DieselDonlow BlogCage

Leverage

In March 2016, I was honored to work with a local dealership in Huntington, West Virginia.

At the time, I was fresh in the Acting Industry and willing to go wherever to receive a chance to showcase my skills and talents.

I had never been to Huntington because I had no purpose to go there—until this opportunity presented itself.

While working with this production, they noticed my hoodie and asked me about it.

They asked about the logo.

That moment became a way to showcase what I was about and how I could leverage my talents to people from a different region that I am not from.

Opportunities for marketing, networking, and future partnerships began to take PLACE.

YOU MUST LEVERAGE.

Because opportunities are always knocking—but are you receptive and listening?

This piece explores how leveraging your brand, your presence, and your awareness can OPEN doors you didn’t even know existed.

Namaste.

Dear 16-year-old self,

A lot of emotions took place during the photo above.
We just lost in the state semifinals to Chillicothe, who played their butts off and used their fast point guard to offset our speed.

Anyway, I prefer something other than discussing the events that day.

The beginning of that year started with me transferring to Ursuline High School, which had been recruiting me hard since I was in 7th grade. This is the 2007–2008 school year, and I never forget when I made that decision—not fully my own, but influenced by other people involved in my life.

It felt easy to go there, and it felt easy to leave Poland because I felt underappreciated at times and not appreciated for the talent that I offered. I thought everything would be okay.

But when I stepped into school in August of 2007, it didn’t feel like home. The energy didn’t vibe with me. I remember telling myself I must get out of this situation.

I called Coach Grisdale and told him I wanted to come back home. The best decision I ever made followed—one loss that season, in the state semifinals against Chillicothe.

What came next was bigger than basketball.

This letter reflects pride, apology, growth, and a lesson I didn’t yet have the words for—one that Neville Goddard would later help me understand:

“The world is yourself pushed out.”

At the time, I wasn’t in tune with those deeper powers. I didn’t know how to step into my power or command respect with my TALENT.

This is a letter about learning that lesson—then, and now.

Namaste.

Hello, and welcome.
I’m genuinely excited to open this space and share it with you.

This is a dream made real—an offering of inspiration, knowledge, education, and lived experience meant to support you on your own voyage. What you’re entering is not just a blog. It’s a Blog Cage.

So what is a Blog Cage?

A Blog Cage is a place—physical, mental, and spiritual—designed for writing and reflection, decorated not with tools or lumber, but with ideas that move you. When you step inside your Blog Cage, you’re surrounded by musings that sharpen focus, ignite motivation, and gently demand presence.

Sounds impressive? It’s simpler—and deeper—than it seems.

A Blog Cage can absolutely help you become the best version of yourself. It can unlock hidden potential, reveal purpose, and teach you something you didn’t know you were missing. Every story, every musing inside the cage becomes material for transformation—if you build it the right way.

And no, you don’t need to visit Home Depot.
The only materials required are curiosity and imagination.

Curiosity is what sends you searching—through stories, lessons, memories, philosophies, practices. Each discovery becomes another element decorating your cage. The more intentional the inspiration, the more powerful the cage becomes.

Every Blog Cage is shaped by two forces:

Light Musings and Dark Musings.

Light musings bring joy, clarity, and upliftment. Dark musings—often misunderstood—carry frustration, anger, or feelings of inadequacy. Many avoid them. Few realize that dark musings can be a profound source of energy and strength. Inner power is often hidden inside the shadow you’d rather not face.

But dark musings alone aren’t enough.

To transform them, the cage must be reinforced—consistently—with movement, hydration, breathwork, meditation, yoga, affirmative prayer, and disciplined thought. Whether you feel like it or not. Devotion to your practice, your calling, and your regime is what alchemizes shadow into fuel.

If you want to dominate—not others, but your own limits—you must learn at a higher level.

So… who are your muses?

Some teach imagination and assumption.
Some teach relentless work ethic.
Some teach visualization, intuition, or the quiet discipline of daily practice.
Some teach you how to steal a basketball.
Some teach you how to lead others to water—and remind you that you must choose to drink.

And then there’s the bottle—shaped like something out of Aladdin’s cave.

Inside it lives the Seminary Bottle—a vessel containing everything you need to remember who you are becoming.

Do you know the password?

Bulldogs. Bulldogs. Bulldogs.

Open it, and you’ll find lessons, names, stories, philosophies—each one a mirror. Each one asking the same question:

Are you ready to learn?

Welcome to your first Blog Cage.

Namaste.

(Below, a young basketball player faces a muse from his time. Know this: the muses don’t leave. They follow you—for eternity.)