Hey Reader,
Let's get right to it.
Update from Ken
Over the weekend my tech bag was stolen. For the uninitiated a tech bag is a bag that holds all of your technological devices. In my bag was my laptop, my iPad, my headphones, some crystals, and some miscellaneous things. On one hand I find this to be a worthy opponent as I will not bend or fold because of this inconvenience. On the other hand this is an underlining moment to the season that I currently find myself in. I plan on going further into detail tomorrow but I will speak on this for a moment now, because I am in a place of processing several things and I find myself needing to use this platform I've been blessed to build, for its original purpose.
On tomorrow I will be doing Life with Ken's mid-year business review for 2024. This is a valuable exercise for us as a brand and business, but also it's an opportunity for you to get a chance to see how the sausage is made around here. You can view previous business reviews here. I plan on being very candid in this mid-year because Life with Ken is also going into it's 5th year of existence. For all intents and purposes this is a zombie endeavor. There is no money being made and Life with Ken is not a non-profit. The question that I am facing, have been facing, and am trying to figure out is, do I still want to do this?
Right now I work a less than stellar job getting paid far less than what would be appropriate for someone of my background with a lighter complexion. Since my devices were stolen I need to get new ones. Realistically, or unrealistically, if I were to try to work to be able to purchase those products again, it would take at my current job approximately 3 years. So again me being robbed underlines the point, is Life with Ken a worthy pursuit at this point? Then there is the problem I struggle with of finding a better job, because it's either historically a sales role which I frankly don't like and can't stomach, or it's nothing [of meaningful enough material value].
Again if I was of the fairer complexion it would be completely fine for me to do Life with Ken on my own time and be employed as a manager or administrator somewhere. Frankly it's what's expected to a certain degree for higher level positions. Whether someone likes it or not I have the qualifications and experience to be higher on the totem pole. I should be making more money, I shouldn't be on a public library computer writing this Newsletter, and I shouldn't have been in the position to be robbed in the way that I was this weekend.
I am not trying to come off as entitled or deserving. All I am saying is If everything about me was the exact same, and I just had skin that was a little lighter, or hair that was a bit less helixed then maybe my narrative would be different. From a 30,000 foot view this is the point and the problem of me being robbed this weekend, working at a job that doesn't pay me what I am objectively worth, and continuing Life with Ken at least in this capacity of which is not producing for me materially and may be inhibiting that reality from coming to fruition. Which again wouldn't be the case if i was doing Life with Ken as a white man of which, in that scenario every damn company would have their doors wide open and fellating me for my thought leadership and expertise. Or I'd be closer to if not in a place where I wouldn't have to worry about the benevolence of some other person and I would be generating my own income without selling my nephesh to the proverbial devil and or his demons.
So that is what I will be talking about in tomorrow's article in addition to the future of Life with Ken, more of my personal thoughts, better identifying my audience, go to market strategies and more. If learning more about the business side of things here at Life with Ken interests you, be sure to subscribe to our Substack so that you can get our business reviews sent directly to your inbox. Ultimately what I want to share in this update is that for the time being some of our content may be delayed in it's release and I do sincerely apologize for that.
Justice Dixon
We are featuring Justice Dixon's art on the Life with Ken website! We have created an art gallery where you can explore some of his work, find more of his stuff, and hire him for a job. He creates fantastic pieces, like the one shown above, which is featured in our next announcement!
Get Your Mind Right
Last week I announced that my debut non-fiction book is now available for pre-order! "Get Your Mind Right" is my book on how you can have a revelation that can allow a breakthrough moment to take place, that can change the trajectory of your life. There is a lot more coming in relation to this book so stay tuned. You can pre-order your copy now here and or you can learn more about the book here!
What Makes what we do Matter
We recently finished a month long series in May called "What Makes what we do Matter." The point of the series was to highlight topics that influence the content that we produce. You can view all the videos and articles we shared in that series here.
What I am interested in This Week:
Guilty on all 34 Counts
Last Thursday Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying his business records. These were elevated from misdemeanor charges to felony charges on the basis of his falsification of documents violated federal election policy. By paying his lawyer who paid hush money to his mistress at the time, the jury in this case found that, that was a violation of federal campaign finance law, and they found Trump Guilty. Trump's legal team plans to appeal, and his sentencing for this crime is scheduled for July 11, 2024. The Republican national Convention is set to start July 15, 2024, where Trump is likely to be nominated as the official Republican presidential candidate for 2024. Click here to read an article on this story.
Hunter Biden's Turn
Today the trial for Hunter Biden's 3 federal charges related to the illegal possession of a fire arm begins. Jury selection is underway in Delaware as Hunter faces one of two criminal trials, the other one pending being tax charges. These cases are relevant as they relate to the implications of the sitting president, Joe Biden. It's likely however, that this will have little to no impact on the election. That being said, after the 2020 election where the Hunter Biden laptop story was suppressed, Americans did come out saying that, the knowledge of the laptop and Hunter's business dealings may have swayed their vote. Click here to read an article on this.
Word of Encouragement
This week I want to encourage you to proceed as if success is inevitable. I don't know why I do this. Fundamentally the reason why is because there is no high quality sustainable future for me as a cog in someone else's machine. Economics is a main driver for this endeavor. It can be frustrating for a whole host of reasons, however, when I have not one sale over the last four years. I can't seriously call on a family member or someone to empathize with me let alone actually extend a hand of help. As a single man I don't have a reliable significant other. There is no support. If I were to cut through the crap, I am using a lot of words to simply say that I have no support. That's why I had to build my confidence or self-support. That's partially what codifies my belief in Jesus, even when he allows an asshole who I wish nothing but health, wealth, and success for to steal from me. If I don't support me, or if I don't believe that God supports me, then I have nothing. I find that to be an unfortunate state of affairs but that is the reality on the ground.
Confidence in God and confidence in myself is all I have to try to make it in this world as it currently presents itself to me. So, that is why I continue to this effort even though there are so many days where I'd rather quit. There are so many days where I just want to throw everything away. The only problem is doing that wouldn't be easier either. An independent person is a free person and a free person is an independent person. I have to figure something out if I want something to be figured out. This is hard for me, and I am definitely not demonstrating power in this word of encouragement so forgive me, but that is also the annoying point. Why can't I have a moment of vulnerability? I know why, but there it is again, that unction not to complain but darn it I want to. If you can relate to any bit of this, one, God bless you. And two, proceed as if success is inevitable. If life is difficult for you, then you are on the right track. Anything worth having is worth fighting for and you are fighting for your life. You've been blessed to live and that should be enough. Make it enough. YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFUL ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
I don't believe in apologizing this much, but I apologize for venting so much in this Newsletter, I apologize for it being late, I apologize for any future delays, and I apologize for not exercising power through this entire Newsletter. Being able to be vulnerable is what makes this valuable to me personally, because aside from my prayer life, this is one of if not the only place I can do that at, and it's important for my survival and quality of life. Not a completely shameless plug but this is what I talk about to a greater degree in my forthcoming book "Get Your Mind Right." I hope you get a copy.
Have an amazing week this week!
Please feel free to reach out.