Both Angel & Dr. Eric Thomas got me in the headspace to think of my personal “I Got That Dawg” fight. The reality is just like Angel said you can’t teach that. I Got That Dawg mentality is very personal. Growing up I remember my father putting me in situations to foster that mindset of, I Got That Dawg. These situations forced me to think, make a decision for me, situations that would teach me to fight or cry and sometimes I did both. I remember being in a leadership role of planning a big community project. Like any project I faced opposition from the team on the decisions I was making. I went to my father in hopes that he would rescue me from a team member who wasn’t complying with my leadership decisions. He looked me in my eye and said, “Jee you have to learn to deal with this the best way you know how.” In that moment I was so upset even pissed. How could he not come and rescue me? Why wouldn’t he just set the person straight, let them know I was in charge so they needed to listen to me. The bigger lesson I learned years later, he was teaching me how to have a fight within. He was teaching me how to have resilience, leadership, how to navigate life without him holding my hand. His ability to fall back allowed me to step up create an internal fight of how to do the hard thing, it was very personal.
My brother has two sons, Noah and Nico both whom I love beyond words. As an aunt it is so easy for me to coddle and baby them then I am reminded they will grow up and my need to coddle and baby them doesn’t help at all. As I watch my brother raise them, it’s funny to see so much of my father in my brother it’s both funny and scary of the similarities. Sometimes I want to tell him don’t be so tough on them then I am reminded my brother is teaching them life lessons that will help them later on when they are teenagers and beyond. Recently he told me how he was teaching my younger nephew a lesson on sportsmanship while teaching him to have that DAWG in him. As they were playing basketball my brother showed no mercy on my youngest nephew Nico, not a lick. Every time he went up for a shot my brother slapped it down. When my nephew thought he would make a shot he would miss. Even when my nephew would cry or pout my brother kept right on playing. He didn’t let my nephew win at all. After Nico lost the game he made him shake hands with his brother and mom to show true sportsmanship. While they sat having a bonfire with the family my brother told my nephew, “ as long as I’m in my right mind and able I will always try to beat you in any sport. I won’t let you win. You will have to work hard to beat me.”
Tough line to give your son who is 5 years old, right? NO it is not. You know why? My brother is teaching a lesson greater that just the moment of playing ball with his parents and brother. My brother is planting the seed of I Got That Dawg! Having moments like this remind you later on down the road of how to fight not physical but to dig deep within to fight for your dream, fight for what you believe in, fight for you.
If my brother doesn’t teach this lesson my nephew will always believe life is to be lived without a struggle, some sort of fight. He will believe he is supposed to win a participation award instead of working to be in first place. He will believe that competition isn’t supposed to be difficult. He won’t have the beauty of having that Dawg within.
Having that Dawg within is what most don’t have. We give up at the first sign of difficulty and adversity. This is not to say we won’t have moments to rejoice, reap the benefits or enjoy your lives. What I am saying is you don’t deserve to win because you simply think you should. You deserve those things because you fought through the storm. Life is never meant to be just a bed of roses we will face opposition, struggle and moments of struggle. Every storm has to run out of rain. The real question is what does your fight look like? There are moments we have to rest, recharge, regroup. Then there are moments when you have to dig deep, it has to be personal and you gotta know I Got That DAWG!
