Construction can get really messy. Have you ever seen or been to a construction site? There's usually trucks, dirt, bricks, and other building materials everywhere. You may have also seen a team of construction workers or builders, all working together to complete the same project over a period of time.  Like a construction zone, we can be described as a work in progress. That means that each day, we're working towards learning, growing, or reaching a new goal. Sometimes there's a delay or a mistake can happen - and that's okay.  We can't expect to be like a building or structure without taking the time and effort to complete the work. That's why MySelf Builder is here to help students develop their own blueprint that will motivate, support, and inspire them to achieve their academic, personal, and professional goals.  Visit MyselfBuilderDigital.com to learn about our online coaching and mentoring services or to try one of our digital workshops. Keep building!

Hello and welcome to MySelf Builder.  Today we’re talking about understanding your value. As a new year approaches, are you aware of your true value and all that you can accomplish?  We know that quarters are worth $0.25. If I took this quarter and placed it inside of a soda machine, spent it at a store or car wash, it would only be credited as one fourth of a dollar. There’s an online resource called the US Coin Book, where coins can be searched and their values are shown. It turns out that this particular quarter is actually worth up to 4x what it is valued.  Don’t underestimate yourself or let traditional systems or beliefs limit your value.  When the true value of a quarter or any coin is determined, some of the factors that are considered are how unique the coin is, the date printed on it, and any other special marks or if there are any mistakes on the coin when it’s produced, or minted. The better condition the coin is in, the higher its value.  Just like coins, our value can also be determined by our experiences, lessons learned from mistakes, and our condition or how we live, work and influence others.  Do not let opinions, assumptions, or certain ideas and beliefs restrict your true value and what you are capable of accomplishing. At the beginning of 2023, I shared a message about building your image by taking a mental picture of a moment you wanted to achieve and then to work towards making it happen.  With a new year underway, understand the importance of knowing how valuable you are and not to set limits on your goals and dreams as you continue to develop the life that you want.  Have a Happy New Year and as always, keep building!

Hello and welcome back to MySelf Builder. Today we're talking about what's in your toolbox. Your toolbox contains the skills, abilities, and qualities that make you unique.  We live in a society that makes it easy to focus on what everyone else is doing throughout the day. We can see where others are traveling, their job titles, and who they're spending time with.  Depending on the accounts we follow on social media, the content we view can range from pranks, dance videos, and news alerts to debates, life updates and other entertainment media. This content can impact our mood, thoughts, and feelings about our own lives, and make us wish we had more, feel like we’re falling behind, or as if we don't measure up to certain images. Research states that the average social media user scrolls from one post to the next every 19 seconds and spends about 2 and a half hours on social media each day. That's about 450 posts a day. Ask yourself, "Can we truly express sincere reactions, emotions, and relate to over 400 posts each day?" That's really overwhelming.  This is why we should focus on what's in our toolbox. Our toolbox is made up of the resources, people, and opportunities that will exist in our own personal lives. Are you acknowledging and expressing appreciation for what you already have each day? Someone might say: "Well, I don't have any tools at all. " "What about those who have more tools than others?" "But it's not fair, some people have stronger connections, are more talented, and have better resources." I believe that everyone has or will eventually have something that sets them apart from everyone else. Pay close attention to what you have including the skills, experiences, knowledge and people in your lives. Consider the value of these items and discover how your toolbox can be used to construct something special or solve a problem. This is how we find our purpose. When I was a kid, I received an indoor basketball goal as a gift from my uncle. Looking at the box and glancing at some of the parts inside it made some family members and I think that it would require some special power tools that we didn't have at the time. The goal remained in the box for a while, until one day, I decided to pour everything out onto the floor. I noticed that there were two tiny wrenches in the packaging. I started putting the goal together piece by piece and realized that those small, flat wrenches were the only tools that were needed to set it up. Are we overlooking the tools that we already have because we're expecting something else? Don't spend too much time looking at what's on the outside or at other people's toolboxes. Conduct your own inventory and begin to build with what you have until new resources and opportunities become available.  If we can filter out negativity, stop comparing ourselves to others, and focus on ways to develop our own skills, then we'll continue move forward with "building ourselves and becoming our best."  For more information about MySelf Builder and our coaching and mentoring sessions, visit our new website at MyselfBuilderDigital.com. You can also interact with our digital forum posts and get your copy of our children's book, "The Builder in Me." Keep building!

Hello and welcome to MySelf Builder! It's a nice, cloudy spring day in North Carolina with some light rain. Looking outside on a day like this allows me to think about our climate, or the conditions, mood, and way the atmosphere feels to us. The question for the day is: Are you in the right climate to grow? I heard a story about a plant that a lady received as a gift. It was a nice plant, with big leaves. The woman kept the plant indoors, watered it regularly, but noticed that the leaves kept falling off. She tried moving it towards a window, kept it in a cool area near a fan, but the plant continued to lose its leaves. One day, the woman decided to move the plant outside. Most of the leaves were gone and she thought,”Well, this is just a bad plant.” She planned on throwing it away. A few days went by and when she finally got back to the plant and prepared to get rid of it, she noticed a small leaf that was beginning to grow. The plant had been in the wrong climate. Even though the woman tried to care for it inside her home, the plant needed natural sunlight, fresh air and rainwater. Sometimes if something isn’t working well or thriving like we hope, we have to take a step back and look at the climate. In schools, a student may struggle with a subject or new lesson for a variety of reasons. A good teacher will work to figure out why a student is having a difficult time instead of saying, “Well, this is the way I teach. They need to keep up.” Great teachers will consider how the climate, or additional outside factors, may be presenting challenges. Is the student hungry, are they able to see and hear well from where they are seated, are they easily distracted by certain classmates or worried about something else? In order to help determine if we are in the right climate to grow and be successful, MySelf Builder has 3 blocks of advice: - Make Observations: Consider how you are feeling and what challenges you’re facing? When does your mood change? What is causing your stress level to increase? Are you able to make any progress, no matter how small it may seem? - Try to Adapt: Think about what you can control or influence. While we are not always in control of what happens around us, we can choose how we respond. Over the years, I’ve worked with a lot of students who had complaints about rude comments their classmates made or felt that an adult was being unfair. I always tell them to consider their reply: what they say, who they say it to, and how they say it. - Make Adjustments: If we’ve made observations and tried to adapt, but are still not improving, we have to work on adjusting our climate. Today it’s raining, so I adapted by wearing a jacket. If it rains harder, I’ll remain indoors. Making adjustments also applies to how we take care of ourselves: who we talk to and receive advice from, how we think, what we consume, how much we train, practice, or exercise, and where we receive support. As we continue to work towards becoming the best version of ourselves, let’s remain mindful of how our climate is impacting our success. Keep building!

Hello and welcome to MySelf Builder Digital Workshop. We coach, mentor, and motivate students to become the best version of themselves. Today we're talking about paths that lead us into our future. A path is the direction in which something moves. In life, we’re presented with pathways that lead us to different goals. If we asked someone how they became a doctor, they’d describe how they studied, went to medical school and started working with patients. If we asked a fireman the same question, they might share all of the training exercises they endured and why they became interested in putting out fires and saving lives. A person’s path is just like their destiny. Our destiny describes the events that take place in our lives. Our destinies lead us to destinations, which is where we end up and how we feel once we’re there. Certain paths may be straightforward and lead to an expected outcome. For example, a person who grew up in a family of educators may decide to become a teacher themselves. Our pathways can also be confusing, complicated, difficult, and lead to something unexpected. Perhaps you know someone who wanted to become a professional athlete but instead they became a successful business owner. Or maybe you’ve heard stories of people who graduated college with a degree in one field, only to do something completely different. Perhaps college was never an option or somewhere that a person decided not to go, so they entered the workforce or started their own business. Everyone has their own special, unique path or destiny. It’s easy to become influenced by what others are doing, especially those who are close to us. You may have friends who are planning on going to the same school next year, that are joining the same groups or organizations, or applying to work at the same company. Remember that your path is unique and may not follow the traditional route, make sense, or match what others around you are doing. When we notice that our paths are different from others we may become disappointed ask: “Why didn’t I get into that program?” “Everyone else is getting this opportunity except me?” “All of my friends made the team. Why was it different for me?” Trying to match or follow others can make us feel unfulfilled or like we’re falling behind. Stay committed and focused on what truly motivates you. What are you good at doing? What else are you passionate about? What’s a big problem that you could help solve that would help others? Your path is going to lead you to different people, through different places, and be shaped by unique circumstances. Embrace what you have and who you are and then continue to move forward by doing what you love. Find ways to connect your hobbies and talents to something that can help or entertain others. Seeking advice from others can be helpful, just make sure it is from someone who knows what they are talking about, that it challenges you to excel and aligns with what you are feeling. In other words, surround yourself with people who can help you imagine and build the image that leads you through your next destination. If we remain committed to our goals and focused on our future, we’ll continue our path towards “building ourselves and becoming our best.” Keep building!

Welcome to the MySelf Builder Digital Forum! Our purpose is simple: we're here to motivate, encourage and inspire one another to become the best version of ourselves. This forum is our shared community space to build together, provide wisdom, learn, and serve as a resource for people. Thank you in advance to anyone who views, comments or shares this space with others. We really appreciate you. Together, we have what it takes to construct positive experiences that will shape brighter futures. Keep building! Darron Daniels, Jr. | Founder