Power

Kanye West, one of my favorite artists of all time (no matter how eccentric), has reemerged in the world of hip hop music, and he’s returned a mid controversy of his alleged ties to the Illuminati after debuting a video for his tracked titled, “Power.” The video depicts a compelling West standing still in the center of a moving painting as he chimes, “No one man should have all that power” over a thumping beat with harmony lulling in the background. For years, people have speculated the Illuminati, an age-old secret society, have plans to take over the world as we know it or secretly run ish already. Now I love him to death, so forgive me here….but Kanye, a member of the Illuminati? I just don’t see it no matter how many symbols the public points to. I mean, this is the same guy who said President George Bush didn’t like Blacks during a telethon following Hurricane Katrina, and the same guy who threw tantrums ‘cause he ain’t win an MTV award, and the same guy who, later, interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance for an MTV award to make his own public service announcement on how undeserving she was and claimed the award should’ve gone to Hov’s wifey Beyonce instead. Unless the research I pored over is wrong, the Illuminati claim to have spiritual enlightenment, but who am I to judge? Love you, Kanye!

Moving right along, class is in session. Today’s lesson is on nothing other than power. Kanye’s track ends with the lyric, “You got the power to let power go.” Deep, huh? Just let that marinate. Ordinarily, some of us walk around complaining to be powerless and wanting the world to change instead of letting go and sharing what we do have to create a Different World. In Start Over, Finish Rich, David Bach dedicated the final chapter to finding your power and the importance of lending it to others who are less fortunate. The best-selling author and personal finance expert quotes Sir John Templeton (b. 1912 - d. 2008) who once said, “The secret of life is to become a ‘go giver’ – not a ‘go getter.’” That goes hard, right? Now I know you’re probably thinking that we’ve just recovered from a recession, and you ain’t got much doe to give. Well, maybe you do and maybe you don’t, but giving back doesn’t always mean trickin’ your money to charity (which is a worthy cause by the way). As Russell Simmons' book title says, Do You! the best way you can.

For sometime now, my friendgirl Staci of My Journey to Better has grumbled about the poor economic conditions of Edgecombe County in Rocky Mount, N.C. She’s also mentioned how the neighboring county, Nash, is thriving, which brought Haiti and the Dominican Republic to mind. Every time she’s mentioned it I’ve asked, “What are you going to do about it?” The first time I asked her, she seemed stunned as if to say, “No, she didn’t!” This last time, she sat quietly and pondered on what and how she could do something, anything. Much too often, we immediately discount

ourselves as being unfitting to tackle an issue or not having the means necessary to make it happen, but that’s not what power and giving back are about. When Miss Qui Vive approached me about this blog venture, I thought, “Yeah, I have ideas. But really, who is going to listen?” Some 2,000 hits later, I’m still hangin’ in there. I'm glad I agreed to do it because I pushed pass something hindering me from within myself, and I've been able to get you to think about money (maybe in a way you never had).

About a week or so after choppin’ it up with my friendgirl Staci, she came to me again and spoke of a dream – a vision. She had become inspired by her burden and contacted a local city council member in Rocky Mount, N.C. for some REAL talk on improving the city’s conditions. Instead of sitting by idly, she found her power and in it, her purpose. She sought to organize a health and wellness fair with vendors from across the state contributing services to the public at no charge in hopes of awakening the city and whipping its’ people into shape. Motivated by her power to improve the lives of others, she also asked for yours truly to participate, as a financial literacy advocate, among the support of many other young strivers and entrepreneurs. And she’s already scheming ideas to empower the city’s youth with the first-ever Teen Summit.

Speaking from personal experience, I know using my power for the greater good has been a humbling and rewarding one. Not only do I help someone else, but I feel better about myself in the process. I get what some call the "Helper's High" and look past whatever dilemmas I am facing by focusing all of my attention on doing good for others. Research has shown that we feel a sense of euphoria after acts of kindness, and our brains have a response similar to its' reaction to chemicals like dopamine. So get high by getting your give on!

In case you didn’t quite get it, lesson #4 for young strivers is:

Tap into your power and shine your light on others through giving whatever you have to offer

(i.e. dinero, time, etc.) no matter how much or little it is.

Questions to Think About:

1. Are you a “go giver” or a “go getter?”
2. Do you know where your power lies? And your purpose?
3. How do you use your power to better the world?
4. What's your take on Mr. West's video? If you haven't seen it, watch for yourself below.

Debunk the Junk...Then Chunk

I have a shameful addiction…

I – love – reality TV! Any kind, it doesn’t matter – from D-list celebrities attempting to find love, to hard core boot camps, even to Housewives in any region…I’ve got to watch each episode, including the reunion show where there’s bound to be an onstage ambush attacking the upcoming reality star everyone loved to hate (and who will probably have their own reality show in the fall!)

Check out one of my new faves.

Ok, now this is reality tv. But come on, JuneBug Family, is hoarding a little junk really ‘ruining your life,’ ‘embarrassing,’ and a ‘living hell??’ In their cases, it is much more than a stashing a little bit of junk, but I’m sure these monstrous heaps of useless clutter didn’t start out that way. These paralyzing cases of hoarding started out small, as any other problem does. Small stacks of mail on tables. Forgetting to load the dishwasher each night. A couple of shirts missing the dirty clothes hamper. Nothing major, eh? Now those small stacks, forgetful nights, and couple of shirts have turned into a physical blockade, a mental prison, and an emotional captivity.

You would never let it get that out of hand, would you?

Many people, including myself, struggle with clutter in our lives on a daily basis. Clutter, a "confused multitude of things" (WordNetWeb, 2010), can rear its debris-filled head and consume our time, leaving us zapped of our energy, and unable to be productive. Although, there still may be a clear path to our front door, that does not mean our lives are junk-free – it may just mean our junk is revealed in other ways…

• working excessive hours at your job – more than you are able to or need to
• running errands for others and neglecting your own responsibilities
• physically or financially taking care of family members or friends who can take care of themselves
• over-committing OF yourself – and under-committing TO yourself
• living in the past – wondering what could have been?
• feeling guilty about saying ‘no’
• depression, anxiety, or feelings of inadequacy

…the list could go on!

Each of us knows what is cluttering our lives – draining our time and energy from being productive. In his book, The Ten Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management, Hyrum Smith gives several ‘natural laws’ for managing your life and time. Law 7 states, “we satisfy needs when our beliefs are in line with reality (Smith, 1994).” To reduce the clutter in our lives, we should focus on our needs, which will frame our beliefs and give us rules to live by, shape our behavior, and give us the results we desire.

Life is much more than a quick run-through, it is a one-time opportunity to take full advantage and make the most of your time and potential. What we do (or choose not to do) affects others in the world around you. Our actions will spawn us or those around us to potential greatness. Likewise, our inaction will lead to nothing more than mediocrity.

Let’s define what is cluttering our lives, release it, and begin to live freely!

Here at JBT, we continually strive to find ways to engage our readers by offering unique opportunities to interact. Is there something physically, mentally, or emotionally cluttering you life? Do you barely have enough energy to make it through the week? Are there never enough hours in your day? Are you interested in being more productive? Join us via conference call as Kandice Washington explores taking back your time and energy, as well as introducing you to affordable life coaching options. It will take place on Tuesday, June 29^th at 8pm (CST). Please email knwashington09@gmail.com to sign up and receive conference call access by Monday June 27^th.

It Ain't Trickin' If You Got It

It seems our culture is obsessed with glitz and glam, which leaves people (especially young adults) constantly wanting more and more. If it's not buying a new fit, it's an insanely priced Louis Vuitton accessory, a new lacefront, the latest smartphone, or custom rims for the whip. All for what...appearances? Careful, careful 'cause I know your momma told you things aren't always as they seem. Think about it; what does having things really mean, if your bank account is overdrawn, your credit card is maxed out, your child support is late, or the rent is two weeks past due?

Sadly, far too many young adults are chasing a lifestyle instead of chasing their dreams and aspirations. We’re allowing others to define what success means for us with materialism and digging ourselves into holes, living check to check, and repeatedly missing the mark. And tell me just what does society tell you to do in case of an emergency or some unexpected bill emerges, charge it. As the song goes, “It ain’t trickin’ if you got it,” but using credit is a clear indication that you AIN’T got it. As young adults, we’re at critical stages of our lives that will ultimately shape our future. Accumulating debt and spending unnecessarily will only hinder our growth and the opportunities available to us. For instance, more jobs are looking at how we manage our credit, and finance companies bill us more interest for poor credit history. In addition, you can be denied for a higher credit line if you have a negative credit rating.

Well, I am striving for what promoter Langston Carr calls "The Good Life" by pursuing my goals and living within my means in the process. I’d like to think all strivers, including myself, can elevate and live the lifestyles of our choosing as we grow professionally and our wealth increases. In the meantime, I hope our readers here at JuneBug Talk aren’t so fixated and consumed with fantasy and quantifying their existence with things they cannot afford.

Having said all of that, here's lesson #1 for young strivers:

While we're flossin', stuntin', boppin', or whatever you wanna call it these days, let's be certain we're not trickin' ourselves into debt and robbing ourselves of a future.