“Dont let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game” Ever since we were born weve had to face new challanges and constantly get knocked down, whether it be for the littlest things or the largest. But I’m positive everyone gets knocked down, everyone has a bad day now and then. Everyone has been told they are wrong, their not good enough, that they have no hope. Everyone has been in that position. Everyone gets knocked down, but not everyone actually does something about it. We all have the strength with in us and the will to make a change. If we dont like something, why dont we fix it? Our happiness is ultimately our decision. If you get pushed down on the play ground you pretty much have two options: 1. Lay there and cry. 2. Get up and brush it off. It may seem like an obvious fact in that situation and pretty simple but bottom line is that that scenario isnt much different than some of the toughest situations you may encounter. If you believe in yourself and know that you want to make a change and put youre all into it, theres no way that change wont be made. Think about kindergarten. How many people didnt want to be a princess or a prince? None. How many kids would believe you if you told them they cant be a princess? None. We all used to dream big. So why cant we dream of a better tomorrow now that were grown? Why dont we dream of a solution that we can make? As kids we have no worries, we dont have to take any risks, the whole world is handed to us. But as we grow up we have to deal with the trials and the hardships. We have to brush our selves off when we fall off the monkey bars, we have to let it go when someone steals your bike, we have to let it make us stronger when a relationship ends, we have to look for the better in life and think of the challanges as just challanges. Think of the hard times as just an open invitation for you to show yourself how strong you really are. Think of the things that bring you down as just an oppertunity. An oppertunity to make a change in your life. An oppertunity to be in charge of your own happiness. And most importantly an oppertunity to realize where you have came from. To look back at all the hard times and think, wow those have made me the person I am today. We are constantly growing into the people we will be. And you want to be the best person you can be. Stay positive. You can do it.
Cousin Andrew
I hope this message reaches you in good spirits. My name is Andrew, and I’m Joey’s cousin. I’m so glad you have the opportunity to spend time around him and be directly affected by his passion for helping others. Whether helping his family, his clients, or his fellow man, this kid goes at it 100%. I don’t get to see him as much as I’d like because I live inCalifornia, but I can tell you that no amount of distance can keep him from inspiring me to be a better person and do more with what God has so graciously given me.
I have to admit, I haven’t written one of these letters before — I’m not quite sure where to begin really — but I want to tell you a little bit about my life and something I have been thinking a lot about lately. My mom. Today would have been her 60th birthday, but she passed away unexpectedly last May. Days like today, since her passing, used to be difficult for me. For some reason though, things feel different now. For some reason I feel happy, grateful, full. What changed you might ask? Well, typically I allow myself to dwell on the series of negative events leading up to her passing, as well as the new ones that were borne on that day. Today, though, as I think through the past couple years, I can’t help but realize how amazingly lucky I am.
You see, after college I moved toCaliforniato start my first post-college job, but after about a year in, my mom got pretty sick and it got to the point where I knew I had to do something. The next day, I walked into my boss’ office and quit my job. I told them I needed to move home right away. So I did. Two weeks later I was back at home, living in my parents’ basement and helping take care of my mom. She started to get better after a while, and things were really starting to look up. I thought I was finally back in control. But alcoholism, mixed in with a slew of other health problems, finally caught up with her one night, and the next day she was gone. I still remember finding her there that morning. That was a morning I’ve always tried to forget.
Finally, I realized that everyone has to a choice. They can find the good in life or let the bad take them down. I thought about the bad parts far too often and for far too long. What about the good? Sure my mom was sick, and she battled disease for years, but she was a great mother. We had a great relationship. She knew I loved her and I knew she loved me. I was lucky to have acted on that sudden impulse to quit my job and move him. It gave me another full year with my mom. I was lucky to have my company ask me to stay and for them to allow me to work fromPhoenixon reduced hours so that I could help take care of her. I was lucky to be surrounded by loving friends, fellow humans, who I knew cared about me and who could lift me out of my grief.
Thankful. Thats what I am now. We all experience bad things in life. That will never change. But we always can. We can always choose to find the positive. To take steps forward and lift ourselves, with help from others, from the pitfalls of life. We will always have that choice. And for me, that choice is finally clear again.
Now, I dont know your story. In fact, I don’t know anything about you. But I do know that you have that choice too and you always will. Choose to see the good in life. It’s all around us. We just have to make the decision to open our eyes.
Your fellow human,
Andrew
Into the universe
*you cant keep me down
You cant keep me down for long,
Cuz im getting stronger,
Cuz I keep getting stonger…*
*say….say…
I’ve seen the lightning flashing
Yes I did*
And I’ve seen the hurt
Felt the pain
Lived through the failures
Cried through the rain
Keep track of my losses
And add up all my gains
Life is a court
And I love the game
Evolution
because Things will NEVER stay the same
We all point fingers
When we are all to blame
MY Passion is authentic
YOU Cannot duplicate my Flame
Balance…
It’s the hardest to find
And even harder to maintain
Life rehab…
Has kept me sane
Life is a game
You can choose to play
Every single night
I bow my head and pray
That every single day
Brings me challenges
Brings me struggle
Cuz the struggle LIES within
Try to do right
Grab my shield
Then Battle sin
I look to you for strength
Because my patience runs thin
I pray
Because…
Strength lies WITHN
And if you lose…
Then I will NEVER WIN
*say….say…
I’ve seen the lightning flashing
Yes I did*
And I’ve seen the hurt
Felt the pain
Lived through the failures
Cried through the rain
I just have to put it into the universe
Spiritual being
Despite my presence at church
My heart…
A gift
A curse
Stay in the presence
Focused on the future
Regardless of my reverse
I Stay hungry
I just want to quench my thirst
So much beauty
My eyes begin to burst
Fuck last place
All I want is first
Life isn’t perfect
But,
It can always be worse
You get 1 shot at life
No REHEARSE
Birth
Then death
Everything inbetween
LIFE IS EMPTY AND MEANINGLESS
If you don’t have the courage to chase your dream
*say….say…
I’ve seen the lightning flashing
Yes I did*
And I’ve seen the hurt
Felt the pain
Lived through the failures
Cried through the rain
*you cant keep me down
You cant keep me down for long,
Cuz im getting stronger,
Cuz I keep getting stonger…*
Life is a garden
I pick the weeds
Smell the roses
*were all in the same picture
We just have different poses*
We all slip
We all fall
But only the Cinderella’s
Have the strength the make it to ball
So I pack my bags…
Every single Monday
Tell my self
No use for someday
One day
Is now
My star bursts
*POW*
Hit you in the heart
Usain bolt
Leading from the start
Life is sweet
YOU make it tart
I put it into the universe…
I put into existence…
Life could end within the next instant
And because of that
No longer do I have the desire for resistance
Me as a person
I keep it so real
You might view me as weak
But my heart…
It’s made of steel
Onion soul
I Love to peel
Even on my worst day
My smile
Will always overcome my frown
Because…
*you cant keep me down
You cant keep me down for long,
Cuz im getting stronger,
Cuz I keep getting stonger…*
*you cant keep me down
You cant keep me down for long,
Cuz im getting stronger,
Cuz I keep getting stonger…*
Written by: Vincent “A three penny piece”
Inspired by: Real life shit
*Jay electronica “stronger”
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
If I have tagged you in this note…please read. There are many reasons why I have tagged so many people…and if you read this and truly understand what it’s about and will take a look at yourself then you know y I tagged you. Some of you I have tagged because you have taught me more about myself then anyone else ever will, some I have tagged because I want to be NOTHING like you, some I have tagged because I admire every single thing you do, some I have tagged because you know me best…u know how much I still need to grow and who I really am, some people I have tagged because I absolutely love every bit of your energy…some people I have tagged because they keep lying to themselves, some people I have tagged because I see nothing but potential in them, some of you I have tagged because u will always be a stronger and a better person than me, some people I have tagged because I’ve never laughed harder with. Some I have tagged because I have shared moments with you that I will NEVER forget, some I have tagged because you are lost…your lost and you need help, some people I have tagged because I truly do and still care about you so much. Some of you I have tagged because I am trying to become more like you. some of you I have tagged because we have had conversations that ring in my head on a daily basis, some of you I have tagged so you know that I will always be here for you and you don’t need to be afraid of me…please read this and think about what I have said…and you’ll know y I have tagged you if you truly take a look into your heart.
I didn’t write this to be an author…I didn’t write this to be on a soapbox…I wrote this to let you know who I REALLY am and all I’m trying to do is either thank you or try and help you. If you feel that this will help someone you know…pleez feel free to tag someone…thank you.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
For those of you who know me best know that I can be very stubborn and don’t like to change the way I do things at all. The times in my life that I have changed or will change are times that I can truly grow as a person or an eye opening event occurs. There have been three people in my life that I can say I knew and have passed away. One was a really close friend of mine who was the same age as me, Her name was Angie Bradley…from her passing I learned that I needed to express how I felt more, that I didn’t open up enough to people and that if a good friend of mine were to pass again they would know that I appreciated them to their fullest extent. The second time someone close to me passed was my best friends mother Kristina Gastelum… Prior to her passing me and her son hadn’t been talking for a good year or so and after her passing our friendship has never been stronger…And from her passing I learned that you cant let stupid petty things ruin a true friendship, you cant let ego, pride and hard headedness get in the way of forming life long bonds. With the passing of Kristina I also learned that we take sooo many things in this world for granted, and within an instant it could all be taken away from us, and since then, there hasn’t been a time where I’ve talked to my Mother and didn’t end the conversation with “I love you Mom”. Because if I never got a chance to talk to her again…those would be the words I would have wanted her to hear me say last. Aunt Kathy is the third person in my life that I have known who has passed on…and it has affected me in a way that I would have never imagined. Most people didn’t know that Aunt Kathy and I have talked with each other more over the past year than the combined 25 years prior. She would call me and talk to me about my business and tell me how proud she was of me and ask me how I was doing and if I liked what I was doing, and how she was so happy that what I was doing made me happy. She would tell me what Andrew and Serena had been doing and what uncle Jim and Grandma and Grandpa had been up to, And I would have to play dumb anytime I heard family news because Kathy had already filled me in. She would always face book message me asking me how I was doing, and again tell me how proud she was of me. At the time it shocked me that she would do this and until now I didn’t know why she was doing it, seeing as though she had never talked to me like this before. …
When I received the call Monday morning that Kathy had passed I was in complete shock and didn’t know what to think nor say…as the day went on all I could think about was how she used to call me, why did she call me? And why out of no where did she pass? It wasn’t till an email that I received Tuesday from one of my clients that had him talking about his fears, failures and some of his personal setbacks did Kathy’s passing “hit” me. This is what I told him and this is what I’m telling you, this is what I’m telling myself…this is how Kathy’s passing has changed my life.
Life is so short and every single day we take our own life and other people’s lives for granted. You never know when your time has come or a loved ones time has come. If you knew Kathy at all then you knew she didn’t care about what you thought about her, she didn’t care what she wore, how she talked, didn’t care if you were going to judge her….no matter what, she was going to be Kathy. She wasn’t Scared…she did as she pleased and that made her happy. Too many of us get caught up in the cookie cutter lifestyle that the world has placed upon us…too many of us become “institutionalized”. We move to fast, we care too little and we are SCARED way too much. Scared to fail, scared to fall, scared to take risks, scared to be alone, scared to show emotion, scared to say what’s “REALLY” on our minds, SCARED TO SHOW THE WORLD AND OTHERS AROUND US WHO WE REALLY ARE. The world has turned so many of us into cowards and cookie cutter molds that we become miserable. As you listen to me or read this, ask yourself if you truly are happy or are you just putting on a smile because that’s what you were taught to do, ask yourself if what your doing is truly making you happy, ask yourself… are you scared??? Are you scared to take risks? Are you scared of failure? Are you scared to be something different …something authentic? I told Joe like I’m telling you and I have now just realized this since Kathy has passed…life is to short to be scared, life is to short to NOT take risks, life is to damn short to worry what other people think of you…life is to short and while we are here…we need to be what we WANT TO BE. If you fall or fail its no big deal…get up and try again, cuz life is too short for us NOT to get back up and life is too short to NOT TRY!!! Life is to short to be miserable, and I’m here, now telling you that I will NOT be a miserable person and I will forever do what makes me happy and I will forever be who I’m suppose to be not what others think I should be or want me to be. Kathy called me and talked to me about what makes me the most happy…my business. My ability to help people, to guide people, to motivate people and make a difference in peoples lives, Kathy knew that what I do makes me happy and because of that it made her happy…what made Kathy happy is when others around her were happy. It didn’t matter if you were family or not, she wanted people to be happy…as I look around this world I see so much misery it makes me sad. To many people focus on things that in the end…will NEVER matter… to many people do not “Grow” and they stay eating the same cheese forever and ever and don’t even realize it…they don’t even realize they’re miserable, they just think that’s what life is about. They become content before they ever reach their full potential…they WASTE TIME!!! And our time here is so short here on this earth. So, ask yourself if you are growing as a person, are you growing physically? Mentally? Emotionally? and spiritually? Are you wasting your time here on earth? 90% of people in this world waste their life chasing happiness and will never get it because they’re scared. They’re scared to take a good look at themselves and see how miserable they really are and are scared of the work its going to take to become happy. Kathy’s passing has taught me so much more than I could have EVER imagined…I will no longer be scared of myself, of others, of my emotions and being who I want to be…I want happiness and if I’m scared… I will never find it. Everything happens for a reason and even though we NEVER want anyone to pass, from this event I have grown, and I hope that everyone who reads this or listens to this will grow as well. Without Kathy being gone…I know that I would have been scared…I am no longer scared to be who I want to be or who I’m suppose to be. Thank you Aunt Kathy for showing me it’s ok to be who you are. Those phone calls meant more to me than you’ll ever know, I love you and I’m anxious to see you again someday so I can thank you in person for changing my life.
Inspired by: A True Story
Written by: Vincent “A-Three-Penny-Piece” – Friday, May 28th 2010
Knocking off the dust, cleaning up the scrapes, bends are ok…just don’t break.
*right hook*
*KA-POWWW*
*slow motion hit the ground…slide in the dirt*
When you get knocked down
Crushed
You lay on the ground
Covered in dust
Scrapes
Bruises
You swallow slowly
Blink sporadic
Have a dead stare
Hoping when you get up
The silhouettes not there
You ache
Heartbreak…
*deep breath*
Roll to your side
Not dead
But hoping heaven would take
Dear God
Don’t let my psyche break
You sit up
Re-collect before
You get up
Thoughts hit hard
Brain plagued
Memories leave scars
Everything happened so fast
Freeway cars
Pain fades slow
Dying stars
It just takes time
Sit there and rewind
Stick to the rum
No need for wine
See where it went bad
Chest bleeding
Stabbed
*look around*
Bandage
Patch
Repair
Get up
Despite despair
Stand…
Still woozy
*right hook*
Was a doozy
Knees frail
Thoughts stale
Emo
Male
Stomach empty
Emotions
Plenty
Stay silent
Never violent
Quiet vent
Its all I need
Helps stop the bleed
Truthful
Crutches
Useful
Helps me regain my stance
Keep looking back
Second chance?
Second wind…
With broken sails
Id rather walk the plank
When all else fails
Bend
Never break
Spirit of nails
Leave the crutches
Dust off
Still bleeding
Its ok tho…
Im still breathing
Heart hurts
But…
Its still beating
Horrible sleep
But still eating
Stretch out
1 step…
2 step…
Begin to stride
Moments at a time
Feeling alive
You acknowledge the hurt
Swallow your pride
Then….
Learn to survive
Begin to revive
Start to thrive
Life’s my steering wheel
I CHOOSE TO DRIVE
Sun always shines
Clouds in-between
Nightmares
Mixed with dreams
Negative energy
Taste
Spit it out
Get it out
Played like a drum
Knocked down
Heart went numb
It starts with the get up
Walk
Then run
Forgive for love
No more hate
Knock down hurts
The get up feels great
Not running fast
But a generous pace
Lips sweet
Love her taste
Side tracked
Don’t forget about the race
Beautiful smile
Whatta waste
Life goes on
The past
Erase
Embrace
The space
Created
Might take a while to get
Re-situated
Gave her my all
Smothered her with kindness
Saturated
The get up is long
It’s a struggle
It’s a fight
Stay true to your word
And soon enough
Your wings will take flight
Standing again
Finish line in sight
Keep pushing thought the night
Stay strong in the light
Knowing that if I can get up
Everything will be alright
Knocking off the dust, cleaning up the scrapes, bends are ok…just don’t break…
Inspired by: A true story
Written by: Vincent “A-Three-Penny-Piece”
Dear Veronica
Dear veronica,
Long time no talk…
Please remove yourself from this moment
So we can take a walk
I have some things I would like to tell
You are no longer the reason y I fail
Why I hurt.
You are no longer the reason I need to try
Need to cry
Need to live without having to die
Need to lie
To myself
And to others
You are a horrible mother
Have been a horrible sis
But without you
There would have been so many possibilities that I would have missed
I have had so much anger towards you…
Will you dismiss?
Will you forgive?
Im so very sorry that you CHOSE THE WAY I LIVED
Im sorry I always ran
Im sorry that I never took your hand
Nor took the time to understand
Here I am now
Ready to make a stand
Was a boy
I am now becoming a man
Will you understand?
Please forgive me for not showing you my love
Please GOD…PLEASE just let me give her a hug
A kiss
Forgive me Veronica for all the things I have missed
Forgive me for my arrogance
For my self pity ways
Many rackets have left me plagued
I used you for a crutch for the longest of time
You were my favorite racket
One of a kind
But now,
I no longer need your racket to play my game
A blank canvas leaves me with possibilities for days, for years
I no longer need to paint my canvas w tears.
And when they throw dirt on me
and bury me 6 feet in dust
I want to exit this world w a painting that would leave Van Gogh
Jealous
And I want to show you
“look at my canvas that you help me paint”
Your one of the biggest reasons
I am successful
Thank you for everything you have done for me
Shown me
Im sorry I used you as an excuse to be lonely…
If I cant love you
I can never love myself
I need your forgiveness
For my emotional health
I love you veronica
And I wouldn’t trade you for the world
I thank you for one boy and 2 little girls
I cant wait till you get out
So we can share our worlds…
I love you veronica and hope you will forgive me
Love your brother,
Joey Bellus
When I die on my tomb stone it will read…”Here lies Joey Bellus…”
Life is…a roll coaster ride full of shit!! And get used to it…because the shit…it never ends. And the more you don’t want it to happen…the more a gigantic butt comes down from the sky and keeps dropping more off…and guess what…you forgot your umbrella.
I came to the landmark forum for a few reasons…I wanted to find consistency, balance and success in life. I came because I wanted my business to be successful and knew that if I couldn’t change my outlook on myself or life…all of my dreams would die and nothing is more important to me than my dreams.
Break through#1
They say what when someone is talking and you begin to zone out or get tired it’s a subconscious way of resistance. And the first time I started to get tired was when we learned what the word “integrity” and integrity in the forum has nothing to do with your “morals”. Integrity when we’re talking about transformation “is a state or condition of wholeness, and completeness” the more integrity you have the more you allow workability, and workability = the maximum opportunity for results and success. Integrity is playing by your rules, honoring your principles and values, honoring your word as yourself and having others honor their word. I have been living a life with minimal amount of integrity and making excuses each time I didn’t want to have integrity.
Breakthrough #2
I am a whiny, selfish, arrogant, lazy, boring, scumbag lying asshole, who is scared, weak, miserable and alone. (And I wonder y I’m still single)
Once I had accepted all of these things…I mean really accepted them…my journey began.
Breakthrough #3
I have nothing because that’s all I’ve ever been given, that’s all IVE ever asked for *cue the story of you running and how you realized everything you have ever asked for hit you like a ton of bricks* and for the first time in your life you felt like you weren’t running from EVERYTHING but you were running WITH everything because everything I have wanted…I have.
Breakthrough #4
I was mad at all the wrong people…I was really mad at myself and blamed other people for EVERYTHING…especially my sister…so in front of 200 people I opened up my heart for the very first time in my life and read a letter that I wrote to her…after it was done…I had finally realized how amazing and powerful love and happiness is. I finally realized how powerful and amazing I am.
Break through #5
nobody really sees how miserable or stressed they really are…they try to prove themselves over and over and want nothing more than to be “loved and accepted”
I woke up to a phone call Sunday morning…it was my brother.
Breakthrough #6
Nothing….and with nothing you can create EVERYTHING!!!
Breakthrough #7
the more simple it is…the harder it is to understand “it can’t be this simple” “there has to be something more” “what’s the catch”There is no catch…you made that up all in your head…everyone is out to get you and the jokes on you…and now I can be a part of the biggest joke in the world “love and happiness” sit back and laugh at you and say “jokes on you”
And once I realized how “simple everything really is” I laughed and everything “starting coming together
Breakthrough #8 my nick name is “J-K.I.D.” for a reason…
And I realized all I am is just a lost kid…a lost kid who wants nothing more than to explore life, smile, laugh, cry, learn, play, fall down, get back up, make others laugh…make others happy…eat, sleep and do it all over again
Breakthrough #9
on the way to work…I “popped” on the way to work Monday morning I was driving and the first song I played on my ipod was a song called “shiny suit theory” by a poet named “jay Electronica” the chorus of the song goes
I’m sailing on a cloud
They trailing below
My shrink told me it’s a feeling they will never know
I pack up all my sins and wear them to the show
Let em go
Let em go
Let em go
Let em go
(you can look the song up to hear the whole version…and ive been listening to this song for a few weeks now and NEVER NEVER once even thought about having a breakdown…ive sung this song outloud and the I realized for the very first time…ive forgiven my self and let it all go)
My version in the car as I began to cry sounded like this
Im sailing on a cloud
They trailing below
My shrink told me it’s a feeling they will never know
I pack up all my sins, all of my insecurities, all of my hate, all of my anger, all of everybodys judgements and ridicule and wear them to the show
Let em go
Let em go
Let em go
Let em go
*Repeat*
At that moment I had finally forgiven myself for everything I have done and had peace of mind…because I found integrity, love and happiness. I thought I came to the forum to find myself…but I found out that I came to the forum and lost everything. And when you’re lost there are an endless amount of possibilities of what you can find. You just have to accept the fact that if you want to be ordinary you’ll forever be “reasonable” if you want to extraordinary you’ll be FOREVER unreasonable.
Thomas Edison
The wright brothers
Albert Einstein
Martin Luther King
ELVIS PRESLEY
There were all unreasonable…look at what happened…just sayin…
We all swim around in a sea of opinions…trying to be right,
not be wrong,
you better hold on tight
because im not that strong
trying to look good,
and not look bad
We are all happy
And get made fun of when were sad
Look tough
Never weak
Were all scared
But never speak
Were all sooo reasonable
All so sure
All so successful
All so pure
Are you sure?
Are you REALLY sure?
Me…
Im not
Give me misery, give me pain
It’s only when we realize we have everything we ever wanted
Where you will truly make your gains
But you…
You wont
YOU WONT
YOU WONT ever let it all go
You wont ever show me the hand you really hold
You wont ever realize how powerful you can be
But WAIT…
Your power
has just made me
Complete
Whole
My heart was so empty
Its now so full
From here on out
I can truly begin to grow
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO WILL NEVER WANT TO SHOW
I Love you, accept you, and will never judge you
But some of you are a boulder of misery
And I will never be able to budge you
But when your ready to crumble
Ready to break
Ill help you pick up the pieces
And watch what you want to make
Life is a game and I choose to play
Life is a game and I choose bobby fisher
I choose the worlds best pitcher
Life is a game and I choose 7-2 off suit
And Im all in
If I lose
Ante up…
cuz im going back in
Life is a game and I choose bob barker
I choose Michael Jordan
I choose Tom Brady
Im going to lose time after time
Because I choose shit
And for the first time
Im going to roll around in it
Smile
Laugh
Hurt
cry
im sick and tired of living in the realm of “someday” and “when I”
Someday for me is right now
And when I
Die….
On my tombstone it will read “here lies joey bellus…whatta fucking ride!!!”
THANK YOU EVERYBODY THAT HAS EVER BELIEVED ME AND HAS DOUBTED ME…WHO HAS LOVED ME AND HATED ME…YOU HAVE JUST SHOWN ME WHO I REALLY AM AND I WILL FOREVER BE GRATEFUL.
Inspired by: Real life shit
Written by: Joseph Vincent Bellus




