Is the War on Drugs, The New Jim Crow and How Do We Stop It...

I recently started reading a book titled, The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander. The book is discussing the comparison of mass incarceration of black and brown skinned people (The New Jim Crow) and Jim Crow of the early 1900's. Very good read, I will say. It discusses the "war on drugs" and how it started before the drug epidemic was a major factor. Again good information, but I ask you does it solve the problem. It gives statistics on comparisons between 1990 and 2008, good information but is focusing on the problem getting us closer to where we want to be? T Harv Eker says, "Where attention goes, energy flows, and results show." Stated differently, if we continue to focus on mass incarceration, then we will continue to get mass incarceration. What if we changed that focus to Economic Empowerment? What if we focused on Personal Wealth Building Did you know that a large majority of employees pay to much in taxes, because they have there W-4 filled out wrong? Did you also know that transportation expenses between your home and your main or regular place of work are personal commuting expenses (If you own your own business). If we spend my time increasing our Financial IQ, we can start new world where our kids are getting rich vs incarcerated. We must change our focus from the problems that plague the lower income communities to the solutions that can change our communities. We can not sit around and wait on any one to do it for us. We need new leaders in our communities that are there in the trenches teaching Economic Empowerment. We need someone there who will speak with the people of the community about the SBA and the SCORE office. We need community leaders who are not preaching against non violence, but for Economic Empowerment. I do not say that to take the light off Black on Black crime or the New Jim Crow, because both are major problems in the black community. I am just proposing a new way of looking at things, a new focus. Again, what you focus on expands. Don't take my word for it, do your own research. Education will always govern ignorance. I am not talking about that education you get from school. I am talking Financial Education. Do you know the history of taxes? Do you know where your money is invested in your 401k? Again, I am not advocating for a person to not invest in your companies retirement plan. But when you do that how has your financial IQ increased? Do you go to a job everyday that you love? Was your dream to be an employee? Do you have an Entrepreneur's Spirit? Is there a desire to be your own boss boiling in you? Being a Entrepreneur is a very rewarding accomplishment. It positions you to be able to add value to other peoples life, by providing jobs. It also allows you to do something you love. The greatest thing about entrepreneurship is the ability to do it today at a small price. And we will discuss that in our next post. To You Experiencing Your Level of Success

Living Your Personal Legend

Recently I listened to a video that Will Smith did on success. I actually showed it to all 6 of my kids. Of course none actually got what will was saying at the level that I would like for them comprehended. But today I do not have that expectation. I know that they have to live their on "Personal Legend." I took those words from a book that Will spoke of on that video, The Alchemist.

The term Personal Legend, according to The Alchemist refers to living out your purpose. In Sanskrit, this is know as your Dharma. Whatever name that you want to give your Divine calling, we all have a purpose to fulfill on this Earth. Your Dharma is the thing that when you are doing it, you feel at the most peace. I heard Bishop TD Jakes say "You can wake me out of my sleep with cold in my eyes and slobber on the side of my mouth and I can preach, I was born to do this."
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What were you born to do? Are you a writer and fail to do so because of the callings of everyone else? Sit with that for a minute, meditate on it, pray about it. But whatever it is, listen and it will be revealed to you.

We have to listen to our #instinct as Bishop Jakes says in his book titled, INSTINCT. For a long time I have thought my Legend to be forwarding the cause of black people, through financial literacy. Even though my actions said something completely different. But after reading a book by John Hope Bryant this week, titled "How The Poor Can Save Capitalism," and my spiritual growth journey. I understand this challenge to not only service to black people, but the underserved as a whole.

So stop existing and begin to live. Live everyday as if it your last. I challenge you to wake up tomorrow and dare to live a life where your actions have purpose. I leave you with this quote today "You can have anything in life you want, as long as you help enough other people get what they want." Zig Ziglar

The New You In 2014

Well I write to you this beautiful, snowy day here in Atlanta, Ga. As I write I consider the fact that local news have been warning of this storm for a few days. But somebody, somewhere still dropped the ball. Reminds me of the saying, Poor Planning leads to Poor results.

Is that a familiar saying in your life? Proverb 29:18 in the King James Version of the Bible states "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill labels this as #2 of his 30 major causes of failure "Lack of a well-defined purpose in life." 

Do you know where you are going? Do you wake up in the morning with a clear vision of what you want to accomplish for today? Do you go to sleep every night evaluating your day, to ensure that today was a good day?

These are just a few questions that you need to ask yourself. As I grow on my spiritual path I notice that life is as easy or hard as I make it. But I also know that if I take the time to make my plan (goals), plan my work (to do list), work my plan (action), life is inherently more easy. This does not mean that I do not hit roadblocks, plans don't get shifted, or setbacks don't occur. But when these things happen I keep on moving.

I had a high school football coach and his halftime speech to us was "Breaks go against you, keep on pushing, Breaks go for you, keep on pushing." So if those plans call for changes, make the changes and begin to move forward again.

WINNERS NEVER QUIT AND QUITTERS NEVER WIN....