Help Somebody, Help Yourself

Before I begin today, I would like to thank Mr. Ed Lozama of Planet 17 Radio [ AM1700, Miami ] for bringing me my motivational breakfast every morning.

Thank you, my people are hungry for this kind of brain food.

When I decided to quit my job back in October to concentrate on this "Haitian Internet thing" full time, I though I was crazy.

Yes, I am crazy.

Only a crazy man will quit his career, take out a loan, and bet on his life that he can succeed WHILE making a difference in his community.

Only a crazy man will have a wife, two kids, a mortgage, car payments, and a deluxe assortment of bills, and still quit his job to chase after his dreams.

Yes, I am crazy, but you have to be crazy if you want to make a difference in the world.

You have to be a little crazy if you want to be remembered after you die.

There is a Haitian Artist I've had the privilege to meet and to call a friend.

His name is Hubert Leandre
HubertLeandre.com[UU]]]

He is a very soft-spoken kind of guy, so quiet that I actually think it's bad for him.

I asked Mr. Leandre "What is it about Haitian music that you love so much, that make you want to sing and release CDs even if you know that your people will not support you, even if you know that few will buy it but most will copy it, even if you know that there is a big chance that you may die poor and miserable?"

"It's like a drug", Hubert Leandre told me, "you know it's bad for you but you do it anyway".

"Also", he continued, "I would like people to remember me after I die. I will be long gone but my music will keep me alive."

How right he is...

Today, I have a confession to make.

When my brother, Dior Saint Preux, died at the age of 37, I was very mad at him.

He was such a great guy, everyone who knew him will tell you. I was mad at him because I feel that he was selfish.

He was selfish because he only shared his greatness with his family and friends. That's why we are the only ones who will remember him.

I am not half the man that he was but his death woke me up.

Like Hubert Leandre, like every other Haitian artist who feel the same way he does, I too would like people to remember me after I die, not just my family, if I live long enough, I would like the whole world to remember me.

If you think it's crazy to think that way, why don't you try it for one day?

I guarantee you, you will accomplish more that day than any other day in your life.

When you finally decide to go beyond your needs and wants, when you finally realize that "The only way to get what you want is to help somebody else get what they want", I promise you, your boring days are over!

As a Haitian community, I feel that we set our goals too low. We are too easily satisfied. And we only think for ourselves and not for the whole.

"Chak Koukou Klere Pou Je-w" is the Haitian saying for "Every man for himself" but "Chak koukou" can also stand for "Every Nation".

If you wait until you are hungry to eat then a cookie and a glass of water will do.

We are so used to "just getting by" that even when there are opportunities hovering above us we fail to "Jump up" and catch one, or two, or three of them.

Maybe we've been conditioned to think that way but Haitian Motivational Speaker Rene Godefroy said that "No Condition Is Permanent"

Rene Godefroy
http://www.VillageHero.com

Let me share another little secret with you then I have to go.

I used to be the most selfish man ever; when I was younger I wouldn't do anything unless it was benefiting me personally. That brought me a lot of satisfaction but "Satisfaction" fades very quickly.

You are only satisfied when you are satisfied.

But PRIDE... it keeps going... and going... and going...

Just once, I would like you to think about something you can do that can benefit somebody else. When you find it, I want you to give it your best shot. After you do it, you don't even have to come and tell me what's in it for you... I know...

Hope I didn't talk too much!

M-ale!

Woodring Saint Preux