Harness the Power Within: Practical Strategies for Personal Growth and Success
Articulated Insight – “News, Race and Culture in the Information Age”
Part 2 of 2. Read part 1
Power V’hicle 4 is your Vision
Vision is like your values but always going in the one direction—forward! What do you see for yourself and your life? What do you see for your children? What do you see for your community? What do you see for your town? What do you see for your country? Our vision is an expression of our goals; it is our statement of how things should be; it is our imagination of how things could be!
There is so much power in harnessing human imagination; again it’s what separates us from all creation! We can conceive of something, determine the plan to get there—and accomplish it! I would recommend again spending time with yourself and jotting down in a journal what you would like to see made right in this world. This power gives you energy to live and gives you purpose to stand strong.
It will help you find others who share your vision and who ultimately create movement! Vision is not the same as imagination for we can imagine much more than what vision entails; vision should be just out of reach for the ordinary, but still humanly possible! Vision can be improbable even—but worth the energy needed to make it more probable! This is the power passed down to us from our ancestors—the success of their hope-filled vision we take for granted today! Visioneering must continue if you are going live in power!
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Power V’hicle 5 is Virtue
Virtue comes from the Roman word “vir,” meaning man; it was often used to describe a warrior’s job well done! Whether he lived or died on the battlefield he manned up, he fought bravely, he faced odds, he stood on business, he showed his manliness, his virtue! Our usage today has expanded this definition to include firmness, integrity and moral standard! For our purpose here today—we use all these definitions for power V’hicle of Virtue! There is power in standing on business—being firm in integrity in doing what you said and intended to do! There’s power in personal morality—fighting the good fight—honoring God with holiness, fidelity, and righteous behavior! I am not speaking of perfection at all, nor even a legalistic standard of dos and don’ts!
Are you known to be trustworthy in general? Are your affairs in life generally legal and honorable? What do those closest to you know about your behavior and heartfelt intentions? How do you treat others? Can ways be known or do you change with wind?! These questions get at power Virtue—it affects how we do everything!! Buddha reminds us “To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.” Use your power v’hicle Virtue!
Power V’hicle 6 is InVestments
Investments include your money, resources—and time!! There is power in how you use them!! Have ever audited your usage of these things?! If you ever sit down with a financial counselor, the first thing they will discuss is a budget. They will ask to discover where money goes by keeping a diary of expenses. They want to discover where you are currently invested, so they can recognize the power to invest elsewhere in ways that increase money and resources!!
Three out of four millionaires (75%) said that regular, consistent investing over a long period of time is the reason for their success. We also know from Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” People’s love and commitment follow where they put their treasure!! The illustrious Benjamin E Mays challenged Black folks’ commitment to ending segregation and racial bias,“If all Negroes were determined, if half of them were determined, if one-fifth of them were determined, an organization like this would never need money. The fact that we have to plead and beg for support is conclusive proof that we are not willing as a group to be free, And I make bold to assert that if we are not willing to pay for freedom, we do not deserve it.
The fact that some Negroes in some sections are even afraid to support the NAACP is further that all Negroes are not determined to be free. If the Jew were segregated as we are, he would raise millions for his defense.” These truths readily apply to any resource—of which time is most valuable!! How one invests time is one of the most important powers one can wield!! You can easily see how Investments in general are one of the V’hicles of Power!
Power V’hicle 7 is Vigor!
How strongly do you pursue and leverage all your powers? This will reveal your vigor. Some people call it grit. Vigor refers to your enthusiasm, your effort, and applied energy toward a goal. Without vigor backing all of your powers, you will accomplish less as you fail to martial the internal fortitude that it takes to move yourself or to move others. Well-intended vigor for the right goals is a real force to reckon with in the world. Apply vigor as a discipline every day to bring your powers forward. There is no substitute for the power V’hicle of Vigor!
I hope by now you are convinced that you have literal superpowers with which you can transform your life and awaken new possibilities to pursue progress. When these powers are used in conjunction with others using their powers, they become multiplied in their effectiveness. To be specific, Black Progress and empowerment in the sociopolitical space is reliant upon individuals connecting together with others and leveraging the 7 V’hicles above. “If you want to go far, go together.”
35M eligible black voters, but less than 13M vote. We can improve the country and our lot in this generation! Simply wake up to your powers! We are so committed to activating power we are building a digital tool to harness all of these powers and weaponize them for accountability from elected leaders and corporations! Your power is under attack right now at the hands of an authoritarian executive branch, a flimsy legislative branch, and a slowly meandering judicial branch. Will you live and move in power with us to awaken people’s powers? We welcome you to join and support our efforts!
Short Bio: Cal Burlock is founder and CEO of DRIVEN Systems LLC, where he creates platforms for broad economic development thru STEM and for sociopolitical advance for Black citizens in the United States. In addition to his first love of solving human challenges thru creating systems, he also writes and produces content on black male empowerment, political activism, self-government, and positive change.
Join our free digital app- the CEO App! It harness our numbers to hold account over elected officials and corporations! bit.ly/CEOmeansbusiness
Contact, follow, and collab thru social media or direct email: DRIVENsys@gmail.com
Instagram: @blackmengoals and @stemreps Fanbase: @ceoappcheckemout
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