February 2018 Check In - Self Motivation

Written by De’Von Truvel

 

Introduction

First off, Happy Black History Month! I think is very appropriate to talk about Self Motivation during this month because I feel every pillar in Black History has had inconceivable amounts of Self Motivation. We don’t have a Martin Luther King, a Madam CJ Walker, a Toussaint L’Ouverturea, a President Barack Obama without those individuals pushing themselves despite outside forces. At the beginning of this year I set promises to myself, each month I plan to check in on how I am doing towards keeping those promises. To be honest I am off to a shaky start. I am doing well with one promise and shaky on the other two so I need to make some changes. I need to light my internal fire.

 

Physical Health

One my my promises to myself this year is run a under 7 minute mile. I started the year off super strong woke up two weeks in a row at like 5:14 am and ran 1.77 miles. My time was beginning to decrease but I was also starting to lose weight, which was not the goal. I stopped running blaming it on the fact that I didn’t want to lose weight. Your mind needs to be stronger than your body to succeed. My body was hurting from the lack of sleep, from the “long” distance running so it gave my mind a rational reason to stop. My overall physical health despite me slacking on the daily run appears to be well. I think my healthy diet allows me not to work out on a consistent basis but still maintain a healthy appearance. I say healthy appearance because I still have not had a regular check up from the doctor. Even though they are guaranteed to say I am overweight since my body type is not the norm, I still need to go to check my vitals and ensure my internal health is tip top. However I did a free blood pressure check at CVS the other day and my blood pressure is great! I am still eating as a pescatarian, no meats other than fish. I have slowly shifted towards a mostly vegetarian lifestyle due to budget and convenience more than health. Meat is expensive, the less meat you eat typically the more money you will save and the better you will likely feel. Healthy body ,wealthy pockets.We don’t need as much protein as we think, most of it ends of converting to fat for the average consumer.

 

Economic Health

My economic health is doing ok but not as well as I would have hoped. I invested in cryptocurrencies in 2017 and towards December my gains were pretty substantial. With my crypto gains I reinvested into the market to diversify my coins/tokens but since December most coins have dropped. Overall the market is still up and I do not plan to sell any of my coins/tokens because I am in it for the long term but seeing the numbers decrease is definitely discouraging. I would only suggest this type of investment to those with petty or social cash available.

 

Sometimes you need to slow down and check yourself.

I am still currently saving $500 a month automatically which makes me feel like I do not have a lot of liquid cash because I forget about that account (which is by design). I have a credit union which gives me a 3% monthly and annual return which is incredible. If you are going to save make sure your money is actually growing. Since July I have been conceptualizing Black Wall Street The Board Game, in January we applied for a Startup Incubator program. We have been accepted into phase two of the program and have received seed capital for the project. Me and the economic wealth of the team can definitely change in the near future. And finally, I am still blessed to be fully employed doing a job I love.

 

Social Health

I have been very blessed to find a job where I love what I do. Because I am in a community engagement position I am exposed to tons of mentors and powerful people while I am working. People who have inspiring views regarding education and community building. They have become my involuntary and unknowing mentors, eventually I’ll make it official. I still use youtube as a power source of e-mentors (I am claiming this term now) and self development but I have found some solid mentors I have face to face access to. Outside of work I have not engaged in that much social activity. I am traveling to Northern California next weekend to see Black Panther and connect with old college friends, this will be a much deserved break from the constant grind. This year I want to focus my socializing around development rather than pleasure, although they have had the tendency to cross paths lately.

 

Spiritual Health

Right now I fear my spiritual health is the most at risk. During any time of transition or transformation I think we as humans go through an internal battle with the old self and the self we want to become. I find myself sometimes sitting, frozen, wanting to be productive but at the same time wanting to relax and not think. It actually causes stress for me. I find myself wanting to watch youtube or Netflix but at the same time not wanting to waste time watching content I can not relate to or that does not give me useful information. This is likely a battle we all face, the key is to learn how to balance. I can not be productive at all times. Relaxing is ok in moderation, like most things in life. A calendar or a schedule will help me greatly. Conclusion I am doing well but I can do better this month. Stay True

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