April 14, 2023
On Living History, Life Hacks and Limited Swag
Last weekend was my very FIRST DELTAversary! The historic inaugural line of the Chicago Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc, my sisters of ๐บ79 Stages of Evolution ๐บ๏ธand I celebrated 1 year in the sisterhood. So I was in these streets (which is a story Iโll tell yโall another time about getting threatened by a dude who was hangry in a Haroldโs Chicken at 11pm while waiting on biscuits, and I blame my sorors ๐ ).
My linesisters and I did an epic photoshoot, brunched, partied and really reveled in a year of service, sisterhood, scholarship and social action. ๐ฅน
But can we get into the Power Suit Baddies, real quick??? ๐๐พโโ๏ธ Cuz we did that!
Weโre looking like we’ve been sent on a mission to solve a complex crime that occurred at a global conference. ๐ And the main suspect is an evil billionaire who is trying to defund all our public services. So we need to find who this secret engine is and bring him to justice. ๐ต๐พโโ๏ธ
Lowkey, we really do need people on the case, which is related to whatโs on my mind this week.
RANT
We are living in a dystopia.
I remember reading history books and being like โwow, it really must have sucked to live during those timesโ about various notable events in history. ๐ซ Likeโฆ Iโd be shooketh for the people who we were reading about.
Now, we legit ARE those people. Between global pandemics, tyrants ruling countries, insurrections, taxes and now the full on attack on all things knowledge, womenโs bodies and scienceโฆ we are living in a dystopian nightmare. ๐ตโ๐ซ Every single day, some news drops and I facepalm so hard I give myself a headache (like the Dalai Lama asking a young kid to suck his tongue. Cuz WTAF??). And at this point, Iโm like CANCEL EARTH. Letโs just be done because this place is a raging dumpster fire.
Last year, Missouri passed a new law outlawing “explicit sexual material” in school libraries. So books like ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ ‘The Walking Dead’ George Orwell’s ‘1984’ and even โBatman: White Knight’ were removed from school libraries.
Now, their Republican-controlled House has decided to completely defund public libraries. All because the Missouri Association of School Librarians and the Missouri Library Association filed an ACLU lawsuit challenging the banning of these books. ๐คฆ๐พโโ๏ธ
LIBRARIES being defunded is truly a nightmare. And the GOP is officially a death cult thatโs anti-knowledge and anti-all good things at this point. ๐ญ
Generations after us are gonna read (hopefully) about this time and pity us cuz weโre living the Hunger Games in real time. ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ
REFLECTION
Being able to say “I don’t know” and ask questions is a life hack.
One of the things Iโm practicing is saying โI donโt knowโ more often. โWhat is happening in the world?โ Me: I DONโT KNOW. ๐คท๐พโโ๏ธ
The ability and humility to say “I don’t know” is a superpower, Iโve discovered. Because not tying yourself to the trap of having to KNOW IT ALL means you are open to learning more, and you will seek out resources and guidance. It makes me seek out (and work with) people who are more competent than me in areas I’m weak in, which has actually made me stronger. ๐ช๐พ
Plus, you will start letting people know that you don’t belong on pedestals (cuz those are for statues).
I talk about excellence as a habit a lot. But being excellent is not about having expertise in ALL areas. It’s not about necessarily being a Jill/Jack of All Trades, master of none. I think it’s about mastering ONE thing, being competent in many others. โ๐พ But whatever you tie your name to, is consistently GOOD. None of this is about knowing everything all the time. Thatโs too much pressure anyway.
I ask questions often too, because what I donโt know, I want to learn about and understand.
Society has tricked and conditioned us into thinking that having all the answers is somehow a sign of competence and leadership. So then we act like we know everything. Feeling like we have to hide the fact we donโt know something, as if we should be ashamed of any lack of knowledge. ๐ซฃ Walking around unsupported and unnecessarily stressed for no reason because we have to achieve expectations we said that we could, knowing we didnโt have the required skill set or answers that would make it a whole lot less difficult in the first place. ๐ฉ๐ซ ITโS TEW MUCH.
So, I’ve become close friends with the phrase “I don’t know.” And it’s led to my constant growth, especially as a human, friend, leader, CEO.
Great leaders understand that every single time we avoid saying โI donโt knowโ, we rob ourselves of a valuable opportunity to learn or be taught something. And the best leaders ask good questions to find the right answers.
So the next time you are asked something you donโt immediately know the answer to, even when your instinct is to provide a conversation stopping quick reply, retort or comment, ๐ค pause and consider speaking truth to power by starting with โI donโt knowโฆโ
RECOMMENDATION
Gag everyone by wearing this Let Them Choke t-shirt.
Yโall remember 2 weeks ago when folks were saying LSUโs Angel Reese was โtoo muchโ because she became an NCAA champion with confidence and talked trash as she did it. One thing the world is gonna do is tell Black women to be less confident, less assured. Folks try to humble us. ๐
People have a problem with confident Black women. And an obsession with trying to humble us. When we walk in rooms, heads held high, assured that we belong, folks are rooting for us to fail. But we win. We win anyway. ๐ค
Well, I wanted to remind us all of that, and what I said:
It went viral, and yโall said you want the t-shirt! Well, I tapped on Kalilah Wright of Mess in a Bottle, and said โletโs give the people what they want!โ ๐
And thatโs why, on behalf of Angel, ShaโCarri and the countless number of us Black women who have been told we are too much, too confident, too colorful, Kalilah and I have dropped a limited edition collaboration. ๐๐พ The Luvvie Ajayi Jones x MESS t-shirt that says, โDo not break yourself down into bite-sized pieces. LET. THEM. CHOKE.โ
The shirt speaks for itself, and is ONLY AVAILABLE for order until April 20, 2023! You have ONE WEEK to grab this t-shirt and itโll be gone. So get yours, and say it with your FULL chest.
๐ฃ๏ธ๐ฃ๏ธ๐ฃ๏ธ LET. THEM. CHOKE.
So all the folks out there that get mad every time we win with gumption, just gonna have to stay mad.
What else should people stay mad about? ๐คย
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Luvvie has visited over 25 countries, and averaged over 110,000 miles of travel a year. This is a guide to pass on cheat codes sheโs learned to create as little chaos as possible while traveling.
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