KARL SONA

Empowering Black Men

I believe that black men can take control of their lives by breaking oppressive stereotypes!

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Karl's Two Cents

Why I Started Reading…

Trick Your Mind To Achieve Your Goals

How To Judge Your Professional Success

karl.sona

1 year ago today I met my luvahhh Julia, aka JuJu,

1 year ago today I met my luvahhh Julia, aka JuJu, aka Jugemeister, but better known as @fitfatandallthat totally by chance at the Park.

I always thought it was BS when people would tell me stories of how they first met their person...

They would say things like, “everything in the room disappeared and then I noticed the one....”

OR “ it’s as if time stood still and there they were...”

Today, I’m feeling extremely grateful and blessed to say that I can relate❤️

When I first saw Julia, my eyes immediately locked in on her...

She was all I could see, and all I could focus on at the moment.

I had no clue we would be together and where we are today but I’m incredibly happy for the current scenery and everyday I get to wake up with her.

Cheers to 1 year babe... can’t wait for many more to come. 😊🤗

You don’t have to be anything other than who you

You don’t have to be anything other than who you really are because the world needs you to be YOU.
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If you’re thinking this sounds too ‘head up in the clouds’, or if you’re actually struggling with just being yourself, I want you to stick with me for a second because I’ve felt the same way myself.
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Sometimes, the best way to figure out exactly who you are is to simply pause, take a knee, and check-in with yourself.
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I do this often, and it's interesting to see how my identity has evolved.
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So who am I?
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I’m a 1st generation African Immigrant. I didn’t like being different when I was younger, but now I realize being different is where your strength lies. My background and culture has shaped my perspective of what’s really possible when you’re the ‘underdog’ and determined to win no matter the circumstances.
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When I was growing up, I believed that one of the few paths to success and freedom was to become a doctor. Now, as a medical device salesman, I sell to them, and it turns out there’s a lot of opportunity for success and arguably more freedom with the latter.
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I’m a young entrepreneur. I’ve already had my ass handed to me on enough ventures to understand that entrepreneurship is far less about the perceived prestige of being an ‘entrepreneur’ and far more about the ability to exercise supreme resilience when it comes to identifying problems and effectively solving them. I’m wired to be an entrepreneur, and I’m not stopping until I find the problem I was meant to solve.
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Now, that’s just a little bit of who I am. Not all that I am, but just a small snapshot. I only shared 3 quick facts, and I’m willing to bet that all 3 may not necessarily be applicable to you.

2 years ago, the opportunity to move to Colorado l

2 years ago, the opportunity to move to Colorado literally fell into my lap out of nowhere.
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I had never even visited the state prior to my decision to make the move. I knew that there were mountains there and people there seemed high on life, but that was about it.
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When I was growing up, my family didn’t hike or camp. The concept seemed kind of foreign and definitely wasn’t a part of my culture or upbringing.
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I never saw myself as an outdoorsy person or even thought that I would ever enjoy being outdoors, but my time in Colorado has shown me differently.
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In many ways, living in Colorado has challenged me and that’s why a part of me has come to love it here.
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I have come to realize that the elements of nature aren’t only reserved for certain people or certain families. They’re for everyone.
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As I love being in the city, I’ve learned that there are certain intangibles that you can only experience in nature.
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Like the calming energy that you feel from being grounded while sitting on a quartz rock, taking in the grandiose view of formations that have stood the test of time!
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It’s definitely a whole new level of beauty that I have found an appreciation for. One that I probably would never have been exposed to if I didn’t open myself up to the change of scenery.
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I think this is true of many other things in life until we find ourselves in a new environment that offers new experiences and options.
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So my question for the day is straightforward.
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How do you think your current scenery is holding you back from new experiences?

We hear a lot about white privilege these days, ri

We hear a lot about white privilege these days, right?
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While that’s definitely a real thing, and a conversation for a different post, I want to share a story from a long time ago in my journey when I first experienced privilege in my life.
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I grew up in a 2 bedroom condo with my parents right off of Briggs Chaney Rd. in Silver Spring, MD. It wasn’t fancy, but it was a peaceful and safe neighborhood.
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I used to spend a lot of overnights with my aunt and uncle when my parents were working the 3rd shift or at school late at night, just 3 min down the street in an area called Castle Blvd.
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Castle Blvd was so close to home, but at times it felt like an entirely different world.
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I’ll never forget seeing a murdered body lying in the middle of the street with blood flowing every which way down the street.
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Or the first time when we woke up to broken glass everywhere just to find that my uncle’s Honda Accord had been stolen in the night.
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This was a place that didn’t feel peaceful or safe and I was always on guard.
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I would always thank God when the next day when my parents came to pick me up.
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We would jump in the car, lock the doors, make that left turn out of Castle Blvd and head down Briggs Chaney Rd for home.
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I would watch the street disappear behind us and my nerves would instantly calm.
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Those days were some of the first times that I realized how privileged I was. I was so thankful that I got to get out and go home.
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This is just one story from my life, that I share because some times it feels like we only focus on how others have been privileged in their life, that we overlook instances, however small, of when we’ve experienced privilege in our own lives.
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Unfortunately, Privilege is not equal. Especially, if you’re black in America
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BUT it is still out there for you to experience and take ownership over.
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I believe Privilege should be a goal in life. I want access to resources, I want wealth, I want options.
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Don’t you?
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If your answer is yes, I suggest you shift your focus to moments you’ve been privileged. Remember how it felt and what you liked about it. Look for opportunities to create more of this.

I have a confession to make. I didn’t post the B

I have a confession to make. I didn’t post the Black Square for Black Lives Matters.
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I think it goes without saying that Black Lives DO Matter. Posting a black square one time to acknowledge this fact felt like a pretty basic thing to do.
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It felt like a bandwagon movement where people felt obligated to demonstrate compliance.
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I believe in doing what it takes to make YOUR life Matter.
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When I first started to search for the real meaning and mission of my life I did an exercise called “7 Levels Deep” that brought me to tears.
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The idea is that by the 7th time you answer the question you’ve gotten to the real core of your WHY.
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My WHY has drastically shifted over the last few months. From wanting to be successful and happy in life to now wanting to help black men understand how we can become more successful and happy as a collective.
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I want my life to matter. I’ve slowly begun to understand that the path towards accomplishing this isn’t about me. It is about something bigger than me, and that’s other people.
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WE must start to challenge ourselves on what we are put here to do and make happen.
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SO, hopefully we all agree that Black Lives Matter
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Hopefully, we all agree that all lives matter.
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At the end of the day, real change starts with US as individuals, and you are really the only life that you have complete control over
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So my question is, what are you going to personally do to make sure that Your Life Matters?

This is me. Here I am. A man in a suit. ___ ⠀ Ch

This is me. Here I am. A man in a suit.
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Chin held high, tie flapping in the wind, a fresh note of cologne wafting in the air, marching with a purpose towards my vision myself.
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A Strong, Rich, Successful Black Man
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I’ve slowly molded and crafted this version of myself over the last 6 years. I did this with merely a belief that this character would eventually come to life and an idea in my mind of how I wanted the world to see me.
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But when I’m alone and behind closed doors, I often forget how far I’ve come.
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I start to wonder how I got here. I wonder if it is only a matter of time until it all disappears.
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Because when you look like me, a black man, and you look at the current events in this country it can be easy to assume the worst.
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All that said, here I am. A black man in the suit.
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If I made it this far, I have no choice but to have faith that the sky is the limit.
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It is for me, and it is for you.

Do you know what makes you special? Or what makes

Do you know what makes you special? Or what makes any of us special?
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I believe that our ‘specialness’ lies in our ability to cast a unique vision that’s bigger than ourselves.
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I’ve been thinking a lot about what my vision is, and how it can contribute to the world at a greater level.
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I’m happy to share that the pieces are finally starting to come together, and as the days go by, it’s starting to get more clear.
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I am a firm believer in setting your intentions and that the first step in obtaining your goals is to put them out into the universe.
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So, be on the lookout for my announcement of my new vision, in the near future.
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Comment below with your vision... I’d love to know what you’re moving towards.

One of the things my career in sales has taught me

One of the things my career in sales has taught me is that you have to plan if you want to win. It’s when you have no plan, that you plan to lose.
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I think this principle holds true in business, but most certainly in life.
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We’re in a new month, and as I’m thinking about what I’d like to get done this month, I’m also reflecting on everything I’ve done up to this point to get me where I am.
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I believe that the practice of reflecting on what I planned is almost more important than the plan itself.
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There’s a HUGE misconception that a plan, when first conceived, MUST work accordingly.
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People feel that once they set their plan, that’s it. There’s no going back and no do-overs. Maybe that’s why many people simply never take the time to plan for anything they want in life?
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Who wants to take the time to scribble a bunch of shit out that will most likely never play out?
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If that’s you, I get it; however, I would ask you to think about planning from a different perspective. Think of your plan as your best guess on what will happen. That’s right, a GUESS!
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This will require some energy and creativity on your part, but to get started, all you need to do is guess.
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Once you’ve got a few of your guesses jotted down, the fun of putting your strategy together begins!
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If you’re like me, putting a strategy in place can seem daunting. One thing I’ve figured out that really helps me with this part is asking myself “how” my guess (or plan) can be accomplished, and put down some specifics that come to mind.
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Last, but not least, is execution, where you simply put action behind the “how!” Be willing to put your “how” to the test by trying it out.
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If you remain consistent with this process, you’ll be able to reflect back on what’s working and what’s not. It may take a while, but once you find what gives you traction, you can refine your process until your guessing feels a whole lot more like planning!
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At the end of the day, having any kind of plan is better than no plan.
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Cheers to a successful month ahead for you!

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