First and foremost I want to acknowledge those whom we lost this year, especially those due to COVID-19 and other health related issues. This has been and continues to be tough for many of us. It is my will that we honor them by walking with the best part that they shared with us. By allowing their knowledge and wisdom to live through us, others can understand who they were and are! Reflecting upon what 2020 has been for me and looking towards 2021, I just wanted to take a moment to share some of my thoughts with all of you regarding being successful in our undertakings. Whether we make New Year Resolutions or not, striving to be resolute in all that we say and do is important, regardless when we choose to make that decision. In part, this is what “word is bond, bond is life and I will give my life before my word shall fail” means to those of us who are Five Percenters. This phrase is not simply something to recite. It is a declaration of being resolute and it highlights the integrity, fortitude and consistency to follow through with our word. In fact, when our word is truly bond we will not be broke, or broken...
Despite the challenges of this year, there was much that I accomplished; from helping coordinate the second phase of our city's Heritage Art Mural Project, working on my Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters Renovation Project, my animation series now globally available on Roku via the first Five Percenter based streaming platform Seven On Demand and appearing in both the IMAX documentary Into America's Wild Narrated by Morgan Freeman and Hosted by Ariel Tweto and John Herrington and the award winning docuseries Enslaved Executive Produced and Starring Samuel L. Jackson. As one of our cultural ambassadors I take great pride in knowing that positive contributions such as this continue to expand the global footprint of our Nation. This means nothing if I am unable to show others how to also be successful in our undertakings. There are certain things that I have done, and continue to do without fail, that have allowed me to take my ideals from knowledge to born, from inception to conception. So in this article I would like to share these thoughts as 9 Ways To MASTER 2021:
1. Although it is your personal idea, our idea should be something
that improves (progresses) you with the intent/consideration of making you a
better resource to others and this world we share. Life is interdependent, we
all play a role in how the world turns and there is a constant process of giving
and receiving. This intent/consideration ensures that our idea is in tune with
the universal order and is something that is sustainable -because we are
actively providing a service (and/or products) that others, and the world,
needs. If all we are thinking about is what we can get (keep), and not what we
are able to consistently give, what we get (keep) will eventually run out. If
you don't believe this, try it with your breath. Keep it to yourself and see
how long it takes for your oxygen to run out... In short, we are not the 10%.
2. Make sure your idea is real and obtainable. It is less likely
that we are going to change EVERYTHING at once so it is important to work on
what we can change, one goal at a time. Also, take things one day at a time. It
took a while to create habits/routines and it is going to take time to change
them. The smaller goals we accomplish serve as stepping stones; helping us
build confidence and gain the tools and experience that are necessary to forge
our larger goals. And with any goal, one of the first and most important steps
we need to take, and habits we need to create, is to “get our day underway with
a positive, productive attitude.” That attitude sets the stage for our
altitude. This is one reason for asking ourselves, and other members of Nation,
“What is Today's Mathematics?” and “What is Today’s Degree?” It orientates you
with higher order thinking and enables you to get your day underway with a
positive, productive attitude. The average person is not thinking about principles
like knowledge, wisdom and understanding. You are, and that psychologically
sets you apart.
3. Make your goals specific. Instead of saying something murky
like, “I’m going to read more” say something more specific like, “I am going to
read one book every month.” This is called Specificity.
Specificity helps you better focus on your goals and encourages you to be more
responsible and committed to those goals. If you were to say, “I want to
be healthier in 2020” there is no sense of ambition or plan of action to take
that idea from knowledge to born. Now if you said, “I am going to only eat
baked chicken once a week and go to the gym three times a week for 1 ½
hours after work” that has a sense of ambition and provides part of a plan of
action to achieve your goal of being healthier in 2021. If it is not clear, our
path will not be cleared. When we learn about being ‘right and exact’,
Specificity is what ‘exact’ means.
4. Set a projected time/date for your goals. Setting a time/date
creates a sense of urgency, responsibility and accountability to meet your
goals. If you don’t meet your time/date then set another one. Without setting a
time/date then we are saying that our goals are not really a priority
(important). Why? Because under these circumstances they can happen any time
and any day; that is not resolute. If you don't have a time/date, you are
creating the possibility that there will never be a time/date. Keep in mind
that “one day” or “someday” are not days on a calendar. This is especially
important for those of you who still have not knowledged 120. Apply yourself
and make a serious commitment to getting your degrees on cap. Set a reasonable
time/date when you want to be complete and don’t procrastinate. We need you,
especially our youth!
5. Write down your ideas. I have known people who had challenges
with organizing their day, appropriating their time and focusing on achieving
their goals. One of the solutions I shared with them was writing down their
goals on index cards or signs and posting them in visible places around their
home. Not necessarily for everyone to see, it is for you to see! This helped
reinforce and remind them of their goals so they would not allow themselves to
get lost in the hustle & bustle of each day. Committing your ideas to paper
is the understanding or knowledge and wisdom. How? Because it is outside
evidence that allows you to physically see what you thought [knowledge] and
spoke [wisdom] about. Understanding is often referred to as the child or the
best part. This is one reason that Creatives often refer to their projects,
such as their paintings, literature or music as ‘their baby.’
6. Only share your ideas with those who have shown themselves to be
supportive of you fulfilling them. If they are not there to help you, they are
only going to hinder you. If they are not an asset, they are a liability. If
they are not in your life to build, they will destroy. This also includes the
nice folks with the pleasant attitudes. Just because they have a happy
disposition it does not mean that they can automatically help. Again, our idea
is likened to a baby and a baby must be nurtured, respected, loved, protected
and educated. That baby must build its immunity to repel the bacteria and virus
that could compromise its health, growth and development. It is unwise to let
any and everybody touch your baby. It is equally unwise to expose your idea to
any and everybody.
7. Look into networking with people/organizations that will help
you fulfill your physical and mental health goals. That is why our social
equality is important and the reason some keep us apart from their own social
equality. Our network is a prime indicator of our net worth. Take care of
yourself and connect with those who are invested I doing the same. There are no
ideas when we don't have your health!
8. Speaking of health; strive to maintain a positive outlook! Some
days it will be easy to maintain a level of positivity and other days you need
the social equality with others who share the same goals and are just as
resolute about achieving goals. This means invest the time to build with others
and be present to learn as much as you can about the positive principles/values
they are sharing with you. As a Nation, this is a part of our custom and the
foundational network to help support our positive outlook on life, which we all
need.
9. Your idea is not the end all be all. Some people live to have a
wedding while others strive to be married in the mind, have a family and etc.. While
the wedding is a place, being married in the mind is a state. So although your
ideas may help you arrive at a place, the ultimate goal should be to achieve a
state of existence. And this state of existence should set the stage to help
you achieve even higher and greater goals! It is all about constant growth and
elevation, not stagnation. Life is constantly changing and evolving and so
should the living.
PLUS DEGREES:
"Be a shark, not a peacock" as one of my homegirls would say. When a peacock walks into a room with its feathers fanned out everyone can see it. It is not necessary to be showy and strive to get attention. You also attract predators that way. Sharks move in silence and by the time you see their dorsal fin it is too late. In many cases staying below the radar and not revealing what you're doing until it's actually done is a sure way to be successful in your undertaking. Be a fine mist which the naked eye can hardly detect. When we talk a lot we are also subject to the expectations of others which are usually unrealistic. If you tell people you are writing a book and you know that you don't even have a manuscript yet, people may assume you are going to be publishing a three hundred page book next week and expect it. Now when you obviously don't deliver, people begin to look at you like the boy/girl who cried wolf. Always remember that light travels 186,000 miles per second and sound only travels 1,200 feet per second. People will see what you are doing before they can hear what you are saying so your reputation precedes you. So talk less in 2021 and let your work speak for you.
*Just say “NO.” Sometimes we put too much on our plate because we don't know
how to tell people “NO” and we feel guilty about it when we do. Here's the
thing: if you literally don't have the time, you don't have to agree to do it.
Let time be the reason that you are literally not able to commit to something.
It is unreasonable for someone to expect you to create more than twenty-four
hours in a day. Just. Say. NO.
In closing, I want to will every one of you and our families a positive and progressive 2021! I also will that while reflecting on our past year that we consider those negative things we have held fast to that has undermined our ability to be successful in our undertakings. We’ve all had challenges within ourselves, and with others, and I will that the next steps of our journey add more beauty to our families, community and environment.
Peace,
Saladin
