What’s New?
I’ve spent a long time in solitude recently, observing everything and everyone around me. I’ve had lot’s of time to sit back and really experience life for what it is and what it can be. I feel that my perspective has broadened and I have a clear vision and goal. I know where I need to be, I know what it takes to get there, and now I just need to execute. Nevertheless, drawing back on my original thought process. I have really been able to see how everything operates around me. The negatives and the positives, and I have begun to understand why our society is structured this way. With all these realizations I have also begun to understand what can and will be. What the future has in store for us, and how our society will continue to split. Let me not get on a tangent here… Just 8 P.M. thoughts on a Friday night lol.
21
21 years of age is a big milestone. Through the trials and tribulation, God has given me more life! I can’t thank everyone in my life enough for helping me make it this far and there’s a lot more to come. 21 has given me nothing, but more clarity and foresight. It’s time to execute on the things I have been wondering about and reward myself for all the hard work. Keep on a steady course, put in the hard work every day, give your body time to reflect, and get back on it. The world waits for no one, so seize every opportunity, because you never know what could happen. #21
How I Built This
One of my favorite podcasts to listen to is How I Built This, by Guy Raz. If you haven’t you guys should take a listen. Anyways, one episode that strikes a chord is the one with Suroosh Alvi, the founder of Vice Media. As I was once an aspiring filmmaker, I found that Suroosh’s ability to expand this company, and cover global youth, news, sports, and culture is exceptional. Nevertheless, his story is what captivated me the most. While sitting in the car listening to his testimony on NPR’s recurring segment “How I Built This”, I was almost brought to tears. What many people don't know is that Suroosh was once a jobless, heroin addict, or in other words “a bum.” His grit and resilience are unmatched, showing me and hopefully many others that no matter what your current state of struggle is, you can persevere through anything. Suroosh helped me gain a better understanding that as a leader, adversities provide valuable insights for growth and life-long learning.
Plane
I was on the plane yesterday for a total of 9 hours and a 3-hour layover. So, that’s 12 hours at the airport. I didn’t mind, because my destination was somewhere I had dreamed about for years, LA. I had played this scenario in my head for years, and the day had finally come. Before I arrived, I got hit with a sudden jolt of energy. Oddly enough, it was the freshness of a baby crying. Yes, a baby crying. These expeditions are often lonely and tiring, and there are certain human qualities that can bring you back to life, and this was one of them.
LEADERS
Successful leaders need to be effective and thought-provoking communicators. They have the ability to resonate and inspire others through their rhetoric. For example, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. proved to be a profound African American leader in history, partly because of his ability to illustrate his vision using rhetoric that was grounded in his beliefs and values. This is where I see opportunities for my own personal growth. I would like to learn the skill of clearly communicating my ideas to a group of people so that I can impact change in my organization in profound ways. My ultimate goal is to one day be the head of a nonprofit where I’m recognized as a transformative leader.
Sencha
For a long time now, I’ve been working on a startup. Right now, I’m working on a startup called Sencha- Unlocking endless Financial Opportunities. It is the Zelle for decentralized finance, the new wave. We are working to make crypto and blockchain technology, simple, easy, and useful. Now, most of my time revolves around research, planning, iterating, outreach, building, and networking. The startup life is fun and rewarding, but draining, for sure. I think everyone should find opportunities to work on something they are passionate about even if it doesn’t work in the end, because you don’t know until you try. #Entrepreneur
What’s Next?
Take a moment to pause, and think about how far we have come as a civilization. Internalize that loud sound your computer used to make when you were younger, that walk you had to make to talk to a friend, that letter you had to send in the mail to hear from a relative. We have come a long way whether we believe it or not.
Think about that loud sound, that giant white cinderblock, you had to carry around made when you first turned it on. It screeched and shook people out of their seats forcing the blood to start pumping instantly. Now, imagine that sound being condensed into a micro version, but only this time that sound is redundant every 2-3 minutes. This noise was a sound of satisfaction, a peaceful bliss. Awakening from the dead, because something delightful had come. Woosh is that noise. Picture yourself in 1971 being the first to know about this new technology. This is just the beginning, the start of a whole new world. Now, the time has progressed and we are now carrying around those same devices, rather they are smaller and more compact. We have these little devices that stimulate our attention for minutes or even hours. These devices can be carried around and put into our pockets or bags. We quickly grab them, click on the case, and leave with them instantaneously. What I’m referring to here is the phone or laptop.
Close your eyes and think to yourself, what would life be like without these devices circulating in our society. Some might argue that it would be more peaceful, while others would say, less inclusive. A world where we constantly need to be stimulated by technology is an interesting world, but a world with limitations on who we can interact with also pleads an interesting case. What would you rather?
Regardless, our fate was chosen for us and now we are on the path to a technology-filled world. Noises, bright lights, and apps run our world. Turn your head to the right and you hear a video playing, turn to the left and you hear the tv playing, look down and you see yourself typing up a paper for your First-Year writing seminar, and look up and see your dad talking on the phone with his co-worker. This is a world we created, and we can’t escape. We continuously do our best to stay in the loop and be up to date with what is going on in our current society. There is no time to rest.
Think about the last time you took a few minutes to stop, and take in nature around you, absent from music, social media, talking on the phone, or texting. This probably presumes to be hard for many people. Why? Because our society is always on the go, looking for new ways to innovate, stay in the loop, and preventing that fear of feeling left out. This is what technology has been able to solve for us.
Technology has gotten rid of that feeling of being left out and brought inclusiveness even if you are not included. You can take out your 5-inch device, slide the screen open, and type a few words, which can be read by anyone at their convenience. Take a moment to process that. Of the 8 billion or so people in the world, any one of them is capable of reading what you have said, no matter where you are. What do you think about that? That is incredible, and the reason why we can connect with whomever we want, wherever we want, whenever we want.
This is networking. You can like someone's post, meet someone new, or write an article for people to see just at the click of a button. The technology the world has presented has made the possibilities endless, and you can reach new heights by just taking that risk to go out there and meet someone new.
LUCK
I was sitting down in Digital Tech class today, and something I wrote came to mind. My explanation on why we are living life on luck. This perspective takes a more secular point of view, and if I were not Christian there would be no doubt in my mind that this thesis is not true. Here’s how it ends, “In closing, I advise you to acknowledge and embrace the world and all that it has to offer. There are so many opportunities and experiences waiting for you; so many moments where you can get lucky and something amazing can happen to you, simply seize those moments. Take risks even when you’re afraid because the outcome is ultimately 50/50. It's time to express those thoughts you’ve always wanted to share with everyone. Because, ultimately what you do with that luck, could be the start to something special.”
Everyday
These past few weeks have been great, but also interesting. The transition from literally doing nothing to becoming a full-time student has been more complex than I thought it would be. Nevertheless, I find my college experience thus far to be a similar scenario to the ordinary experience, despite the masks and “regulations” put in place. Anyways, that’s besides the point. I’m here to talk about every day. For a long time I’ve always had the thesis that humans are trapped in a cycle, and once you escape your cycle, you are engulfed into a new cycle- meaning the cycle lasts forever. This is a complex idea to wrap your head around, but in many ways, it has similarities to the simulation concept. What if we truly were not in control of our lives (something I believe, because I believe in a higher power), but instead our lives had control of us. Take a second to process that…
LIFE
Today, is September 6, 2020. I’ve been reflecting recently on life, and how far I’ve come, and it’s quite interesting to evaluate my growth and look at the mistakes I made in the past. I have seen myself do a full 180, literally. It’s so surreal when you are able to see other people change their life for the better, but we often neglect our own transitions to bettering ourselves, because we often get lost in the rat race. Anyways, I am just grateful for the things God has done for me thus far on my new journey, and I’m excited to see what's in store. #5yearplanpaidoff
College
Today marked my first day in college. I have waited 5 years for this moment, and I was less ecstatic than I pictured myself being. Nevertheless, I am forever grateful to attend such a great school, and be able to live on campus for a period of time. I am looking forward to what Boston College has in store, and am excited about getting my life together and transitioning into adulthood.
Systemic Racism
The other day I was listening to a podcast from the president of Planned Parenthood, Leana Wen. She opened my eyes to TRUE systemic racism. She relayed the fact that during Reagan’s presidential term, that many black African Americans, predominantly males were being incarcerated for crack, marijuana, and other sedatives. (War on Drugs) This issue wasn’t addressed as an epidemic until White individuals were being affected. (Rise in the opioid epidemic) This has left me appalled, and astonished by these TRUE acts of racism that go unnoticed.
Cal Newport
I am currently in the midst of reading Cal Newport’s “So Good They Can’t Ignore You.” I am currently on chapter six and deem this to be a must-read. It provides context into why we as a civilization should reject the passion hypothesis, or what many might say “follow your dreams.” I find this book so compelling, because I have noticed that Generation-Z especially feels that we should be rejecting the traditional way of life of going to school, and gaining a profession, and rather following our passions and dreams, which vary. Cal Newport’s point of view contrasts Generation-Z’s the doctrines and the stigmas we have established.