No Limit

"I gotta make sure this joint is real before I get outta here!"

The word of God says, "A man reaps what he sows" Galatians 6:7. You're only going to get out of it what you're willing to put in to it! How can a man withdraw what he has not put in? Life can only be as good as the effort by which you put forth to live it. Therefore, in order to be great you've got to be willing to push past the point where even the exceptional will give up! There is no room for excuses and even the thought of them can be destructive. Wanting to be successful and preparing to be successful are two completely different things.

Gabby Douglas not only wanted to be successful but she made the necessary preparations to be great and on Thursday she struck GOLD!  She made the home front proud on so many levels by winning the gold medal  in the women's gymnastics all around. She became the third straight American to win it and the first African-American to accomplish that feat. I know that the entire country is so proud of her because she's an American but black folks are rejoicing because she's inspired another generation of little girls to do something that they never thought was possible and that's being an Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics!

Sure, Gabby can't quite comprehend what she's accomplished and that's OK but she'll realize the power of what she's done for us as she gets older. I've got a 9 year old daughter that has been tumbling and doing cart wheels all week because of Gabby. I've been a nervous wreck because she's flipped into furniture and tables this week trying to be the "Flying Squirrel."

Folks outside of the African-American community many times can't comprehend moments like this because the world has always been available to them. Well bruh, it hasn't always been available to us. So when someone breaks through the door of opportunity and wins big then it tells the rest of us that we can do it to.

As college student I watched Doug Williams lead the Washington Redskins to a Super Bowl victory and the Super Bowl MVP in 1988. I can remember it like it was yesterday because my boys and I ran through the dorm fired up because a black man had done what we all knew was possible. He led a team to the NFL Championship when for so long people said that a black man didn't have the capacity to lead. Whether you where a Redskin fan or not you cheered for Doug to win because it was about more than the game.

In 2007 Tony Dungy became the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts. I live in Indy and my wife and I were celebrating the Super Bowl victory the entire week before the game. People would ask why we were celebrating because there was no guarantee that the Colts would win. We were celebrating because they were going to play the Chicago Bears and they were led by head coach Lovie Smith who was also African-American. I didn't care who won the game because and brother was going to win either way.  It was going to be another opportunity to tear down the limitations on what we could accomplish. Again it has nothing to do with the game bruh.

When I was a kid growing up in Gary, In. which was 98% African-American. The teachers would say, "You can become anything that you want to be if you just put your mind to it." We'd look at one another and say quietly, "No we can't! We can't be the president!" Why would we ever believe that we could because there had never been someone in office that looked like us, talked like us or walked like us?

So when Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. I saw the ole timers crying because they never dreamed that a black man would ever become the Commander in Chief. My mother cried like a baby because she grew up in the segregated south not being able to use the same restrooms, hotels and restaurants. As a matter of fact, she had to eat on milk crates in the alley and order her food in the kitchen as she would ride the Greyhound to and from college in the 1950's when they would stop for dinner. Whether you agree with Obama's policies or not is irrelevant. It was a day that my children could begin to believe that they too could become president. That was a dream that I never had.

 However, because Barack has become the president I've made sure that everyday that I leave the house I represent the brotherhood well. My suit fits a little better and my tie is just a little tighter and I'm more polished than ever before because I know people are EXPECTING for me to be great now. People are paying more attention to what W.E. B. Dubois called the talented tenth like never before so we can't disappoint them or prove the haters right.

So when little Gabby Douglas won the Gold at the London Olympic Games on August 2nd, 2012 we all rejoiced because our baby girls can now dream of becoming a gymnast and one day winning a gold medal too. Even if they never accomplish what Gabby has done they know that it's something that's not off limits to them. Thanks Gabby along with other greats like Venus and Serena for giving our baby girls the inspiration to be great.

P.S. Now I know y'all didn't think I was gonna bounce without telling you that Gabby's ole girl is from the crib! G.I. is still in the building!! Natalie Hawkins thanks for raising a powerful young lady that all of us can be proud of.

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Get @ me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport