The past two weeks have been very difficult for me emotionally. I would be remiss to say that the George Floyd murder and the resultant riots didn’t affect me.
Because they most definitely affected me.
I could see the pain, the struggle, the hurt, and the frustration on folks face. I know it all too well. I have that same pain, experienced those same struggles, and I have that same frustration.
And quite frankly I am tired.
The genesis of my mindset is rooted in the poverty of which I was raised.
Poverty is a cycle. In struggling to survive, there is a lack of opportunities for economic advancement, which leads to decreased wages, declining health, and a paucity of savings, which in turn threatens your survival.
It’s time we change that. It’s time to break the cycle.
The reality of being a minority in America is if you are not born into success, you will have to engineer your own opportunities for economic advancement. You can not expect opportunities to come find you. You’ll have to find them and constantly position yourself appropriately. This will be a tiring endeavor but you can do it.
That means you’ll have to work harder, longer, and smarter than your peers. I can guarantee you, that it’s going to be frustrating, but your success will make it all worth it.
Finding the right opportunity can come in many forms but you have to look for them. For me it was playing basketball and going to the Naval Academy.
In order to take care of my family, I needed a high paying stable career, and I knew I was flat-out poor. Basketball served as a medium to attract the right people to provide me the opportunity to achieve that goal. College would allow me to start to build something that didn’t exist previously in my life, FOUNDATION.
Whether I went to the Naval Academy or Princeton, college provided me the building blocks needed to lift my family out of poverty. Ultimately chose the Naval Academy because they could guarantee a set salary and benefits, but the most important benefit was the opportunities to pursue occupations I only dreamed of as a kid.
In exchange for 4 years of my time, I changed the economic landscape of my family. That is priceless. We all deserve priceless opportunities for success.
The right opportunity at the right time will break the cycle of poverty. My goal is to create a community that can crowd-source enough opportunities which will lead to ending the cycle for good.
WE all have a role to play, so play it well.
As always if you have questions or concerns regarding creating an emergency fund, investing, real estate, insurance, or planning for the future, don’t be afraid to speak with qualified financial advisor. Smart Asset has a great tool to find an advisor in your area or feel free to email me (contact@surgifi.com) to help you on your path to financial independence.
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