Brandi L. Bates

Be selective in your battles...

Some roses grow through concrete. Remember that.

Understand: I don't ever want to be equal to any other being. I always want to be greater...in all things, in all circumstances.

The reason why many people remain on the bottom is because they play to 'not lose', as opposed to playing to win at all costs.

No one is born with equality. We all come here with varying degrees of opportunities, qualities, strengths, weaknesses, IQ, etc.

I don't want to be around people who accept me as is, in my unrefined state of becoming. I consistently want people around me who push and encourage me to be my ultimate best, who bring out the inner diamonds. I want to be around those intellectual giants who extract the gold within me, those who force me to read, to attend classes, seminars, conferences, and who steep me in an environment of perpetual growth and upward mobility. Not trying to be funny, but I've learned that I simply cannot afford to invest too much time around mediocrity. It's contagious.