We should be proud of Mr. Obama and what he has accomplished. It has been a long and arduous road. The campaign is over. The hard work begins. Barack has promised change. Change comes from within. Most Americans voted for change. That is all well and good. But we should stop that common misconception that it is a leader who can bring change. Leaders can only initiate change, but whatever they do, they cannot change the country if the citizens won't cooperate. No candidate can "really" change things. You can (Yes you can). And, since there are a lot of changes that need to be made, it must be a common effort and we need a mutual understanding to be able to achieve things. Each and every citizen (young and old) should make a self evaluation and have the will to change. Once the assessment is made, when everyone changes then change can happen. It is good leadership and willing citizens that will make change happen.
Mr. Obama faces great tasks ahead. We need to look at ourselves and remember that we are intelligent beings and, we must stop relying on an external locus of control. We must promote "self growth." We are looking at Mr. Obama as the great beacon of hope, the anointed one, the messiah, to come and heal our ills. While Mr. Obama wants an economic recovery package that may help our sagging economy, and help restore jobs, our response should be to evaluate "us" and start "helping us." Mr. Obama is not going to pay your mortgage, fill up your tank, or feed your children, that is not what is meant by helping the middle class. He will address the problem in our economy, it is up to us to become resourceful and seek help if and when it is needed. You must become an active being.
He is a brilliant man. Barack is contemplative, deliberate, serene, and collective. He does not appear as one who is quick to act. I can't wait to see what he'll do next. Now that the "reality" is set in and Mr. Obama is our president, he is going to have to deal with the financial crisis, Russia's aggression, Iraq, Iran, unemployment, the middle class, and bailouts, etc. It won't be a stroll in the park. We won't agree with some of his choices; but, according to him, he will "listen especially when we disagree." I almost feel sorry for the man. While it is good to expect the best, however, it is too great of expectations to bestow on Mr. Obama. He is going to be pulled in all different directions. Any president who comes into a situation like the one we are facing now is going to be faced with unpopular choices. It's just which choice is going to be the right one. Everyone can't and won't agree. May God help him!
The change we need is change of self. If someone tells us that we all have to be responsible for our actions, take control of our health, consider our food choices, and stop using so much energy . . . would you have elected him? People don't like to hear about their flaws. What this would do is annoy people as they are told what they are doing wrong. Unfortunately people don't like to face to reality. People would rather hear a bunch of false promises that can't be fulfilled. What we need to change most of all are ourselves. We need to learn to respect ourselves, listen to one another, move away from hate, stop the blaming, take responsibility for you choices. Change begins at "home." Only you can determine the changes you want.
We all need to make changes within ourselves in order for our country to improve. Those expectations we have on Barack are totally unrealistic. He cannot take us out of the ghetto, or feed our families. He cannot make the teacher give your child good grades. He cannot make your son or daughter go to college. He cannot make your neighborhood safer. He cannot discipline your teenager. You must take action. A lot of people are waiting for Mr. Obama to make things better, and to repair the ills in their lives. Everyone feels that Mr. Obama is that messiah, that beacon of hope who is going to make their lives better. He can't and he won't. If you don't take control of your actions, and life goes wrong, it is not Mr. Obama's fault but your own. You must take charge. Barrack Obama is not a panacea.
A President can have all sort of goodie planned in their list of things to do, but without the support of Congress, all of those ideas are meaningless. Mr. Obama's thesis highlights change; all that is well and good; as a result, some people blindly flock to the "idea" of change, even when they don't know what that change is. Change starts in your home, in your neighborhood, in our schools, in your job, in your "self" and only you can make that change. You have the power to determine your destiny by the choices you make. You are the only one who has the power to change by taking charge of your life. Barack has. This is something you can take from Barack; that is, he has made a change for him by focusing on his actions, and his choices. He is a doer. With great action, and sound choices, you yield positive results. Don't bask in Mr. Obama's hard work, and sound choices, they are things he has earned. You must take action and create your own destiny. You may stumble. However, you can't fail if you don't give up.
I truly do not think any one person should have as much pressure on their shoulders as this man does. America must work together to regain its greatness. In order to achieve that greatness, you must make positive changes for yourself in your life. Mr. Obama cannot change your life for you. You have that power. You have to do the best you can in order to make things happen for you, in your life. I hope that you understand that no matter who is President, you have to be responsible. You must take charge of your life. You have the power to make your own change. Find a passion, and become passionate about your passion.
The fact that we have elected a Black President does not mean we now have racial equality. It is a wonderful idea toward equality. You can't think that Mr. Obama is going to change the world and all of its ills. If you think that having a black president will change the mind your racist neighbors, or how they feel about you, you are mistaken. Barack, being president, is not going to change people's mind about their preconceive ideas, and, or prejudices. No one can do that except you. You have to change. Your life is like a garden that must be cultivated. It is up to you to decide wether you want to: grow nice green grass, have beautiful hedges, and flowers. Wether you tend to your garden or not, it will grow. It is up to you to grow the desired shrubs. Cultivate your garden. Barack has cultivated his garden by the choices he has made. He has completed his education, gotten married, and is a true daddy to two darling young girls. He did not just father them. You can use his achievements as a template to better yourself, by going to school, get off the street corner, stop selling and using drugs, clean up your neighborhood, read different books. (Reading is the window to the world.) This change in your attitude in turn will change the quality of your life. Tend to your garden. We must work together, to get the job done.
While I am jubilant and proud that someone "different" has been elected to preside over our country, I can't, for the life of me, understand why some of you feel that Barack will have a direct influence on your life. Only his immediate family has the right to assume that stance. He's just a man, who got where he is by challenging himself, by making good choices, all the while, trying to discover who he is, and where he fits in. He is smart, ambitious and a very hard worker. He sets lofty goals for himself and strives to obtain them. As a result of his actions, he thrives. Mr. Obama finds a passion and became passionate about it. Once you have passion, you can become whatever you so desire. You need to have passion. Mr. Obama is a passionate man. He tends to his garden. He cultivates his garden. You can look up to Mr. Obama in that way. Use his model. Make him your role model. Plant the seeds that you want to grow in your garden and tend to it. You can use his success to motivate "you" to go back to school, to make something of yourself, to stop cutting classes, to stop being disruptive in school and allowing the teachers do their job. You must cultivate your garden. " Yes you can" Mr. Obama cannot tend to your garden for you.
It's time to stop blaming or relying on external forces, and start accepting responsibility. It's you who did not pay attention in school and eventually drops out. It's you who break the law. It's you who do drugs. Whether you tend to your garden or not, it will grow. Only you can determine what types of plant grow in your garden.
Here is a list of ways to better yourself: Don't rely on others; Get an education. Even if you're working for minimum wage, or doing something you may find trivial, that's fine. Just Whatever you do, make sure you give it your best and do it well.
Either use protection or stay with the women you impregnate. Abortions should not be used as a form of birth control. Be either more careful, or live with your choices. Don't abandon your kid.
Stay in school. The work is not that hard, it becomes difficult when you don't pay attention or you are too busy disrupting class. If you actually pay attention in class, the work is manageable. Put away the flashy cell phone, stop bragging about your expensive clothes, Stop getting the bathroom-pass for the sole purpose of showing off your brand-new overpriced sneakers. Actually focus on the lessons.
Lay off the drugs. You don't need weed or crack. You have the potential to be something great. Cultivate your garden, trim your hedges. "Yes you can."
Become a seeker; seek knowledge. Ask your teachers for help if you lack understanding of the subject they teach. Become the "Obama" in your neighborhood. You can achieve any goal. You have to make that choice. You have to stand up for the changes you want in your life. Achievements start from within. Use your inner strength, focus on your internal energy. Create a goal and achieve it. "Yes you can"
No president since FDR and Reagan have had a tougher road ahead of him than this new president-elect. Barack Obama has daunting tasks ahead. He does not need to have your unrealistic "expectations" weighing on him. He has to confront an economic crisis that does not look like it is going to go away anytime soon. He has to take the necessary steps in easing the credit crisis while helping working families to restore growth and prosperity. He has many decisions to make on different level such as: National security and the financial crisis. The fundamentals of our economy are not strong at this time. As a new generation of leadership, he has to continuously revise his goals.
It is important that Mr. Obama gets going quickly. Big problems need big deliberate solution. He needs to be careful, decisive and very thorough in his analysis. Whomever he selects, I am sure, will be the best for the job. Obama, apparently, has an open mind. Hopefully, he will pick the best team he can find, and the team will work as a whole allowing him to meet his objective. While we are proud, excited about this turn in our history, we may feel a bit of uncertainty with a hint of pessimism and fear. Obviously this uneasiness is not due to our lack of confidence in Barack, but because he has an arduous road ahead. Do your part, become an active being, take action, make sound choices. "Water your lawn", cultivate your garden. "Yes you can."
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