"Is It Just Me or am I making too much out of this?" I've asked myself this question countless times throughout my life. There were times when I could have been "over dramatic" and blew things out of proportion, according to my self-critic. But some of my observations were on point. I realized it was self-doubt trying to convince me to dismiss and/or discount what I felt.

Now, think for a moment. Can you imagine how many conditions were passed down from generation to generation? This is not just in my family. It is present in all of our families, especially African Americans, but not limited to them. Some would argue some of those "traits" are learned behaviors, but for the sake of time and debate, that is also possible. Take greatness, for example. It is said to be in our DNA. I'm with that because it's true. But what about the not-so-great traits? Aren't they a part of our DNA, too? Resiliency is another characteristic that can be found in our DNA, but how or why do you think this is so? Trauma and other ordeals had to occur in order for resiliency to be acquired. So, let's explore this concept further.