Earl Mann
Founder Symbol Athletica.
The cage is a depressing thing.
But, the lack of a thing, called purpose, is a cage !
I know why the caged bird sings
A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange suns rays
And dares to claim the sky.
But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill for
The caged bird sings of freedom.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.
But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.
Maya Angelou
Symbol Athletica
Focus . Transform. Change the world!
Earl Mann
Founder of SYMBOL.7 Life Lessons that I remind my self at New Years.
1. Your perfect understanding is always imperfect..proceed with an open mind.
2. You cannot do it alone..but the best help shows up after you stand up to try.
3. There is a magical power in laughing...at yourself.
4. The value in who you have been is constantly being re-defined but what you are doing now..with the lesson of your past.
5. Leadership matters.. self-leadership matters most.
6. Everything changes.
7. Realize that you are here NOW and celebrate that TEMPORARY fact with your choices; they are creating the story of your life.
Find a way to expect a great year!
What and Who you will be..
You are now becoming!
Own this powerful Idea.
Be the change you need.
Make the day you are waiting for.
Now is always the moment of truth.
We all know what fear feels like.
The uneasiness. The flutter in our gut we call butterflies.
Most people avoid those butterflies,
and they miss and opportunity to transform.
The people that find a way to face them repeatedly, become the people that we admire, the people on the posters that are on our children walls , the people we measure ourselves against.
When people learn to chase their Butterflies they grow their own wings.
Those among us that chase the fragile wings of their Butterflies:
Grow their own wings like Eagles and lead us.
Grow their own wings like wise Owls and teach us.
Grow their own wings like Hawks and protect us.
Grow their own wings like Doves and teach us of Peace.
Grow their wings like Angels and become blessings to others.
Chasing the fragile wings of our Butterflies might be our most powerful moment!
Symbol founder, has a little fun, as his alter ego the Dark Knight , as he shares a different way to look at fears.
Symbol - The brand for the purpose driven lifestyle.
We are the Wave Makers!
We are moved in the tide of our own possibility.
We can be moved by a dream until we feel it in our bones.
We can focus on it, through tears and sweat, until it becomes real,
and others can touch it with their hands.
We are the real Magicians , the Alchemist, the Wizards of wonder!
Our presence dares others to STAND FOR SOMETHING!
Let your presence inspire others. We are all ripples in the pound of humanity.
Earl T. Mann Jr. - Founder Symbol Athletica
Maybe you think big... really BIG.
Like UNIVERSE BIG!
And you reflect on how everything that is came to be in an instant from one mind boggling powerful source.
or
Maybe you think you are big.
That the magic in your uniqueness is powerful beyond the profile of personality as you interpret , improvise and perform the masterpiece one time only show that started on your birthday!
or
Maybe it was a Superstar that made you feel something. Inspired you in a way that changed your internal compass, and how you would come to navigate through your life.
In any event you are THE STUFF OF STARS! And because what matters to us gives us magical energy; against the back drop of an infinite Universe you shine! Awesomely, you shine!
Stand for something!
Why understanding who you are comes before understanding where you are...
Earl Mann
Founder, Symbol Althletica.
Scales can be the tools we use to measure changes, as our plans and life continue to unfold.
Scales can be the classification and definition of vibration, sound , music.
Scales can be the gift from nature, the thick skin that helps to defend us from the harshness of an environment that we can not escape.
Scales can be something we stand on reflecting the weight in this world that we carry.
We we stand for something we use all of these to Scale the walls of resistance between who we are and who we can become. We are able to measure and understand the direction and rate of our progress. We are able to dance in the troubled waters of challenges, and the weight we carry does not hold us down...but lifts us up; with the magical energy from having such a meaningful life!
It's a simple but powerful question for those that decided to have and answer, we have a brand!
It is the greatest source of human power.
I imagine the interview to Greatness...
Sit down. You’re late. What took you so long?
Before you give me your resume, let me tell you what we’re interested in ... to save us both some time.
First of all, we’re not interested at all in where you come from. Tell us about where you’re going, and give us the details so we know that you’ve been there over and over and over again in your mind.
I don’t care about your degrees; tell me about your education. What have you taken from this life that you can apply? And how will that affect your future?
Tell me about your family, not the one you were born into, but the one that you’ve chosen, and now call friends. And tell me why you added them to your family and what difference you make in their world.
I don’t care how you look because one ugly action can make me blind to the outside of you.
I don’t care how much money you have, tell me about how much value you can create.
Tell me about love. Make me understand that concept. Don’t tell me about your broken heart, instead tell me about your beating heart and the possibility that creates.
To fully achieve greatness is to have almost everything that you want, but it will cost you much of what you currently have.
We’re only willing to make you two promises. First, the path to Greatness will not be easy. Nothing worth it ever is. Anything worth having is reserved for the few people who are willing to do what is necessary to obtain it. Second, we offer you this. Every one of us, and all who have gone before us, and every great thing that we have created, and every great thought that we have ever had, will be put on the line for you to guarantee to you one thing: that greatness will be worth it.
Now, let us begin. Tell me, what is greatness to you?
A message from the Founder.
"What you will be!"
You know the place.
The place we act like we don't see as we rush to keep our place in line.
The place that makes us uneasy.
The place that looks like its meant for other people...not us.
The place that whispers at you like a ghost,telling you the truth that you don't want to hear.
The truth, that there is more.
For on the other side of discomfort, there is "A Beautiful More!"
So, yeah.....You know the place.
The early morning road, the ally, the gym, the class, the training.
The place where the work on you is done.
The place where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
The place where the price is paid!
When you stop believing in yourself, you will stop seeing these places, as plentiful as they are; and the "BEAUTIFUL MORE" will be but a dream.
I hope that you DECIDE to know this place...and claim your Beautiful More!
The Brand of the Purpose Driven.
We train for more than a six pack.
For more than than moving the weight on a scale!
What are you made of?
Not literally but figuratively. What has the sum total of your life's experiences to date, prepared you for?
Whether or not you believe we all start off as a blank slate, or that we somehow build upon a predetermined set of programming, what has the journey of your life prepared you to best do? What have you learned along the way? If that's too complex of a question than what is the last year done to prepare you to do next? What options have you created?
What are some of the most valuable lessons that you've learned along the journey of just the last 365 days?
In a world increasingly more focused on skill sets and abilities; what new abilities and skill sets you acquired over the last year? What skills have you fine-tuned? Perhaps the more important question would be: What are the elements of yourself that remain consistent throughout the changes of last year, the last decade, your life? Somewhere in this consistency you may find a truth about yourself. Some may call this truth your personality, your character, or your center. Many might argue that it is from this place, this place of consistency, the place that doesn't change, that might give the greatest insight into what is most important to you.
Perhaps this center, this place that matters most, is in the lab where you create the emotion rich environment that is your life - the box that contains your fears, loves, joys, and all things that you recognize as meaningful. And what if this box, made out of the elements of your center, or your metal; was actually what you looked into when you looked out into the world? Now, I would be the first to admit that this is a very rough metaphor, but you have to admit that it does illustrate nicely how complicated personal changed might be perceived to be.
What if a more effective way to approach personal change, was not found in the re-arranging of the components of your box; but actually found in changing the metal of your box itself. Perhaps the phrase “think outside the box", draws its power from the fact that only from outside of the box can you observe the box, and change it.
This act of changing the metal of who you are might be much less complicated than it may seem at first. It doesn't take mystic powers of and Alchemist trying to change lead into gold, as much as it takes a simple change of personal philosophy. See, philosophy, the meaning we give things, is the cosmic force that binds matter (things that matter) in our lives, and become our metal. The good news is, we don't have to create all of the philosophy ourselves. We could take this some philosophies from others that make sense given their intention, direction and successes in life. We can combine the metal, so to speak, of others; and meld them into a metal of our own. In the box made of this alloy, we can re-arrange the events in our life, and create a pretty powerful day.
Changing your philosophy, changes who you are; and only with the eyes of who you are will you ever see this world.
SYMBOL is The Band of the purpose driven
Meaning of Money
The Happiness equation is finding a way to pursue your passion. The irony is that those that are driven by meaning in their life often end up with more money.
Definitions
We are the greatest living SYMBOLS of our beliefs. Our BODY, MIND ans SPIRIT are being adjusted every day based on our decisions and actions. Bring them together is powerful. One way to do that is to STAND FOR SOMETHING!