What is your motivation?  What makes you say I am tired of living the way I live and I want more out of life?  Is it your wife?  Is it your children?  Is it the fact that everyone has told you your entire life that you will not amount to anything from family to teachers?

I will tell you what motivates me.  I remember when I was a teenager and I would go hungry.  There were times I would eat out of the trash, because I had nothing to eat.  No one around me even knew this was going on.  I am here to tell you I remember it like it was yesterday.  I know that I am far from that point in my life but I could be right back in that place.  I never want to be back there.  I never want my family to experience that.  So I will continue to work hard to be the best that I can be.  I do not believe in “No”.  It is just a speed bump in the road where I need to take a step back and rethink my route.  I will not be denied.  I do not know if you would call that Cocky or Confidence but I will not lose.  I have gone through too much and come too far.

With all that being said, there is still a little bit of that young man that was eating out of the garbage in me.  It keeps me humble.  People around me wonder why I will go out of my way to feed a homeless person well I am just doing what I wanted someone to do for me.  Everyone needs food to live and survive.

I want you to look deep inside yourself and do better, be better.  Live with the decisions that you have made and learn from them.  Do not live in the past.  Just because one opportunity shuts down does not mean there isn’t another one ready to go.  Every day I wake up it’s a new day and I walk out the door saying, “I am going to be better today than I was yesterday. “

Remember to Keep it GC,

Counselor Dave

While on a rendezvous through a couple of different cities over the past few weeks, I began to think, what cities would be the best to live and/or party?  I compiled a list of cities that I thought could compete for the best to live and/or party in.  I also listed  some downsides to being in these cities. They are in no particular order. Read on my friend….

1. New York: Who doesn’t dream of living in the Big Apple? This is a city of global importance, with a very diverse and robust culture. New York has like 50 million sports teams (exaggerated). You can choose from NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA and Major League Soccer. The fever ranges from the New York Rangers (pun intended) to the New York Jets and Giants. After banging it out on the grid iron you can head to Madison Square for the Knicks….and did I already say the Rangers. Various collegiate sports teams are also available. This brings me to another point; New York is definitely a place to get your higher education on. We’re speaking CUNY, SUNY, NYU, Columbia, Cornell, St. Johns and a multitude of others.

And of course after a long day of studying and taking tests at one of the above listed institutions, enjoy the nightlife! It is amazing, by the way!

Now this leads me to the next question. How is one able to afford all of this? Well being the financial capitol of the world, I guess one would need to get into investment banking or be a hot shot corporate lawyer specializing in corporate acquisitions, mergers and IPOs; be an entertainer like Diddy and Jay Z; or just play sports like Carmelo Anthony. But seriously, even the firefighters and cops in New York make just shy of 100K!

Well as you can imagine with so many high rollers in one place, you have a high cost of living and New York will take your whole paycheck in rent…and if you have a mortgage you’re looking at an investment. Regardless, New York is a city where you can make it if you try.

2. Atlanta: How about the good old southern hospitality of the ATL. You have pro football, basketball and baseball…but unfortunately no hockey. Farewell NHLs Atlanta Thrashers, guess they couldn’t stand the heat (lol, not a very good joke). Anyways the ATL has a million streets named Peachtree and millions of peaches to go with it. The Gentleman will find no shortage of Dames in these parts. You also find some pretty historic colleges and university in Atlanta, such as Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, Spelman, Georgia State, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and a host of others.  The job market compared to most of the U.S. is relatively strong and holding its own in areas such as finance and healthcare. ATL hosts major employers such as Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Atlanta International Airport, UPS and the Home Depot.  This combined with a thriving tourism industry leaves a wealth of opportunity for those with a “go-get-it” mentality. The nightlife is no slouch in Atlanta either, with plenty of eateries and club establishments for you to boogie at…however take a nap before you go out, the ATL does not hit the club until midnight.

Did I mention the low cost of living that Atlanta has compared to other major cities…. Atlanta may be the American Dream.

3. Washington, DC: Traffic, Traffic, Traffic and High Cost of Living. Well, similar to New York, The District of Columbia is one of those places where you have to pay to play. However, being the national capitol has its advantages. The DC job market is arguably the strongest in the nation. From Federal Employers, Federal Contractors, Finance, Health Care and industries that support a large thriving urban area, DC can be very livable for the right cliental. DC is attorney heaven and is also heavily laden with IT folk and Defense secret squirrels. DC has major league sports and RG-3! We are talking Redskins, Capitols, Nationals, Wizards and Mystics. DC is culturally diverse and a great place to get your eat on with Jamaican, Spanish, Chinese and Italian restaurants galore.  DC is also strategically placed where you can get to several other major and semi major cities in under 3 hours, such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Annapolis and Richmond.

DC’s education foundation is strong and there is a massive amount of uber-educated personnel lurking the streets….and they will let you know it! DC Metro is the home of American University, George Washington, Georgetown, University of Maryland, Catholic, Howard and George Mason.

4. Miami: Wow, what can I say the ladies are gorgeous in Miami and there are plenty of them. I mean it’s nothing to see J-Lo or Eva Longoria walking the Sun crested pathways of South Beach.  The music is right, the drinks are strong and the scenery  is gorgeous. Lebron James, D-Wade and another forthcoming championship are all you need on the sports scene. Miami is also home to the Dolphins, Marlins and Panthers. Colleges include University of Miami, Florida Atlantic and Nova Southeastern University.

Well that’s were the fun might end, with a steaming high unemployment rate and high cost of living in the desirable areas, it might be kind of hard to live and play in M.IA. A person with the right credentials could do well in Miami (read athlete), however do your research wisely.

So tell us about your experiences and thoughts on different cities/areas in the U.S. or abroad.  Where’s the party at, Where’s the money at?

~Andy (Counselor)

Remember to keep it G.C.

I had a couple of emails of people asking me what I thought about 30 for 30 on ESPN.  I had a couple different reactions to it.  My first reaction was how stupid could these millionaires be, going from making 20-120 million and have nothing to show for it?  Then I look at it as sad.  I actually do feel bad for them.

We have to understand we are talking about people who come from broken homes, poor families, a keep it real mentality, if I eat everyone around me needs to eat, or I want nothing but Gucci and Gold.  A lot of these guys were never taught how to manage their money.  People are leaches and that will take and take until you have nothing left.  Everyone wants something from you.  Everyone looks at you like the man, this is what you have to put out there.  You have to buy out the bar for your friends because you have set the ground work and they simply expect you to always take care of the bill when you are out.

When some people get a large amount of money they lose control.  They tend to spend it like it will never run out.  You do the math, you make 5 mil a year you spend 1mil but you still have bills to think about, let alone the taxes that comes off that 5 mil.  So, you wonder how they can be broke?  The same way I have friends making 80-100K a year and they broke you simply living beyond your means.  We have to get out of this “Baller” state of mind.  Why are you spending 100K on a necklace?  That is ignorance.  I am not saying don’t spend money but come on Gold Ceiling in your house?  I loved what one of the financial advisors said, “Putting 10 million in a mutual fund to make 1.5 million is not sexy.”  That is so true but when you make that kind of money, investing in bonds and securities are very beneficial.  We have to teach the value of a dollar.  You are making so much money that at this point it should literally be working for you.

We need to start educating our youth early.  A lot of these guys do not have anyone in their life to show them how to handle money.  They are only being told how great they are, and how much money they will be able to make a lot of money.  When you want something from people you will tell them anything they want to hear.  We have rappers educating them on how cool it is to blow money.  What about saving money?  That is where we have to do better.  I would rather drive a Camry with 60,000 in the bank than drive an Escalade with 1,000 in the bank.  Educate!

Remember to Keep it GC,

Counselor Dave

Do you remember when you were young and you would say “I want to be a Lawyer, Engineer or a Doctor, when I grow up?”  As children we always had a since of where we wanted our life to go or what we wanted to become.  As we start to grow and mature some of this seemed to change whether it was for the better or worse we rarely become what we wanted to be as a child. 

We tend to set timelines of when, where and what should happen in our life.  We all try to map our life out.  There is a certain stage where we feel we will be in our six figure job, married with children, living the American dream.  Big question is how do we react when our real timeline does not fit the one that we planned out for ourselves? 

Some of us stress and lose out on the precious moments that we have because we are stressing on our future.  I am not telling you not to shoot for the stars but understand that just because you are not a millionaire by the age of 30 does not mean that you will not be by the age of 35.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Readjust your goals.  Try to do more reflecting on what you do have, and not what you don’t.  Getting caught up in the rat race will only make your age faster. 

Stressing about your life and where it is compared to what you want it to be is human nature.  Try not to look at the person next to you and compare your life to there’s because trust me they are dealing with their own demons.  Everyone may want the glory but they don’t know the story!

Stop and smell the roses sometimes.  There are things that I would love to do before I die but I cannot worry about that.  I have accomplished so much in my life.  If I was to die tomorrow I will be content with my life.  Let’s be honest, if you are someone that is striving for perfection in life, you will never be satisfied no matter what you do.  So prioritize the things in your life that are most important.  For me it is God, family, friends, and career in that order.   You know your heart and what is most important to you live that way and everything will work itself out.  You are not a failure if you are 30 making 80,000 a year when you planned to make 100,000.  Keep pushing, so what it takes you another couple years.  It’s a goal keep reaching for it. 

Always Remember to Keep it GC,

Counselor Dave