They Lied.
You know the hardest thing about being an adult? Realizing that for a good portion of your life you were lied to. And I’m not talking “Santa” or “tooth fairy” type lies. I’m talking the types of lies about history, religion, and the so-called origins of various cultural phenomenon that have you living life a certain way. You know, treating people and things in alignment with how you errantly perceive them. But the craziest and my gut-wrenching part is that we are being lied to by people who didn’t know that they were lying. So when you tell the liar that they are lying/misguided/uninformed then you look like the “crazy-conspiracy-google-search-freak” that just wants to be a wet blanket. To be totally transparent, between the ages of 16 and 19 I began to look at the world differently, partially to exposure (Morehouse sociology will do that to you) but mostly because I wanted to assert my role in this thing we have dubbed “the world”. And with the desire for a societal role that wreaked of authenticity and magnetized respect, I began to shrug off old ideologies like James Brown’s performance cape. I wrote down some of my revelations to share with you. Check me out. Tell me if I’m lying...
Cash Is Queen
Frequently in matters of business people say that cash is king when describing how money has a catalyzing effect. But when we think of chess, the king is the end-all-be-all pinnacle piece. In fact, as the pinnacle piece, a king can only move one space at a time. So although the king’s position is of import, it is not of power. Rather the Queen is the piece who can move freely in any direction, any number of spaces. In the wake of her omnipotent moves, the Queen changes the landscape. She changes the possibilities. What’s more is that pawns can be viewed as non-liquid assets that can be converted into Queens (Cash) with the proper forward maneuvers.
The Spice of Life: CONSISTENCY
Spices are used to add flavor or to highlight a particular element within a concoction. In what ways do we highlight a particular characteristic or skill within ourselves. Repetition. I’ve said it before energy becomes matter at high frequency. It is the consistent vibration of atomic particles that makes existence possible. Imagine if atoms decided to vary their vibratory pattern? Existence would cease to be until the consistency was resumed. In order to spice up our lives as we envisioned as children playing “That’s My Car”, we must be more consistent in our efforts. It is not the ephemeral rushing waters that create canyons but the consistent droplets that make the difference. Consistent flows spice things up.
Aren’t Paid, Don’t Eat.
As as social justice entrepreneur, I’m inspired to build businesses that solve social problems. Similar to how Martin Luther King developed the SCLC or how Elijah Muhammad built the Nation of Islam, this type of work requires a unique fortitude of character. But let’s be clear, one can indeed be doing much work in this area of human justice but working alone does not guarantee that you will eat. You must get PAID. Without payments the seeds of work never bear the fruit of prosperity, and with no fruit you don’t eat. As a note to myself I have to remind myself of my value and the compensation I deserve. While also being objective in my business dealings, balancing benevolence and benefits.