A New Year.  A new day to be your best self.  But what if I told you there is no such thing as self? Would you stick around to hear what I have to say? Or would you dismiss my words based on their close resemblance to Hippie Rhetoric? Well let me end that now: I'm not a hippie. I'm black. Maybe one day I'll explain why black people can never truly be hippies in this country, but I feel like race can often take readers off track if it's not what we're talking about...or are we talking about it?...Maybe…

Sucky people know they suck. No need to remind them unless you just like hearing your own voice.   

Appreciate people who appreciate you. Don't search for the approval of an asshole. Someone probably made you do that when you were little, you don't remember who, and now your brain has been screwed for decades. So ask yourself, has anyone ever changed because you sought approval from them?...Exactly. Focus on the good people.   

Time is limited. You are not.   

There are fulfilling comedy careers…

  The best advice I ever received was from a woman I loved who I had no future with. She said, simply: "Don't look back. What we had was what we had, and we should both try to move on."  

  She was SO right. But years of habit mixed with bruised ego told me a different story in my mind. All I had to do to avoid the subsequent years of future pain, regret and self sabotage was listen for a few precious seconds.  

  And yet...It was all those awful moments I put myself through during the time after our…

  "And after a week of where I felt like the conquering king of the world by performing in my hometown, the inevitable will now take place. I shall become what I refer to as 'The Drifting Dandelion'. Traveling. Weightless. Unseen. When I put my travel hoodie on and begin my journey out of my country, no one will know where I just came from. The mountain I just climbed. The joy I created for others or simply felt for myself. The multiple adrenalin spikes I've calmed over the last six days, leading me into…

 Ever heard that one? That statement has always felt inaccurate to me. Any advancement you've ever made in your life was because of an opportunity given by someone else at some point. Begrudgingly maybe, but still given. What's wrong with admitting that?

Yes you made good on the chance when your time came, and you should take pride in your efforts. Sure the road has been harder for some than for others, but no matter how you got in the door, eventually…