Man, let me tell ya how this whole thing started. I was hitting snooze every damn morning last week, dragging myself to work like a zombie. Felt like my brain was stuck in mud. Then Thursday? Total disaster. Missed a deadline, spilled coffee all over my white shirt, yelled at the barista for no reason. Walked home just replaying that crap in my head. Needed something hard to shake me awake.
The “Aha!” Moment
Scrolling through Instagram later that night – numb thumb style – and BAM. There it was. Kevin Gates staring straight into my soul on some fan page. Big black letters on a red background: “They told me I would never be him. But I’m him. I’m that nia.” Felt like a slap. Saved it right there on my phone. Didn’t even think about quotes or motivation then. Just thought “Damn. That’s the energy I was missing today.”
Testing Waters
Next morning, alarm screeched at 6:30 AM. Instinctively grabbed the phone to kill it… and saw that screenshot saved as my new lock screen. Gates staring me down. Forced myself to read it OUT LOUD like three times while brushing my teeth:
“I’m him. I’m that nia. I’m him. I’m that nia.”
Sounds stupid? Maybe. Felt stupid? Hell yeah. But… shoulders pulled back. Felt taller suddenly. Didn’t groan while making coffee.
How I Actually Used Them (My Sticky Notes Method)
Work computer screen was depressing. Pure spreadsheet hell. Needed Gates there too. Sticky note time:
- Left monitor corner: “The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.” – Stared at this during every mind-numbing pivot table.
- Right monitor corner: “I came to eat. I ain’t playin’. I need to feed my seeds.” – Pure reminder why I tolerate office BS. Paycheck fuels life.
- Notebook cover: “Don’t want it more than me? Then leave.” – Brutal filter during meetings full of excuses. Saved hours.
Printed ‘em small and messy. Like I actually wrote them myself. Important. Laser-printer quotes feel fake as hell.
The Gym Grind
Tuesday gym session sucked. Leg day. Almost quit after the squats. Pulled up “Great Man” on YouTube right there between sets. Blasted it loud in my cheap earbuds:
“I don’t take loss for an option, nah I’m great man!”
“Every single promise made, I kept it.”
Heavy breathing? Yeah. Embarrassing? Probably. Worked? Dropped the weights like it was personal. Finished the damn workout.
Keeping It Going (The Ugly Truth)
Honest update? It ain’t magic. Friday afternoon slumped hard. Felt like my sticky note quotes were mocking me. Wanted to rip ‘em off. Instead, opened a text file and typed:
“I’ma go get me 3 plates, I ain’t talkin’ about china nia.”
Just typing that raw energy shift snapped me out of that fog. Took the Gates energy and CHANNELED it into finishing my overdue report. Ugly? Yes. Effective? Hell yes.
Final Realizations
Learned this much: Gates ain’t polite. His words are chainsaws, not feather dusters. Don’t use ‘em to feel “nice”. Use ‘em when you need that primal push through concrete. When you feel weak? Pick a line that feels like defiance. Repeat it like a curse against feeling small.
It’s working. Mostly. Still got bad days. Key difference? Now I got Gates’ raw hustle plugged right into my brain. Even the sticky notes feel like battle scars.
Maybe tomorrow I’ll find one for dealing with idiot coworkers. Suggestions welcome.