sur·viv·al

/sərˈvīvəl/

the state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of an accident, ordeal, or difficult circumstances

My heart has been so heavy lately. I am watching humanity diminish in individuals, most who don’t even realize it’s happening to themselves. The constant motive of “self-preservation” is turning this world into an primitive state, we are devolving. Devolution occurs when there is no growth. And growth only occurs when you are willing to learn new ways of being. If you can not do that you are simply surviving, not thriving. So, let’s talk briefly about what it means to live in survival mode. America is in a state of chaos right now. We are countering disease, civil injustice, poor leadership and the ever present social class inequality. There’s one thing that all of these subjects have in common. They are exterior circumstances, meaning you CANNOT CONTROL THEM. So what’s the solution to a problem you can’t control? The answer is YOU! Your mind, your thoughts and your actions will slowly change your exterior circumstances. There are 3 crippling instruments keeping you from thriving, let’s discuss them.

FEAR.

Fear is your ultimate attack on the mind. It creates fog in the mind and consequently your body in a constant state of anxiety and unrest. When you are living in fear you cannot focus on creation. Fear manifests itself in many aspects of life. Fear of failure, the fear of poverty, fear of disease, and immensely- the fear of finality. Fear spikes cowardice in a lot of situations. On a grand scale, we see that now with police justifying death as a means to preserve their own life before it is even in danger. Fear breeds anger. We see that with the riots being caused in the name of people unjustly slaughtered through the hands of these “protectors” that are supposed to be here to ease our fears. Fear is the first tool that has been used by many oppressors to inspire obedience throughout history. When you live in a state of fear you the lack confidence to procure success. Success in every sense. Success obtaining powerful love, success in obtaining wealth, and success in creating unity. Fear is the most effective distraction to prohibit growth! Conquering fear can be done one step at a time. Start with doing something you are afraid to do. It can be as little as climbing a high cliff, as big as starting a business or as prominent as fighting someone else’s fight (you decide). You gain traction each time you fail. Because one day you’ll wake up and realize what you felt in a moment of failure won’t hold a candle to the triumph you feel when you begin to fly.

POVERTY.

Simply put, there is NO POWER in poverty. There is NO PEACE in poverty. The dangerous thing about poverty is that it is HIGHLY contagious. It may start in the pockets but like disease it seeps into other places like your mindset and the minds of future generations. I once heard someone say that “the ghetto” will always be the ghetto no matter how much money you put in to renovate it. And they’re not wrong. A large number of people living in the ghetto grew up with low expectations. If you give them something new it’s run down in a few months. WHY? It’s not because they didn’t deserve the upgrade but rather because you gave them a material change NOT the mental one that they needed first. People with poor mentalities often share the same qualities. Here’s a quick checklist of habits that lead to mental & financial poverty:

You live paycheck to paycheck.
You spend first & save later or not at all.
You find a problem in every solution.
You have opinions on everything and accurate knowledge in NOthing.
You are intolerant to change.
You expect everything from others but give nothing in return.

The reason why poverty is so hard to overcome is because the blame game is a heavy factor. The reason why people (specifically my people) have a problem getting ahead in life is because they let exterior circumstances determine their future actions. There will always be inequality and injustice but that is where you need to have enough self-discipline to rise above the expectation someone else has ingrained into your mental. Acknowledging life is harder for you if you come from poverty won’t help you. Acknowledging life is unfair if you are a person of color won’t help you. The only thing that can help you is you. Obtaining wealth is hard, being poor is hard. PICK YOUR HARD! Teach your kids to not repeat the same mistakes you made with finances. Don’t spend what you don’t have. Don’t count on anyone else to provide things that you need. The hardest lesson numerous people learned during COVID was that they weren’t as financially stable as they thought they were. You celebrated all summer 19’ now you don’t have a dollar to your name to withstand even a one month storm of lost income. The government knew that, so they dangled stimulus checks and unemployment to appease your anger and increase your spending. This won’t free you, it’s PACIFYING YOU and your fickle emotions. There is no peace when you are stressing about where your next dollar will come from. I saw a video of a woman crying because she couldn’t feed her kids. This broke my heart, there is NO PEACE in poverty. The reason why it was granted to everyone but the wealthy was because they know HOW to use money. When you’re a poor spender you haven’t learned that skill so they know by default you will stimulate the economy. Waiting for the next dollar is not a way to live. BREAK THIS NOW! The rule of thumb is to live on 50% of your income. Don’t let your ego stop you from this achievement. Don’t spend money you don’t have trying to portray a life you can’t afford. This here is the reason Donnie and his like-minded followers don’t respect my people. Black people have the lowest overall household income yet are nearly equal in how much we spend for entertainment and near nonexistent on how much we save/invest comparative to other races. Our fear of “lack” is so deep rooted you are trying to prove you can keep up with people who already know you can’t (and therefore treat you as such). If you want to change this game LEVEL UP. We know for a fact there is power in money. Spend your dollar wisely, live below you means, and GROW your investments. A female once told me she declined a job that paid her $1 more because it put her out of the section 8 housing income limit. I was completely mind blown. So tell yourself this isn’t the standard that I will accept for myself. This type of comfort is dangerous. YOU NEED TO GET VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TO THRIVE! Until you grow your pockets AND your mind you have no weight to yield any power; politically, socially, or internally. It’s time to put some POWER behind our presence. It’s no longer optional it’s obligatory.

you’re a thug if you’re black and broke. you’re misunderstood if you’re white but esp if you’re rich.

HIS SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE!

ill health.

This component is probably the least important to people with regard to living a life rooted in abundance instead of lack. Your mental health is directly influenced by the “food” you feed your body. A body lacking proper nutrition is a breeding ground for mental illness and physical disease. Poor nutrition not only increases chances of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and numerous other silent killers it is also a distinguished cause in depression, anxiety disorders, inability to focus, fatigue and irritability. Feed your body substance and vitality. Black people are the leading race in all of the chronic physical diseases I mentioned. Although the food we love is part of the culture ask your self why no one else “seasons their chicken” that heavily. Or why there’s a McDonald’s in every hood but Whole Food’s and franchises like Veggie Grill have to have a “target market” in order to profit. They know your health is poor. They don’t care and they are hoping you never start to! You have two ways to pay for your health. In the beginning by feeding your self fresh fruit and veggies cutting out excessive red meat etc OR you can play catch up by paying for medications, surgeries, and other costly treatments to get back your health. Why take the hard way? The answer is after so long of feeding yourself these poisoning foods you don’t possess the mental clarity to detox. Therefore you exhaust your time, money, and energy trying to regain something you could’ve cared for from the start. COVID isn’t the only disease that preys on the sick it’s just the one that’s currently being showcased.

THRIVE

/THrīv/

grow or develop well or vigorously; prosper; flourish

The reality is life is unfair. Extremely so. As an individual it is your job not to take that personally and as a sure sign of defeat. A negative mind will never give you a positive life. Repeat : A negative mind will NEVER give you a positive life. So regardless of everything you’ve been through, rebuild. Speak life into yourself and your seeds. Learn your weaknesses and conquer them. You are greater than any bad hand you’ve been dealt and there is nothing to fear but fear itself. It starts with you. Hurt, HEAL, and then Reconstruct. Discard every negative thing you grew up being told or that you personally experienced. Live in the present and prepare for the future. The only way to infiltrate a system not built for you, is to build one that is. This is a momentous time for awakening, don’t lose traction. It has always been mind, body spirit. Good health, a clear mind and pure spirit are essential to maintain balance in this thing called life.

Living in SURVIVAL Mode