Dragon Wizdom

Before you leave why not achieve every dream you can conceive?

[dragonwizdom]

Downtown Las Vegas: Downtown Faith

I knew nothing about Las Vegas prior to moving to Downtown Las Vegas last year in May 2015.  All I knew is that they call it ‘Sin City” but I wasn’t even sure why Vegas earned that moniker.  I never travelled to Las Vegas and all I saw about Vegas was from television and movies which was mostly casinos and strip clubs.  I knew gambling and lust was a sin so I figured that added to Vegas’s reputation.  I was also familiar with the maxim, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”.  I interpreted that phrase as a pass to have sexual adventures during your stay in Vegas.

Gold Spike Hotel & Casino

Yet, when I moved into the Gold Spike,  I soon recognized that Vegas’s role in pop culture was even greater than I realized.  I didn’t take long for me to become familiar with landmarks and attractions like the Bellagio, Fremont Street, and Welcome to Las Vegas sign. Now when I listen to music and watch films I’m surprised how much I hear references or see Las Vegas locations!

Fremont Street Experience

Initially, I had an interview for the Customer Loyalty Team position at Zappos in Downtown Las Vegas.  I jumped through all the hoops to secure my interview which include: interacting in a twitter discussion every Thursday, recording a video interview, completing multiple online applications, and even making a YouTube video about my qualifications for the position.  I put on my most dapper attire for the interview, printed out my resume and went in with a positive attitude to my interview.  But when the interview was over, I did not have the sensation that I aced it.  Nor was I surprised to receive a message a week later informing me that I was not chosen for the position.  Even more interesting, was the combined feeling of relief and resentment.

Akil Evans, Downtown Podcast Emcee

The truth is, I never wanted to be a CLT member. My dream is to connect with people on stage and face to face in order to remind them that life is good and dreams come true with hard work.  I especially desire to influence the youth.  I remember my teachers and youth pastors that saw more than I could see in myself when I was younger.  Thus, I started traveling to various churches in Vegas and requesting to be a Youth Group Leader or get involved anyway possible.  This job hunt did not prove fruitful neither.  Either the distance was to far from Downtown or there was a lack of open positions.  My frustration grew when I reflected on  my experience with Youth Ministry and leading small discussion groups in my hometown Cleveland, Ohio.

So, I went back to looking for secular jobs and networking because I needed to eat and pay bills.  And there is an abundance of networking opportunities or collision scenarios in DTLV.  It appeared as though all my neighbors and new friends living in the Gold Spike were entrepreneurs, inventors, programmers, start-ups or straight up go-getters.

(Top)Donevon Martinez & Akil Evans on set for the film ‘Immortal Wars’  (Bottom) Fashion Designer Derek Smoot & Akil Evans

The first friend I made on my own, Donevon Martinez, is the Creative Director of the Las Vegas late night Talk Show, The Downtown Podcast. And now I am the Master of Ceremonies and Talent of the 501c3.  Moreover, I became friends with Fashion Designer and Las Vegan entrepreneur Derek Smoot. As a result, I am proud to be a brand ambassador for Derek’s brand, Dapper Industries.

Downtown Podcast Audience

Las Vegas is occupied by intelligent, fun, and creative people, that tourists, visitors, and the rest of us are ignorant because we come for “Sin City” . The multiple open mic nights every week in Las Vegas gave me the opportunity to sharpen my skills and the collaborative spirit here is infectious.  I could write a in length about the new connections but I really want to focus on a conversation I had with an audience member after the the live studio recording of the Downtown Podcast.

Inspire Theater

I just finished thanking the audience and inviting them to mingle at the Rooftop After Party of the Inspire theater where we film every Thursday, when Jeremy Martin approached me.  He complimented me and asked if I had faith in God because of the spirit of my message to crowd.  “No doubt!” I exclaimed and began to explain how my experience in Youth Ministry and Church in Cleveland and how I attempted to continue my spiritual journey in Vegas.

Jeremy Martin’s Debut Stand-Up performance at the Downtown Podcast with DJ Lenny ‘Love’ Alfonso

Jeremy wasn’t surprised about my faith and began to explain his vision to plant a church in Downtown Las Vegas.  I didn’t quite realize the responsibility I accepted when I said “I’m down” that day.  Although I’m starting to wise up, with all these meetings and discussions we’re having lately.  Although I could rave for days about the complex culture and community of Downtown, it’s far from perfect.  I see so many homeless people on the street everyday my heart’s starting to grow cold and I avoid eye contact with them. I’m even ashamed to admit I let my kindness and naivety play me like a fool because I wanted to help someone out.  But my biggest challenge is trying to find affordable groceries nearby!  Sometimes our mission to spread God’s love in the DTLV community seems overwhelming.  Yet it is a worthy challenge and I’m proud to rise to the occasion as a core team member of Downtown Faith!

[dragonwizdom]

"The bigger the dream the bigger the fight. Fight on. Pray hard. Lean on each other." - @jmart316

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In #ATL this week for #OC16 to pick up the knowledge and bring it back to @dtlvfaith all of of Las Vegas! (at Gwinnett Convention Center)

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Late night session with George at #SkyCenter. This is just a lil taste of what's to come! 🙌🏿🎤🐉 #dragonwizdom #spokenword #poetry #rhymes #art #motivation #dream #lasvegas #hustle (at Gold Spike)

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Enjoy the First Joint Production: Downtown Podcast X Travel Joint featuring Andrew W.K.

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Check out my interview with Jeremy Martin from http://dtlvfaith.com/  Jeremy and I are starting a church that provides a setting for people to discuss faith! 

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Live in the moment, be present and enjoy the beauty around you!

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The Downtown Podcast is more than a show—it’s a lifestyle to create an impact in the perception of our city by highlighting the intelligent and creative personality of Downtown Las Vegas. We are a community-focused non-profit delivering powerful content to Entertain, Inform and Inspire. LAS VEGAS IS MUCH MORE THAN SIN CITY.

Check me out at 19:05

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Las Vegas is much more than SIN CITY I love being the Emcee for Las Vegas’s Talk Show, the Downtown Podcast!

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Believe me when I say this cause I'm living in Las Vegas. If you do make it do what it do dreams come true! #vegasmade #dragonwizdom #motivation #dream #hustle (at Las Vegas, Nevada)

[dragonwizdom]

Italian Sculptor Carves an Impressive Dragon Head from a Watermelon

Hey it's Friday and it's summer, so here's Italian sculptor Valeriano Fatica carving an awesome dragon head out of a watermelon. I especially love how he accomplished the details of the scales that seem to gradually emerge from the flesh of the melon. You can explore a bit more of F

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Smile with your Heart; it will forever bring laughter to those in need. Give from the Heart; it will bring happiness to yourself and to those around you. #DragonWizdom (at City Of Las Vegas, City Hall)

[dragonwizdom]

What is DragonWizdom?

Compared to dragons our lives are short, so let’s invest the time we have. It’s true that this life is a blessing, but it is not without its challenges.  At times of change, loss, or disaster we can unconsciously attract negative energy into our lives.  Although we cannot see these negative thoughts, they influence our language and actions in very tangible ways.  In these periods of adversity, we can forget to invest in ourselves, stop believing our dreams, or worse yet, stop striving towards the greatness we are destined to live. Every single day, but especially during the times of restlessness and worry we need a reminder. A reminder that tough times don’t last, a reminder that we can change the world for the greater good, a reminder that dreams come true.

The youth in particular, benefit from a long-term positive influence that fosters passion and discipline. You have a masterpiece to share with the world; I fear that some youth are never revealed this truth. The youth will inherit the world and when we don’t invest in them we are jeopardizing the future of our world.

In the same way, organizations thirst for a reminder of the power of passion and collaboration.  Over time, organization members can become complacent or suffer from group-think.  This leads to a stagnant environment where people are hesitant to take risks, stop investing in themselves or the organization, and forget why they joined in the first place.

Dragon Wizdom is that reminder that we should not invest in the terrestrial but in the eternal.  Our time on Earth is limited and when we invest our time and talents into earthly objects to define our worth, they eventually fail us. Invest instead in family and friends, the environment, your community, and your organizations and you will gain riches tangible and intangible. You will know happiness and you will fulfill your deepest dreams.

Dragon Wizdom is imparted face-to-face, live on stage, in small groups, and via social media online. Dragon Wizdom helps us concentrate our passion into daily goals and reminders in order realize our vision for the future.  Despite your current situation imagine what you deserve believe it’s possible and make it true. This is the essence of Dragon Wizdom.

Some people on believe in what they can see or touch.  They think dragons are a myth.  Just because they haven’t seen one. They think they don’t exist. They’re too caught up to see the dragon in their midst.

[dragonwizdom]

This is my interpretation of "The Mystic" by Osho. The instrumental featured is "Righdin" by Kirschenbomb Check him out here: @kirschenbaum

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A Study on Aggression and Self-Control from Lumosity

A study of self-control and aggression from http://www.lumosity.com/

I wasn’t paid to share this.  I use Lumosity daily to train my brain and found this article interesting.

A self-control training technique you can use anywhere, anytime.  Could you train your self-control with a technique that’s so easy, you can do it while you eat, flip channels, or brush your teeth? It might just be possible according to a new research study in which 70 college students went through 2 weeks of self-control training that involved using their non-dominant hands in everyday life. The strength theory of self-controlMany scientists liken self-control to a muscle: the more you use it, the more fatigued it becomes. If you’ve lifted weights until you’re sore, you’re more likely to drop a heavy bag of groceries; and if you’ve used your self-control until it’s drained, you might snap at a well-meaning friend. 

According to the researchers who conducted this 2013 study, the strength model also has a theoretical upside. They hypothesized that the students in this study could strengthen self-control in the long run — in the way that a body builder eventually strengthens his muscles after weeks of training — by practicing self-control more often. In this case, students would train by resisting the urge to use their dominant hands.How the study exercised self-control and tested aggression. At the beginning of the study, each student answered an Aggression Questionnaire to help researchers understand their natural aggression and anger levels. 

The students were then split into two groups: a training group and a control group. Over the next two weeks, the training group was told to exert self-control by using their non-dominant hands as much as possible for everyday tasks. The trainers filled out online diaries and answered text messages from the researchers to help stay on track. The control group received generic texts and questions during this time period. 

After two weeks, all students came back to the lab to take part in two experimental tasks designed to provoke anger and aggressive behavior — and to help researchers measure how successful training had been. First, students were told to present their life goals to a stranger over video chat. As far as the students knew, this stranger was meant to give constructive feedback. In reality, the stranger’s goal was to provoke anger: instead of real feedback, students got a barrage of insults. Immediately afterwards students answered questions about their anger levels. 

Next came a disguised test of aggressive behavior: students were told to play a competitive game against the same insulting stranger. If they won, they could punish their opponent with a loud blast of white noise. In reality, the “games” were rigged so that the students won every time, and the length and loudness of their blasts gave researchers an opportunity to measure aggression levels.Less anger linked to self-control trainingIn the survey administered after the students received insulting feedback, the training group reported feeling less angry than the control group. 

And when researchers looked only at students with high Aggression Questionnaire scores, an even more striking difference came out. The naturally aggressive people who didn’t undergo self-control training tended to deliver more aggressive blasts of noise, as expected; but the naturally aggressive people who did train self-control showed no unusually aggressive behavior.What’s next?Self-control is one of the more fascinating aspects of human behavior. While this study examined practicing self-control in a very specific situation, this ability can have far-reaching effects on other aspects of everyday life. In a past study, for example, researchers found that people perceive coworkers with higher self-control as better at their jobs. And anecdotally, all of us can remember a time when self-control felt crucial to a task. 

That’s why it’s so encouraging to see researchers explore such a simple, accessible technique for training self-control. While further research remains to be done, the non-dominant hand technique is yet another way you can challenge yourself during your regular routine. Next time you play a Lumosity impulse control game like Color Match, add to the challenge by using your non-dominant hand.

[dragonwizdom]

Because of his piebald face, he was rejected by his mother, leaving the owners of Deer Tracks Junction in Cedar Springs, Michigan, to care for the animal. Read more at http://www.grindtv.com/wildlife/rare-white-faced-deer-rejected-by-mom-but-in-loving-hands/#fJdIJ11HXqb9WsRK.99

There’s a place for everyone, and every dragon.

[dragonwizdom]

This poem comes for a deleted scene from the movie Dead Poets Society.  The instrumental is provided by my brother Chevz.  Check him out here: https://soundcloud.com/e-chevz

And still we sleep

We’re dreaming of tomorrow, and tomorrow isn’t coming

We’re dreaming of the glory we don’t really want

We’re dreaming of a new day, when the new day is there already

We’re running from the battle, when it’s the one that must be fought

And still we sleep

We’re listing for the calling, but never really heeding it

Hoping for the future, when the future’s only plans

Dreaming of the wisdom that we’re dodging daily

Praying for a savior, when salvation’s in our hands

And still we sleep

And still we dream, and still we fear, and still we pray,

And still we sleep