When you’re born into the world, you are immediately placed in a box by society. The box you are placed in depends on your race, economic status and geographic location. The box you are placed will dictate how people interact with you, treat you, and for some dictate how you live your life. I’m here to tell you that you are not forced to live in the box society puts you in and that by changing your own mindset you can effectively control your own destiny and live how you want to live.

Being born as an African American male, society reinforces numerous ideas that can stifle potential. You’re constantly indirectly taught that white kids are inherently smarter than you, more qualified than you, go to schools you aren’t good enough to go to and are more affluent. This type of thinking is constantly programmed into the minds of young children and eventually they begin to believe it. As we all know, the one someone perceives themselves directly correlates to how they act. So if a group of people who are constantly directly and indirectly told they are inferior to a group of people then they will eventually come to believe that and then demonstrate behavior that reinforces their belief.

So here’s the million dollar question, if I’ve been put in a box how do I break out? Well, the answer is very simple, so allow me to elaborate. The first step in breaking from the labels of society is to understand that you are responsible for the outcome of your life and that you actions and thought dictate the quality of your life. Once you understand this, you cease viewing yourself as the labels put on you and begin to view yourself as someone with infinite potential.

The next step in breaking out of the box is to take responsibility for your actions and understanding that every action has consequences. By doing this you begin to act more in line into what you want your life to look like. As you begin to act more like the person you want to be, eventually you will become that person. Just dreaming is not enough, you apply action in order to see a tangible result.

The final step in breaking out of the box is to remain consistent. Breaking free from the box requires patience and it will not happen in one day. The more you perform a certain behavior the more it becomes ingrained. Once it’s ingrained it becomes a habit and it eventually becomes a way of life.

Remember to always seize the day, and never let anybody tell you who you can be and what you can do.