never stop.

Yes there were days that I didn't post to my blog, but I never stopped thinking about it. Yes there were days that I didn't work out, but I never stopped thinking about it. Yes there were times where I thought that posting to a blog everyday was pointless, but I never stopped. I never stopped because I felt that if I could maybe keep going and keep pushing and posting that maybe one day somebody would log onto this site and read this and change there life. This is why I kept going and why I am going right now. I am a much better person now than I was back then. I meditate, I workout, I write and throughout all of this I am happy. I am happy because I am trying and I am giving it 110% everyday. You have to put in work to get results...they don't just happen.

"Luck can make it happen, but work is the only thing that will maintain it"-K.J Swint

The Revitalization of my Life-Day 76-The CHANGE-5

I am sore and I am tired, but I am still moving. I have missed a few days of posting to my blog, but it's for good reasons. I was off for a few days and while I was off, I had an experience. A friend of mine called me up on Monday evening to play some basketball. I haven't played basketball in over a year. I told him I think I still have it and I went to play. We ended up playing some high school guys, we beat up on them, and then I was back at home. When I got home, my back was aching, my muscles were sore and I felt like crap. The next morning was even worse. Every muscle in my body was hurting including my butt cheeks. I only felt this way because I hadn't used any of the muscles that I used playing basketball in a long time. So I told myself that in order to get through the pain, I had to workout just as hard again the next day. I pulled out my Perfect Sit-Up and my Perfect Push-up and I went to work! I did push ups until I couldn't do them anymore and I did sit ups until I almost threw up. When I finished, I was worse than what I started. My entire back was sore, my chest was sore and my abs were hurting, but my mind was relieved. It was relieved because I knew that I was making a difference with my body. Even though it felt like I was destroying it, I wasn't.

I was revitalizing it and sometimes that effort requires pain. Yes I am hurting right now as I am typing, but it's some of the best hurt you can find. It's bearable and it's motivating. This is how it is in life. When your doing right and you feel like it's getting bad, that's only because it's about to get a WHOLE lot better. But in order for that to happen, you have to keep pushing and doing what you know is the right thing. The results probably won't show right off, but you know you're doing it right when you start to feel the pain. I think God instilled pain in us to alarm us from harming ourselves. Whenever something is wrong, we feel pain and that let's us know that we need to get checked out. Pain also lets us know when the body is healing as well, we just have to know the difference in the feeling and the only way to know that is to push our body to the limits.

It's going to be rough when you first start doing something you haven't done in a long time. It's going to make you tired. It's going to make you want to stop. But you have to push yourself until you can't push yourself anymore. Then one day you will look into the mirror and tell yourself, "it was so worth the pain."

"How can there be a limit when you have nothing to measure it by-GET WITH IT!"-K.J Swint

The Revitalization of my Life-Day 75-The CHANGE-4

Today was one of those "in-between" days. I woke up with a headache and I didn't want to meditate. But like the dedicated person I am, I did it anyway. While I was meditating I just couldn't get focused. My mind was running wild with thoughts and I just couldn't get it together. I tried everything to get focused and it just wouldn't work. After my twenty-minutes were up, I noticed that I didn't have a headache anymore. Well, that was good, but I wanted that relaxed feeling that I had the previous times I meditated. Then I really started thinking about the meditation that I just had. Even though it didn't go like I wanted it to, there was something happening. While my mind was running crazy and I couldn't get it to relax, my body was still. I didn't move an inch. During the session, I had to relax several times because I noticed that I was tensing up as I was thinking, but I never moved. After I thought about this, I was amazed. I was amazed because when I tried to meditate months ago that was my biggest problem, I couldn't sit still. This moment let me know that progress is happening. When I tell you I was trying to focus so hard to get my mind to relax, that nothing else mattered, I was. My face was itching and I wanted to scratch it, but I refused to moved for I thought it would interfere with my session. It got so bad until I imagined myself scratching my face to see if that would work. I know that sounds crazy, but I forgot about my face itching and I didn't even scratch it after my session was over.

This session is just the session where most people would give up. They would say, "this sh*t doesn't work." And to be honest, I was that person. What we have to do is fight through what we think is bad and find the good about it. We have to tell ourselves that even though the session went bad at least I had a session. At least I was trying to better my life. Just think, if you can find some good in something that is bad, you are well on your way to having a happier life. I know it's hard to get over that hump, I will admit that but it has to be done. The only way that you are going to do it, is to face it head on. You can only run for so long. And it's better to force yourself to face it rather than having no other choice than to face it. Keep pushing. Keep meditating. If if feels like nothing is happening, just sit back and analyze yourself and I guarantee that you will see that even though you think it's not working, it actually is.

"When all is lost and the only thing you have is life, hope is somewhere near"-K.J Swint

The Revitalization of my Life-Day 74-The CHANGE-3

Today has started off quite interesting. If you have been keeping up you will know that I have recently started meditating and if you really know me you know that I go to Starbucks every morning to get my writing in. Well, today was a little different. Me and my wife are down to one car. My car is in the shop. I usually take her to work and then off to work I go. When I got up this morning I forgot she took off to go to the doctor and so I got back in the bed because I knew that I couldn't go to Starbucks like I usually do. When I got back in the bed, this voice started talking to me and telling me that just because I couldn't go to Starbucks doesn't mean I have to change what I do. So I got up and went into the guest bedroom and meditated for twenty-minutes. Once again, It was AMAZING! At first it was hard to get relaxed and clear my mind. But once I got to that place of peace, I wanted to go another twenty-minutes. After I finished meditating, I took a shower and this is where it all went down. The shower is the place where I pray. I know it's weird but that's just a comfortable place for me. I prayed one of the best prayers I think I have ever prayed in my life. the reason why I say it was the best was because it was like I could feel the prayer and it was like God was right beside me really listening to what I was saying. Instead of asking God for the usually things I ask for, I asked for something different. I told him him that I was thankful for the tools that he has given me to get whatever it is I need and I also apologized for not using them to there full potential. I then asked God for something I have never asked for in my life. I asked him for consistency. I asked him to guide me down the path I need to be on and to help me stay consistent with all of the positive things that I am doing in my life. I was mainly talking about meditating.

Most of the times we never stay consistent with anything we do. We always start things but never keep on doing them. I am the first to admit it. I have started a lot of things in my life and have never really stayed on pace with any of them. There is nothing that is consistent in my life except for being inconsistent. Today, make it your business to try to stay consistent with the things that will better your life. Don't let obstacles stop you from completing them just find another way to get it done. Sometimes it may have you looking crazy in front of a lot of people but you have to do what you have to do in order to get what you want done. If I didn't get a chance to meditate at home and I couldn't do in the car you best to believe when I got to work I would sit there for ten-minutes and meditate and I wouldn't care who looked at me funny as long as I stayed consistent. Don't let obstacles get the best of you because they are not a one time thing. I am sitting in my living room right now just as I would if I were in Starbucks completing a task that an obstacle almost made me not complete. If I can do it, I know you can. And once you can get around that first obstacle, you will feel so good that it will inspire you to really keep pushing toward your goal.

"Happiness is not defined by what you do, but how you feel when it's done"-K.J Swint

The Revitalization of my Life-Day 73-The CHANGE-2

All I can say is WOW! If you read my post on yesterday you will know that I started reading two new books. One by Dave Ramsey and one by Russell Simmons. The book by Dave Ramsey is more like a guide to financial freedom so it's not one that you can just read without implementing some type of financial plan for yourself, so I can't just sit and read it like I can the Russell Simmons book. I never in a million years thought that I would be reading a book that Russell Simmons wrote. Especially after seeing him on Run's House-the t.v show. Well, lets just say that I haven't put it down since I got it. It's very inspiring. The title of it is Super Rich and you would think that he is talking about making money, but he is not. People always associate the word rich with money and that's not the only thing that you can be rich with. He speaks about being rich in spirit. He explores a world that most people don't care to explore because they are too busy chasing money instead of chasing happiness. While I was reading it yesterday at work, I came across a passage where he speaks about meditation. Every morning when he gets up, he spends twenty-minutes meditating. To make a long story short, meditation is suppose to be very good for your mind and it helps you to focus more so that you can get more done and be a calmer person. I use to think that this was bogus. But my outlook is different now.

During the early stages of my revitalization, I tried meditating. I sat in a quite room to see how long I could just sit still without thinking about anything. It didn't last long. I sat there for about 5 minutes and then I was done. There was no way I could just sit still and not think for an hour. My first session for meditating came from the book Eat, Love, Pray. She spoke of it and I said that I was going to try it. Didn't work. So here I am now back at square one with the meditating. So I am driving home yesterday and while I was driving I thought to myself I wanted to start meditating to calm my mind and get focused so that I could get more done and be a happier person. Then as I got down the road, I turned the radio off and I begin to meditate. Russell said that they give you a word to recite when you get started and the word they gave him was Rum. So I started repeating Rum over and over again until Rum became this deep humming and when I realized what was really going on, I was twenty miles down the road. It was AMAZING! I was focused and I wasn't thinking about anything, meanwhile I was driving and I was just as calm. I wasn't thinking about any problems or anything that had happened that was bothering me. I continued to do this but this time I stopped the humming and just wanted to be in silence. After about 5 minutes of being in silence, I noticed that my breathing had changed. I was taking deep breathes and exhaling slowly. Now mind you, I didn't plan this breathing thing, it just happened. Lets just say that it was the best ride home from work I have ever had. I was so relaxed and I felt good. My mind was clear and everything felt good. Later that night I was so focused from my meditation that I started working on an essay. I started writing and when I stopped I was on page two. This meditation thing is GREAT!

I wrote this blog today to ask you if you have twenty-minutes to spare everyday to meditate? There is no way you can tell me no, if you watch television. The average show is 30 minutes long and i know that most people look at more than one show per night. If you could give up one of those shows everyday, I promise you that it will be well worth it. I gave up my music on my way home and it was so well worth it. This morning I got up early so that I could get my twenty-minutes of meditation in and as you can see, it helps. That's the reason why this post is so long. My mind is clear of clutter and I am thinking of pure thoughts. This doesn't cost anything to do, but you will feel as if you paid a lot of money for it once you feel the benefits of it. All I ask is to try it. If twenty minutes is too long try ten and then gradually move up. Believe me you will want more than twenty after you get started because it's so soothing. But don't take my word for it...JUST TRY IT!

"No one who can rise before dawn three hundred sixty days a year fails to make his family rich.” - Chinese proverb.

The Revitalization of my Life-Day 72-The CHANGE

While I like posting to my blog everyday, today is one of those SPECIAL post. Yesterday was an off day for me so I went to my usual place, Starbucks. I usually get there around 7 am and stay until around 12pm. I know that's a long time to be at Starbucks, but what can I say, I like the place and it's the only place where I can get any writing done. While I was there, I got a text from my manager. She asked me if I could be at work at 9:30. I replied back and told her that I would. The weird thing about this part is that when I first arrived at Starbucks, I had this weird feeling that I had to go to work. So, when I left Starbucks, I went home to change clothes and then headed to work. Deep down I did not want to go to work, but I knew that my manager needed me. When I got there she had a resolution that involved me not staying. I was excited. Now I was on my way back to Starbucks, but I just didn't feel like going back. My momentum had been broken, so I was just not in the mood. I was riding down 459 passing through Hoover, when I looked to my left and saw Barnes and Nobles. I didn't want to go home right away because I knew that I would just go to sleep, so I told myself that I would just go there and read a book. It's about 10 am and the place is pretty empty. As I walk in the door this idea just hit me. I had the thought to get 5 books pertaining to areas in my life that I needed improvement with. I told myself that I was going to read at least three of them. Now when I walked in I had no idea as to what book I was going to read, I was just there.

I walked over to the magazine section and saw this magazine (Inc.) that just stood out like a sore thumb. It was a picture of this young guy with a sweater and jeans and some casual shoes. The headliner said: How to Get Good at Making Money. For some odd reason the title just stood out to me. So I grabbed the magazine and proceeded to find 3 more books. I found a book about money make over-The Total Money Makeover Workbook-Dave Ramsey. Then I found one on self-improvement-Super Rich-Russell Simmons. And last but not least I found one on relationships-Women Who Love Too Much. I know that this is only three, but once I got them I felt like I had enough. I sat down and started reading. While I was reading I started thinking about having access to knowledge and not using it. I use to always say that I didn't have enough money to buy the books that I wanted from Barnes and Nobles but never really thought about just going in there and reading the book for FREE. Well, that's what I started to do. The first book I read in there was called The Outliers-Malcolm Gladwell. The book was only being sold in hard cover and it cost about 30 bucks. At the time I wanted to purchase it, I didn't have 30 bucks to spare so I started reading it in the store. I continued to do so and after 3 visits, I was finished with it. Sorry, I got of track, but I just had to tell that little story. Back to the story at hand.

As I was reading these books, it was like my mind was elevated to new heights. I started having these great thoughts and I was able to retain the majority of what I read. I was amazed. I got so engulfed in the books until I brought 2 out of the 3 that I had picked up. I spent 45 dollars on these books. I really didn't need to spend 45 dollars but I felt that it was a well spent 45 dollars. I have two good friends of mine who I always think about whenever I purchase something-Jon David & Willie. These are two of the cheapest guys in America. Before I purchase anything I always ask myself, would Jon David and Willie approve this and if the answer is no, I don't purchase it. Well, when I asked myself that same question yesterday, the answer was yes because both of these cheap jokers believe in enlightening (educating) yourself. Both of them are scholars even though they will tell you that they aren't. I felt good about spending the money and after I continued to read the books that I had purchased I felt GREAT about spending the money. I went home continued to read and created a home budget. Now I am taking it one day at a time to improve my way of life.

Reading these books helped me to learn that nothing happens over night. In order to make a change you have to make it, one day at a time and over the course of time, it will show a difference. I taped the receipt to the back of Dave Ramsey's book so that I will know what date I started this change so when I look back I can say, "This change that happened to me only cost me 45 dollars and it was worth every dime, if not more."

"God gave you every thing you need to be happy and rich, so why aren't you both of these?"-K.J Swint

The Revitalization of my Life-Day 71

When I first begin this revitalization thing, I was mainly focusing on the physical aspect of myself. I didn't think it was going to affect my entire life. I recently just stopped doing all of the extra curricular activities that I do. I deactivate my facebook page. Yes, this was the one tool that gave me access to showcase my writing skills. Most people thought I was crazy for doing so, but I had to do it. Then I gave up writing personalized poems for people along with framing them. If you didn't know, I would write the poem for that special occasion and then make the frame to suit the occasion. I also gave up web design. and last but not least, I gave up speaking engagements. Every so often, people would ask me to recite a poem for an event. I would write the poem myself and make it personal to fit the occasion and people who it was for and then recite it. Everyone who I talk to say the same thing, "why?" Hell, I even asked myself that question a few times. All of these things I love to do because I am very creative and every time I create something, it's better than what I created before. And then to see someone appreciate what I call "my work of art" is just amazing. So why would I give that up?

Well, at certain points in your life when you have a lot going on, you have to stop and get things in order and I am at that point. I have too much going on. It's very unorganized and I don't like to be unorganized. I like having things in order. So, in order to get my life in order, I must clean my plate of my pending projects and create some organization. I almost gave up writing as well. Yea, it's gotten just that bad. But I think God knew that doing that would be doing a little too much. On the day I was about to do it, I ran into a friend that I hadn't spoken to in all most a year. I was at my usual spot (starbucks) and she came in. She had the biggest smile on her face and I asked her what was the reason she was cheesing so. She begin to tell me that she had gotten involved with a guy and that it was just GREAT! She told me that she thought about me on Valentines Day. I asked her why because I thought that was little odd. She said that she thought about what I had told her about her self worth. She said that when she looked at what he had done for her for Valentine's Day, she said to herself, "this is what Kelvin was talking about...this is what I am worth and more." I was beside myself. I didn't know what to say. I played it off and told her that I was happy for her. Little do she know she had just as much of an impact on me as I did her.

This made me realize that I had words that need to be heard. If someone can think about you on a special occasion and its because of something positive you said, you need to keep doing what you do. This gave me the strength to keep writing. Writing to me is not about self gratification but more so about inspiring. If no one ever knew who I was and never gave me any credit for anything I ever wrote, but lives were changed by my words...I would be perfectly fine because that is my purpose for writing and doing anything that I do. Maybe one day I will get back at doing frames and personalized poetry and speaking engagements and web pages, but for right now, I will just stick to writing. Don't know if it's my purpose, but I am going to ride it out until the god Lord tell me to stop!

"I don't give to get, I just do it because it feels good"-K.J Swint