Food For Thought

Read about how I approach life as a new black CEO

Why I Started Reading…

Trick Your Mind To Achieve Your Goals

How To Judge Your Professional Success

Do You Have Authentic Conversations On A Regular Basis?

What’s the price of ignoring your mental health?

The First Step In Doing Anything Is To START!

Getting Out of the Bleachers of Life

FOLLOW ALONG

@karl.sona

karl.sona

So, what makes me, Karl Sona, unique and special?

So, what makes me, Karl Sona, unique and special?
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�If you asked me that shit some time last year, my heart and brain would most likely start rushing and tripping over one another.

My heart would kick into gear working to produce the honest answer, and my brain would be in overdrive trying to come up with something that sounded like a smooth bar lmaoo

And ultimately, I'd be left tongue tied, with a head full of cricket sounds.
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This is real talk. I'd struggle to answer this question, because I hadn't done the work to tune out the outside noise, and to look within to see my unique gift.

�I had to realize and accept that here was no perfect blueprint to follow, no perfect influencer to consult, and no perfect seminar to attend that could provide these answers.

There is no substitute for the introspective work required.
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So how do you begin to do the work?

�For starters, don't be afraid to do the work. Take time in silence, reading, praying, meditating, or whatever works best for you.

Be intentional about exploring those facets, realizing that you find that which you are looking for.
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�Secondly, understand that the answers you're searching for may not come up immediately, and if they don't, this IS NOT an indicator that you don't have anything special.

This is a worthwhile process, and things that are worthwhile, simply take a while.
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�Lastly, reflect on your experiences so far, whether it be your career, relationships, or whatever.

�One of the most difficult things for me to understand when I was beginning, was that all of my experiences were not random.

�They've all been planted in my life to teach me something deeper and to unfold the next natural step.
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�You owe it to yourself and the people you will one day impact to engage in this work.

Because no one else can bring your uniqueness and your specialness to the world; only you can.

Sometimes, the biggest BLIND SPOTS we have in life

Sometimes, the biggest BLIND SPOTS we have in life and business, relative to our inner greatness, ARE OURSELVES.
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It's so easy to take for granted or not even be aware of what you possess that makes you a STANDOUT amongst the crowd.
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You know why?
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You're too busy admiring and emulating the greatness of OTHERS, that you fail to realize what you've got right in your hands.
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There was an incredible parable highlighting this point that I came across a while ago.
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A long time ago, a farmer wanted to go digging for gold. So he decided, he would sell his farmland to free up his time to go out and hopefully strike gold.
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So he sold his land to a willing and able buyer, and carried on to join the gold rush.
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Shortly after purchasing the farm, the new owner began digging around. And do you know what he found?
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Massive chunks of gold laying right in the ground!
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Morale of the story: Don't be the farmer. Invest the time to RECOGNIZE HOW INCREDIBLE WHAT YOU HAVE IS. And when you do, offer it up to the world... it's your duty to.
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Who sits on the board of directors in your life?

Who sits on the board of directors in your life?

These are just some of my people♥️

Relationships truly are everything …

Shout out to #adecomeforemilia

I HAVE BEEN GUILTY OF BEING MOTIVATED BY THE WRONG

I HAVE BEEN GUILTY OF BEING MOTIVATED BY THE WRONG THINGS.
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At age 30, I've already been apart of several different business opportunities that never panned out, from e-commerce, to MLMs, to day trading stocks.
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As each of these opportunities popped up, I went after them. But they all failed because I was chasing the wrong things, and when they became taxing, I stopped.
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I never once stopped to think about whether the opportunity was worthwhile relative to my uniquely qualified skillset, the problem I wanted to solve, and who I hoped to help solve that problem for.
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And so I wasted my precious time, effort, and money.
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I recently launched The Kas Company, which is my business development company focused on helping minority owned businesses grow revenue and profitability.
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I spent 7 months thinking hard about what would make this opportunity worthwhile for me.
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I identified my unique skillset, which is building relationships with diverse groups and driving revenue from those relationships.
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I uncovered a group facing a problem that I feel personally compelled to help solve.
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That problem is economic inclusion and revenue opportunities for black business owners.
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Now that I'm on-boarding my first clients and processing all of the excitement that comes along with a new venture, I already know that challenges will pop up.
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I know that there will be days where I �don't feel like showing up. There will even be days where I will second guess myself.
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But the key difference now is having absolute conviction that the opportunity is worthwhile.
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Because when you encounter the difficulties, and you can remind yourself that the cause you are fighting for is worthwhile, you don't stop.
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And Not stopping is the fastest and simplest way to guarantee success.
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What's your worthwhile cause? DM me if comments make you shy away. 😏

ARE YOU MOTIVATED BY WORTHWHILE THINGS? ___ ⠀ It

ARE YOU MOTIVATED BY WORTHWHILE THINGS?
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It's important that we all recognize ebbs and flows in motivation are normal, and have nothing to do with our inherent ability to be successful.
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The sticking point, however, is whether or not the THING WE ARE IN PURSUIT OF IS WORTHWHILE.
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What do I mean by this?
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We're all going to have a number of opportunities come along in our lives. EVERY OPPORTUNITY REQUIRES some amount of EFFORT, TIME, OR MONEY to pursue. Unfortunately, we don't have endless amounts of either of those assets.
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Where many of us go wrong, is chasing the WRONG MOTIVATORS, like MONEY, VALIDATION and INSTANT GRATIFICATION and we wonder why our will to win tanks the second we have an off day.
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A BETTER MOTIVATOR is going after the thing that is WORTHWHILE to you IN THE LONG TERM, because those will keep you going through the off days.
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WHAT COMPELS YOU you to the new opportunity?
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WHAT IS YOUR UNIQUE GIFT, and how does it position you to solve the problem around the new opportunity?
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Are you willing to dedicate the next season of your life towards solving this problem?
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Who do you want to help and why?
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Clarity on these questions brought me to my worthwhile opportunity, and give me the courage to press on even when I don't want to.
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Let me know if this was helpful for you.

STORY TIME! I have been called an Uncle Tom becaus

STORY TIME! I have been called an Uncle Tom because I don’t sound “black enough” when I speak, and I have been perceived as a sell out because of the interracial relationships I've been in throughout my life.
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There have been many instances in my life where I've felt less than black compared to some of my black friends.
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It's been an internal struggle, and has led to times where I would try change the pitch of my voice, or my dress, or my demeanor in order to fit in and feel like part of the pack.
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But I've realized that doing this doesn't accomplish anything positive, and actually diminishes my individuality and the unique energy that I'm able to offer that comes with just being who I am.
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The pressure to fit in is definitely real. It stems from our evolutionary past, where humans ascribe their identity and subsequently their ability to survive to a group or tribe that have similar traits and characteristics.
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In this context, fitting in equates to survival.
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But as the world evolves, I think it's important that we do as well.
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In my opinion, THERE IS A POWER TO NOT FITTING IN.
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Not fitting in, provides a new perspective that can be the difference maker for other people you interact with in the rooms you step into where people appear to be the same.
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YOUR DIFFERENCES ARE STRENGTHS and more importantly, they are the gateway to your individuality that the world desparately needs.

Learning to embrace and LEAD WITH YOUR INDIVIDUALI

Learning to embrace and LEAD WITH YOUR INDIVIDUALITY is the clearest pathway to living an extraordinary life.
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There's nothing wrong with ordinary if that's what you want. However, IF YOU ASPIRE FOR MORE, there comes a time where you will have to DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF from the pack and be willing to STAND OUT.
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Feelings of discomfort, self-doubt, and embarrassment will come over you as you look around and watch the REST OF THE PACK HEADING ONE DIRECTION, while you stare through the weeds trying to figure out where you want to go next.
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The weeds may be so high that YOU'LL BE TEMPTED TO RUN BACK towards the pack and hop right back in formation
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Understand that the urge to fit in and be part of the pack is NORMAL, and ultimately comes from our need to survive.
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In my opinion, it also stems from our lack of understanding of OUR TRUE INDIVIDUALITY and how powerful our individuality can be.
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If you've made it this far in the post, and you're wondering how you put this concept into action, it's actually simple. Just ASK YOURSELF this simple question...
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WHAT DO I STAND FOR?
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The difficult part may be EXERCISING COURAGE to take that stance once you figure out what it is you want to stand for.
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But once you know what it is, TRUST that embracing and leading with your individuality will help you live it out.
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Don't be afraid of the weeds... you just may uncover the beautiful land that gives way to the EXTRAORDINARY LIFE that awaits.

MAKING THE SHIFT | DEAR BLK CEO ____ ⠀ I have ta

MAKING THE SHIFT | DEAR BLK CEO
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I have talked a lot about shifting your mindset and shifting life based on your long term goals. But, what does that actually look like? To find out LISTEN TO THE NEWEST DEAR BLK CEO PODCAST.
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This week on the Dear BLK CEO Podcast I am joined by Anthony Trucks. (@anthonytrucks), a foster kid turned NFL athlete and a Serial entrepreneur.
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LINK IN BIO

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