Michael Jackson's secret letter and how he inspires me.

"I know who I am inside and outside, and I know what I want to do. 

And I will always go with my dreams". 

~ Michael Jackson

One of the things I learned from Michael Jackson was to always believe in your dreams and work hard towards achieving them. Earlier this year, I had the honor of attending a pre-screening of the Michael Jackson Off The Wall documentary by Spike Lee. I know that a lot of you reading this have probably already seen it but, for those of you who haven't- go buy it now! (link to buy).

In the documentary, there was a moment where a handwritten letter that Michael wrote to himself in 1979 was revealed. In typical and recognizable penmanship, he wrote on the back of a Destiny Tour itinerary:

"'MJ will be my new name. No more Michael Jackson. 

'I want a whole new character, a whole new look. I should be a tottally [sic] different person. 

People should never think of me as the kid who sang ABC, [or] I Want You Back. 

I should be a new, incredible actor/singer/dancer that will shock the world. I will do no interviews. I will be magic.  

I will be a perfectionist, a researcher, a trainer, a masterer [sic]. I will be better than every great actor roped into one."

There was more to the letter but, when I saw this part, I was sitting between two of my closest fan friends... bawling my poor little eyes out! Thinking back, I am shocked at how touched I was during that moment.

I was overcome with emotion. How could it have been that 21 year old Michael Jackson, spoke his future and accomplishments into existence?

If it was one thing that being a fan taught me, it's always been to believe and work towards your wildest dreams. Of course, Michael worked hard and arguably harder than any other enertainer out there. But there's that element of magic in him... and it's the magic of taking the gifts you have been given and taking whatever it is that you desire to the NEXT LEVEL.

So inspirational.

Was anyone else inspired by this moment in the Off The Wall documentary? 

I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on this and how MJ might have influenced you to chase your own dreams.

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Lessons from Michael: Don't let yourself be defined by your failures.

I have failed at many things in life but, I've gained strength at pulling myself up by the bootstraps and trying again. One of the reasons that Michael has inspired me is his determination and the way he set goals for himself. No matter how much praise he got from other people, he constantly challenged himself. Most Michael Jackson fans know the story of his disappointment in getting only one Grammy award for Off The Wall. Michael supposedly took it very much to heart, especially that he did not win the honor for Best Album. Instead of giving up, Michael made a promise to himself that he would one day achieve that honor. He took a red lipstick that belonged to LaToya and wrote on his mirror that he would sell 50 MILLION copies of his next album.

That next album, Thriller, went on to sell over 100 million copies as of 2013.
If that's not a positive affirmation, I can't tell you what is.

Sometimes personal failures, no matter the nature, are essential towards gaining a deeper sense of self and a greater understanding of what paths you are meant to travel in life. Don't let yourself be defined by your failures... get up and be thankful for the opportunity to TRY TRY again!

xx

Lessons from Michael: love is a feeling.

"You always knew just how to make me cry. And never did I ask you questions why... it seems you get your kicks from hurting me. Don't try to understand me because your words just aren't enough."

"Give Into Me" - Michael Jackson

Wearing: Michael Jackson Beat It Shirt

This is what I wore to last week's meetup. I have plenty of pink and red shirts but, I decided to mix it up and do something a little more colorful and fun. We went along with the Valentine's Day theme and held a Michael Jackson love songs discussion. The group spoke about songs from "Lady In My Life" to "Rock With You" to "I Can't Help It" but, I chose to go the non-traditional route and talk about "Give Into Me". In my interpretation this song is all about a one sided and unevenly yoked relationship, Michael being the partner that was giving 100% and could never get his mate to GIVE IN to his needs.

Love songs don't always have to be lovey-dovey to be raw and passionate and I love how Michael takes on these kinds of subjects. 

In other news... just when I thought nothing else could go wrong for me this past week- God spoke to me and seriously showed me that I have to much in store; So much more to accomplish in life. My frown turned upside down when I was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime this week. I pray that it all goes well and that I can remain focused on the task at hand. I have always dreamed about putting my number one passion to work and using my business skill and expertise to make wonderful things happen... and now it is my time to shine.

Thanks for reading!

and PS. thanks so much to all who entered my very first giveaway. 

congrats to Kimberly who won the Jackson 5 DVD-- let us know how you like it! xx

Lessons from Michael: You can't take away my light.

A lot of people will never walk in my shoes and I dare not ask them to understand where I am coming from when I say this-- but I refuse to let anyone bring me down. It's happened before and it's something that I promised myself I'd never let happen again.

If you have confidence in yourself and know that you've done things and gone places that you'd never imagined you'd experience-- what can anyone say to bring you down? Never let anyone try and belittle you or make you feel inadequate. You know in your heart that you are a special person and that you've done things to make yourself and whatever higher power you believe in PROUD.  You don't need to brag... or tell people what you do, where you went to school, what you've accomplished just to get recognition. But you KNOW within yourself you are special... and really, what else should matter?

I call that piece of self knowledge one's inner light.

As long as your light continues to shine... at the end of the day, that's all that matters. Everyone goes through ups and downs but one of the things I've learned is the importance of my inner light. Don't allow anyone to take that away from you or change your own perception of who you are. Once I realize that someone is just waiting for me to fail or "mess up" -- I realize that they are not someone who needs to have a strong presence in my life. Some might say that I'm being negative or not giving people a chance but it's important to always recognize the truth in what people show you. You shouldn't have to justify your intuition or self knowledge to anyone. I don't search for perfection but, I do search for loyalty and love in everyone. If I don't see that you have my best interest at heart, then I usually only let you but so far into my life. And there's no need to waste my time or energy explaining the decision or rationalizing why I don't want to be a story on someone's daily gossip timeline.

Don't let anyone dim your inner light. 

Michael held onto that inner light until the very end. With all that he had been through in the 50 short years of his life, he could still speak about "L.O.V.E.". That is so admirable about him. No matter how wrong people did him, no matter how much betrayal, or turmoil he had been through... he knew who he was. And no one could ever take that away.



Lessons from Michael:   No one is perfect. You may not be a perfect person, but refuse to let anyone tear you down or extinguish the light that shines from within.

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