The Glow: How the Journey to Fulfilling Your Purpose Begins Within

By Ray A. Humphrey II

What if the very thing you have been looking for was already in your possession? The Glow presents an interesting perspective on why we are here, and why our current lifestyle may not be as rewarding as we'd like. Though I originally heard of this concept in a movie more than thirty years ago, I rediscovered it a few years ago and it has made all of the difference in the world. Before you quit your job, drop out of school, or make any drastic life-altering decisions, take a journey with me and discover your Glow!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Oct 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781733199421

Book preview

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Introduction to The Glow

I am not an ordinary man. Flawed, yes, but not ordinary! You are not an ordinary person. The truth is, none of us are ordinary for we were all fearfully and wonderfully made! I have learned that ordinary is merely a mindset, a perspective, a program we download at birth that ultimately becomes a reality for most people. Ordinary gives rise to mediocrity and a willingness to accept a perpetual less than livelihood; less than you can have, give, and achieve.

I now know we are all extraordinary people, created with intent, by design, with extraordinary abilities for a specific purpose. We all have a gift buried inside of us and it has taken me years to comprehend this concept. There was a time in my life I was not so certain, and I believed most people were simply more talented than me. Some were blessed with better looks, with exceptional athletic ability, and some, just better. I was well loved by my parents and would often hear how handsome and smart I was, but only from adult family members and friends of my parents. As a child, I had low self-esteem. I actually thought if I looked differently, it would make me feel better and more valued. I had no idea what was lying dormant inside of me. My grandmother used to tell me I talked too much. She said it so often, I thought it was a flaw. Little did I know, my desire to talk was attached to my gift, but it would take me years to discover it.

When this realization originally came to me more than 30 years ago, I had no idea that I had been exposed to it. The message was clear, but I was too young to absorb and process it. The idea remained dormant in my subconscious mind for nearly thirty-one years before I rediscovered it; The Glow. I remember it as if it were yesterday.

I was not at church when I heard about it, nor was I attending any camp or self-help summit; I was sitting on my living room floor with my sisters, watching a VHS movie. For you young readers, VHS cassettes preceded DVDs and streaming movie formats! What was the title of the movie I watched, the film that planted a seed deep inside my mind; it was none other than The Last Dragon, produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown! I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, but it took me more than three decades to comprehend the transformational message embedded in the film.

The Last Dragon’s opening scene shows Leroy Green, Jr. (Taimak Guarriello) training with his sensei, his martial arts instructor. During his routine, Leroy is challenged to break arrows shot in his direction by his sensei, but with one caveat. The arrows are color-coated, red and blue. Leroy must break all the red arrows by chopping them in half. However, Leroy must not break, but catch the blue arrow. The only problem is he cannot see the arrows, but must anticipate which ones to break, and which one to catch. Remarkably, he passes the test and begins to feel a sense of accomplishment. According to his Sensei, Leroy has mastered the art of knowing without knowing.

It is at this point Leroy expects to be promoted to a kung fu master and receive the coveted Glow. The Glow is a state of being where the kung fu master’s hands emit a reddish light giving them elevated power and strength. Even greater, the truly accomplished kung fu master will emit a golden glow, not just around one’s hands, but covering the entire body giving superhuman strength and making him unstoppable. Though his sensei acknowledged his completion of the final level, to Leroy’s surprise, there was no Glow. Leroy is told he must find the master in order to be elevated to the level of kung fu master, and to receive The Glow. While Leroy sets out on his journey to find the master, he meets a damsel in distress, who is facing pressures of her own. Laura Charles (Vanity) is being bullied and threatened by a businessman who wants to have his girlfriend’s music played on television during her Seventh Heaven television show. In addition to this distraction, Leroy is confronted by Sho’nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, and his group of degenerates. Sho’nuff, a self-proclaimed kung fu master, despises Leroy and desires to humiliate him. Sho’nuff insists that Leroy kiss his feet and acknowledge him as the one true kung fu master.

Throughout the movie Leroy meets multiple disappointments, and his focus on finding the master is paused because Laura Charles, along with Leroy’s younger brother Richie, were kidnapped in an effort to lure Leroy into a trap. When Leroy attempts to rescue them, he is met by several villains whose only goal is to destroy him. Leroy, with the assistance of the students he trains, fights back and puts an end to the villains. However, just when Leroy thinks it is over, he quickly comes face to face with none other than Sho’nuff. This meeting would become the final fight scene of the movie.

As usual in Hollywood, the battle goes back and forth until Leroy lands a monster kick on Sho’nuff, seemingly knocking him out. However, this is Hollywood, and Sho’nuff is not done yet! He screams, Leroy! When Leroy turns around, he sees his nemesis, Sho’nuff, with a red glow covering his fists. Sho’nuff has The Glow, and it is at this moment he begins to beat Leroy unmercifully. Leroy can stop this beating at any time by acknowledging Sho’nuff as the master, but he refuses to do so.

At this point, it appears all is lost. After Sho’nuff continually asks Leroy, Who’s the master?, he continues to punch Leroy each time he declines to affirm Sho’nuff as the official master. Sho’nuff finally decides to drown Leroy in a huge drum of water.

The first time he forces Leroy underwater, Leroy begins to have flashbacks to various points in the movie. He remembers finding the master he longed for, only to find out it was a computer that printed messages for fortune cookies. The second time he is asked the question and refuses to answer, Sho’nuff puts him under water a little longer. Leroy has another flashback to a point in the movie where Laura Charles makes the comment, You sure look like a master to me! He is brought up for air for the second time, and still does not acknowledge Sho’nuff as the master. Sho’nuff is now infuriated and places Leroy underwater for a third time. Leroy flashes back to the point where his sensei told him, There is one place you have not looked, and it is there, only there, where you will find the master.

It was at this moment Leroy realized the one place he never looked was inside of himself. He had completed all of the training, he had put in all of the work, Leroy looked everywhere except inside himself! He often felt confused, lost, and at times alone, but this all changed instantly, now that he realized all he ever wanted was already in his possession, and that it was time to tap into that power. As Sho’nuff pulled Leroy from the water for the third time, he angrily asked, Now, who’s the master? Leroy replied, I am. Sho’nuff drew back his fist