Friends-

Upon returning to Kansas City after my three-month “sabbatical” across the East coast, I took my homecoming as an opportunity to reinvent myself, naturally.  Really the whole traveling experience has been the typical self discovery journey (which I doubted along the way) that I was looking for.  But answers I was looking for didn’t really present themselves until I hit New York City, and then it was like an explosion of creativity and courage, both within and outside of me.

I learned so much from various characters, some younger than me, some much older.  There was the 24-year old Italian hip hop artist, Luciouz, from London who blew my mind with her courage and wit, her voice, and her determination.  She taught me to freestyle, and how to roll a joint.  Now I can be a proper rockstar 😉  Then there was the 70-year old black man taking the LSAT, because he says “the good Lord ain’t done with me yet… and it’s better than sitting in front of the TV”.  #mindblown.  I could go on and on with stories and epiphanies, but I’m sure you’ve had your own evolutions over the past few months, and really it’s all happening for everybody, just on their own time.

Coming home I decided to take this chance to do things differently; to clean out my self, my life, my world.  I really want to grab life by the balls and make the most of it while I still can, but to think globally you have to act locally.  IE: If I want to pursue big dreams and goals, then I have to be sure I am the best version of myself that I can be.

My grandfather always says: Health, love and money in that order, make those your priorities.

So I’m beginning my time back here in KC with the most daunting thing I can think of… a fast. I NEVER fast. Not on Yom Kipper, not for lent, nothing… I LOVE FOOD.  But I also know that after being on the road for three months, halfway taking care of myself, sleeping on uncomfortable couches and eating plenty of non-kosher foods, it was time to take this seriously.

 Of course, when you start to clean out your system, you stop putting bad things in, and the Master Cleanse is always something I have wanted to try.  So far, I’m on day three, and I’m feeling pretty good about it.  The main goal is self control.  It’s definitely working in expunging toxins.  You can read all about the Master Cleanse online, and you best believe I have done my research for years on all sorts of cleanses and detoxifying systems… I’ve just never loved myself enough to try one.

Now I know all you health nuts are going “but WAIT, what about your nutrients, you’re deficient, detoxing is unnecessary, etc etc…” And to you all I have to say is that I know my body, I know what it needs, and I know that what I am doing is right for me.  I am hoping to go three-five days on the Master Cleanse and then switch to juicing for however long I feel inclined.  I am incorporating supplements, tinctures, apple cider vinegar and vegetable broth when I hear my body ask for it.   I’m not being hard on myself about if and when I quit. Not judging if I decide to eat a latke (which I didn’t, and let me tell you, Hanukkah was ROUGH).  This is for me and an attempt to get my health back on tract.

Starting small also comes with the emphasis on thinking big.  As we head into the New Year, it is common to develop goals and begin thinking towards the future.  We are living in an absolute chain reaction society, and every move we make directly affects our momentum towards our future selves.

I have decided for myself to make a few initiative moves towards bettering my soul as we move into the new year.

My first, biggest goal is to do something artistic every day of 2016.  Whether that be a spoken word poem, an emcee or DJ set, a fire performance, a busking street performance, hosting or supporting an event, or putting out some form of artistic creativity digitally (video, song release, etc).  As I transition into the type of lifestyle I desire, doing my art every day should only further my dreams.  This amazing rapper I met recently, LA, says to visualize your dream every morning for 40 days and see what happens.  Even if it’s just for a few minutes.  So why not?  It can’t hurt.

My other initiative of 2016 will be to everyday let somebody different know that they inspired me in some form along the way.  Paying it forward with random acts of kindness, generosity, truth and sincerity are certainly the way of raising our vibration even higher, collectively.  Remember, we can only go so far alone before you must wait for the community to proceed.   Feel free to do the same if you’re inclined.  Let people know how we are all in this together, and what YOU do, matters.

Every year for the New Year’s shenanigans I write up a top ten list of goals I want to accomplish.  The trick (I have been told repeatedly) is to get very clear with what you want and visualize it in your head consistently.  Here are my goals for 2016, bold as they may be:

1. Tour consistently with a big name act (Usher, P!nk, Atmosphere)
2. Move to NYC and live comfortably
3. Own and operate a caterpillar bus/trailor that unfolds into a buffer-fly stage (yup…)
4. Find a reliable man on my level whose immune system is higher than mine (blog post to come on man-infestations soon)
5. Be healthy and strong!  Stretch daily and maintain a good clean diet
6. Be grounded and humble, always
7. Continue to nurture old meaningful relationships while fostering new mutually beneficial ones.
8. Develop nicer handwriting (not kidding either)
9. Travel and perform!  Make it to Europe
10. Freestyle like a mad woman

Perhaps my goals will in some way shape or form will help you develop your own missions and carry them out with determination, grace and gratitude.  Make sure to get really clear on what you want your future to look like.  Look at your list daily.  Remind yourself of what you’re working towards.

I do have many more stories about my travels, none of which may be that relevant to anyone but myself.  I do know that I found what I was looking for, quintessentially in myself, but not until I got to New York.  There, I was surrounded by so many like-minded, artistic, creative, hard-working, interesting, persistent, healthy people, and it was only then was I able to look at my reflection and remind myself that what I was looking is within me, naturally.

The lessons: surround yourself with what you want to be, and you can move there easier.

Powers of manifestation, if you believe in that sort of thing, are only possible when your vessel and vision is clear.  The obvious, is that you have to know what you want in able to pursue it.

So I propose a toast, to a new year, a new evolution around the sun, and following your dreams until it kills you.  At this point, my dreams are keeping me alive and I’ve never been more excited to see what the future holds.  Every day is a gift.  Everything you put into your mouth, is a sacrament, and every human being an opportunity to reflect and learn from.  Take advantage of the situation, while we can ❤

In good time,

MissConcept

www.themissconception.com

 

Photo Credit: Hampton Stevens