About the Author
Intro
My name is Ike Love and I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. The cultural and ethnic diversity of the surroundings in which I was raised reflect the multiple aspects of who I am. An uplifter of mankind, a seeker of truth, a writer (I never believed I would ever say that), an entrepreneur, a model, a man of God, an idealist, an intellectual, a son, a brother, and a friend are only SOME of my attributes. I also have been blessed with an amazing ability with languages and an extensive knowledge of different cultures, which has afforded me the ease of connecting with different types of people from around the world.
I put up this site because it was an idea whose time had come. I had reached a level of growth this year where I realized that I was now ready to give back by sharing the wisdom I had picked up from my experiences on my own path of self-discovery. I had tried writing a book before, and wrote quite a few pages, but decided to put it aside. I also, up until now, had discontinued for a couple of years all inspirational newsletters I sent to my email list and blogs that I had written on Myspace because I had more growing that I needed to do before I tried to enlighten anybody else. Several people had asked me about them, but it wasn’t until this year that I realized that I was ready to put a site together. I put this site together because frankly, it was something I had to do, I had no choice.
It is through this site I share with you an inspirational concept that I conceived a few years ago called, The Viable Alternative. It’s my sincere hope that whatever I share with you on this site, that you’re able to use to get out of your own way, and use what you were born with to create your own unique greatness.
Keeping it real.
First off, I would like to say straight up that I’m not some type of wise guru. I definitely still have a lot of growing to do. I haven’t reached a level of self-confidence and self-esteem that I’m satisfied or comfortable with yet, I still have a lot of insecurities that I haven’t worked out yet, and I still have a lot of work to do in terms of having a positive attitude. Patience you ask? Let’s just say if patience was a form of money, going on welfare would be a drastic improvement for me, because I have very little, but I am working on it.. I’m not wealthy (yet) and I haven’t achieved the lifestyle that I desire for myself yet. So, if you’re asking yourself, “What the hell does this LOSER have to teach me?” give me a chance, and I’ll explain below.
My “street cred”
Though I was raised in a well to do family where my parents gave me the best they could, I knew a different type of struggle growing up that lingered well into adulthood. Despite knowing for as long as I could remember that I was going to do something great on this earth, I grew up with a poverty of self-esteem, self- worth and self-confidence.
I know what it’s like not knowing who you are, so you let others dictate it to you. I know what it’s like when you can’t hold your head up high in a crowd because you don’t feel worthy. I know what it’s like to suffer through bouts of depression because you feel like a victim of life and nothing ever works out for you. I know what it’s like wanting to pursue a particular goal or purchase a particular item, but you didn’t think you had the permission from others you perceived as having a “higher status” than so you backed down in order to avoid ridicule and disapproval. I know what it’s like to have a searing anger and hate towards the world because you feel that it “wronged” you. I know what it’s like to be walking through life without any type of motivation whatsoever and just drifting along. I know what it’s like to think you’re going insane because you can’t stop the constant barrage of negative thoughts flooding your mind. I also know the complete and utter frustration you have when you do learn that you have what it takes to be successful in your own right, but feel held back by these intangible “blocks” that you can’t seem to put your finger on but are definitely keeping you from going forward.
Get Rich or Die Tryin’
Going through all this has given me an acute self awareness that I otherwise wouldn’t have had. I know the process of painstakingly building oneself up bit by bit from smouldering ashes to what is starting to look like an incredible “empire.” I have committed myself to a journey to build myself up into a man of true self-confidence from his core, not one of pseudo self-confidence that most people, including myself in the past, have mistaken for true confidence. A journey that most people will never go on because they lack the courage. By doing this, I’ve had to face many ugly truths about myself and fall down on my face many times, but I’m not deluded into thinking that there are any shortcuts. I may not be the most confident, charismatic or successful guy I know, HOWEVER, I am one of the most persistent. I am the guy who NEVER quits and will never stop trying until he reaches his goal because frankly, I’d rather die than settle for less. I may have historically been the slow guy, who has a harder time than the average person learning certain lessons or skills, or grasping certain concepts, but when I get it, I know it inside out. This hasn’t made life particularly easy, but I believe it’s been this way in order to prepare me to teach others the lessons I’ve learned.
On a Mission
I was barely out of my teens when I first realized that I didn’t have to be a victim of my past because I saw that I can use what unique resources and treasures I have in the present to create something in a unique way that no one else can. At that same time, I realized that I didn’t have to be a victim of others who didn’t believe I can or should be successful in whatever I aspired towards because I can appoint myself to be successful independent of others. Realizing these two things completely changed my life. Though I’m embarrassed to admit that I did fall “asleep” once again for several years, these two realizations became the foundation of the inspirational concept, The Viable Alternative that I conceived several years later.
Successful people past and present always inspire me in that each of them are successful in their own unique way that no one else can ever hope to mimic. They inspire me to be always growing so that I can more effectively use my own unique resources and treasures to create something that the world has never seen before that will benefit it as a whole. On this journey, it is my duty to teach others how I overcame my blocks so they can do the same. That is what is fulfilling to me. The concept, The Viable Alternative, is my avenue to do just that.
