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Some of my young brothers are graduating from high scool and now that you are 18 you are off to college, out in the world, off to Iraq, or out on the street.

Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way that will hopefully help you out in the future.

10.) Always carry your I.D.- When the police are looking for a black male named Leon Noel Jr., you need to be able to prove that’s not you.

9.) Credit cards are not free money- If you get a credit card application in the mail, remember that if you can’t pay the bill, you shouldn’t have the card. Good credit is about money management. Use your credit card for EMRGENCIES ONLY. Don’t let debt ruin your happiness. Please note: A hotel room for you and your girl or an ipod are not considered emergencies.

8.) Buy a blue suit - You can wear a blue suit almost anywhere. Just like you have down clothes to workout in or shoot ball, you need dress up clothes for interviews, church, dinners, etc. You can’t always wear a white tee.

7.) Polish your shoes - Assuming you have shoes to wear with your suit, even if you don’t have a suit, a shirt and tie do the trick sometimes, you will always need a nice pair of dress shoes. Be sure to polish your shoes. Maybe you’ve heard the term, ‘look you up and down’. Well if your shoes are garbage, a woman will never look up regardless of how handsome you think you are.

6.) Keep yourself groomed - That basically means always wash your a$$, keep your hair neat, shave, cut your finger and toe nails, use lotion, lip balm, clean your ears, wear a cologne or body spray, brush your teeth.

5.) Give respect to get respect - Shake a man’s hand like a man. look him in the eye, give a firm grip and speak. Learn to use the words ‘Thank you’, let the lady go first through the door, pull out a chair for the woman/women your with, refer to older men and women as ’sir’ and ma’am, walk tall, speak in a pleasant tone, it’s okay to apologize (it may save your life one day), treat children like treasures (they are not adults, so don’t treat or speak to them like adults). Don’t call a woman out of her name ( as much as she may not be acting like a lady, she doesn’t need to hear that from you. She knows).

4.) Respect yourself- If you want to be respected, you must first look like you are respectable. If your pants have belt loops, you should wear a belt that keeps your pants above your waist. It may not be cool, but it’s respectable world wide.

3.) Listen - Learn to listen to people. You can learn a lot by listening and people can learn a lot about you. Some things are better left unsaid. Knowing when and when not to speak will get you a long way.

2.) Your friends are a reflection of you - Be careful who you associate yourself with. Some of the best and worst times happen because of your friends. You are much more than the neighborhood you came from or the streets you grew up on. Don’t let where you’re from stop you from getting where you’re going. Meet new people, explore new things. Think for yourself.

1.) You are special and powerful - Always be aware that the blood of the strongest, smartest, most loving, patient, creative, passionate, ( I could go on) people flows through your viens. The future is bright for so many other because of you. Life will be tough and you will have difficult times, but always know that GOD love’s you and through him all things are possible. Your ancestors have endoured much more than you could ever imagine, but they made it. You have to believe it’s possible first and then you can start planning your work and then start working your plan. And you will thrive, because you are just like them. You are just like me. We are powerful.

I look forward to seeing you grow and seeing you become another strong Black man. We need you.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 1st, 2007 at 2:02 pm and is filed under Other, Our Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.