Dreams don't come with a price tag visible to the naked eye, yet they demand more than we often anticipate. Time, relationships, sleep—these are the currencies we exchange in the pursuit of what truly ignites our spirit. In the latest episode of Hood to Hooded podcast, I, Dr. Shon, take you through the web of financial and emotional trials that shape our journey towards our aspirations. With a world in flux, from potential recessions to shifts in currency dynamics, it's a trek that requires more than just a strong mindset; it necessitates a resilience that's both mental and spiritual.
Amidst the trials of chasing dreams, the layers of financial sacrifices peel back to reveal the true cost of ambition. From the hustle of working three jobs during dental school to the gritty determination required to don professional attire despite a fraying budget, I open up about the relentless drive needed to walk this path. Yet, it's not just about the monetary investments; it's about nurturing a faith that can uproot mountains and the art of time management that allows us to carve a path through distractions and diversions. This episode is a testament to the fiery passion and undying purpose that fuels our journey—even when it means saying no to the present comfort for a future glory.
But this isn't just my story—it's a call to arms, an invitation for you to take accountability for your own narrative. In this heart-to-heart, we confront the harsh reality of paycheck-to-paycheck living and the urgency of breaking free to create generational wealth and knowledge. This episode is about laying down bricks of resilience, one by one, building a solid road to success that transcends the financial and enters the realms of spiritual and mental liberation. So join me as we empower ourselves, transforming not just our bank accounts but our very lives, leaving behind the 'hood to don the 'hooded'—in every sense of the word.
Dreams don't come with a price tag visible to the naked eye, yet they demand more than we often anticipate. Time, relationships, sleep—these are the currencies we exchange in the pursuit of what truly ignites our spirit. In the latest episode of Hood to Hooded podcast, I, Dr. Shon, take you through the web of financial and emotional trials that shape our journey towards our aspirations. With a world in flux, from potential recessions to shifts in currency dynamics, it's a trek that requires more than just a strong mindset; it necessitates a resilience that's both mental and spiritual.
Amidst the trials of chasing dreams, the layers of financial sacrifices peel back to reveal the true cost of ambition. From the hustle of working three jobs during dental school to the gritty determination required to don professional attire despite a fraying budget, I open up about the relentless drive needed to walk this path. Yet, it's not just about the monetary investments; it's about nurturing a faith that can uproot mountains and the art of time management that allows us to carve a path through distractions and diversions. This episode is a testament to the fiery passion and undying purpose that fuels our journey—even when it means saying no to the present comfort for a future glory.
But this isn't just my story—it's a call to arms, an invitation for you to take accountability for your own narrative. In this heart-to-heart, we confront the harsh reality of paycheck-to-paycheck living and the urgency of breaking free to create generational wealth and knowledge. This episode is about laying down bricks of resilience, one by one, building a solid road to success that transcends the financial and enters the realms of spiritual and mental liberation. So join me as we empower ourselves, transforming not just our bank accounts but our very lives, leaving behind the 'hood to don the 'hooded'—in every sense of the word.
Hey dreamers and gold diggers, welcome to the Hood to Hooded podcast. With Dr Shon the Motivational Dentistry, we're here to elevate your game in business, entrepreneurship, mental and physical wellness and financial literacy, all aimed at helping you create generational wealth. Grab your pens and pads, because we're diving deep into strategies to boost your mindset and set you on the path to happiness and success. All aboard the Hood to Hooded Express, let's get started.
Speaker 2:
Hi guys, welcome back to Dr Shon TV and Hoods to Hooded podcast. This is episode number three. Believing in your Dreams is an Investment. That is the title that we're going with. Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back. And a lot has transpired since the last time we talked.
Speaker 2:
You guys, a lot has transpired since the last time I learned so much, um, about what's going on in the world today and it has a big, huge, major impact on all of us, um, everywhere around the world. It has a huge impact from what's going on with the economy, what's going on in politics, what's going on in history, financial literacy, business, just a whole inch. A lot of social media like the influencer world content creation, influencer, world content creation, entrepreneurship, wnba there's just so much tea going on in the world right now. Like I kid you not, in these past couple days have really been information overload for me, so I kind of had to take a step back and really refocus because there's so much news, so I don't know what part of the news you guys pay attention to, but all of these things that we are absorbing every day, it definitely has a big impact on our dreams and how we invest in our dreams, on our dreams and how we invest in our dreams. So dreams is defined differently by every one of us has a different dream, a different goal, a different lifelong journey that we wish to pursue. So this whole thing is just going to be talking about. Believing in your dreams is an investment and it's going to cost you a lot of fun, a lot of patience, sometimes friends, family. It's going to cost you a lot of fun, a lot of patience, sometimes friends, family time, sleepless nights I mean, the list goes on and on. It's going to cost you, but the real question is, how much do you want it? How bad do you want to succeed? How much do you really want to win and be successful and really change the trajectory of your life and go from the hood to hood? It Okay. So that's what we are doing in this episode Just having a really like a mental health conversation, because I feel like a lot of us are in information overload and we kind of just need to take a step back and take a mental health break.
Speaker 2:
Even myself, I've kind of gotten a little bit away from the mental health balance. I'm kind of imbalanced right now. So I know that's because there's so much information all over. So we need to refocus, get back, invested into our dreams and stay consistent. And you know, understand why we are doing it and everything has a purpose. So it's going to cost you. So how much are you willing to pay to believe and invest in your dreams? Okay, so the first question I want to ask you guys is how much time do you allocate towards your dreams on a daily basis? How much time are you dedicating to focusing, putting down the social media, putting down the things that really don't contribute to moving forward with your goals? How much time are you dedicating to believing in your dreams? How much time? That's very, very important. So today we want to challenge and inspire change. Okay, today's episode is all about just discussing how to continue investing and making those different decisions mentally, physically, spiritually, financially that are investments into your goals.
Speaker 2:
All right, the first section of this podcast is the mental space. That's where we have to start. We have to start with mental clarity and understanding where we are mentally, because a lot of us are drained. I mean, the economy is in a downward spiral. I keep hearing the word depression being tossed around, like the great depression. I keep hearing the word recession being tossed around. So there is absolutely something going on. I keep hearing the word bricks being taught tossed around about how, um, they are trying to de-dollar, the de-dollarization of money, and with the us dollar I will say so. There's a lot of different things going on with money, um, in the trading space, and we just have to really be in tune and pay attention because it all has a huge impact on us.
Speaker 2:
But, at the same time, how is this impacting us mentally? It is draining to think about your finances and your budget and all these different financial tools that we discussed in the last podcast. Um, how do you balance that, because it can be so stressful, worrying about bills and your business and how you're going to survive in these times. Like I know for me personally, dealing with dental practice change health care, which provides 50 of the transaction between providers such as myself, like dentists and doctors and physicians, hospitals, pharmacies, where we send our claims to not all of us, but at least 50% of claims for half of the United States to the insurance company that was hacked in February. So we are dealing with the aftermath of that.
Speaker 2:
So it's just so many things that are going on, things that are going on and you have to just stay mentally, mentally. You have to just stay mentally in tune, in sync with yourself. So, mindset battle Believing in your dreams is a spiritual and mental battle. Your mindset needs to be 1000% focused on your goals. Okay, like during these times, you can't lose focus Every day. You must focus. It's going to be a battle between you know all the outside sources, all of the different news and the social medias and TikTok news and all these different sources are going to be a source of distraction.
Speaker 2:
But you want to make sure you're allocating the proper time to your spiritual and mental well-being Taking walks, just getting away from work, making sure that you are taking that vacation time, taking that time with your family, family chilling out, exercising and just being and doing what you love to do reading, writing, creating and just relaxing. Now that's the key rejuvenating and relaxing. Going to the spa, having this self-care day, getting your nails done I just got my nails done, check them out, but just getting back to the things that you really love. Okay, and this is how you're going to overcome the odds and really be mentally prepared for what you have to go through when you want to believe in your dreams, because it's going to cost you like, mentally it's going to be some draining days, it's not gonna be all peaches and cream.
Speaker 2:
We don't want to be like, okay, every day that I'm believing in my dreams, I'm like it's gonna be great. Some days it's not so peaches and cream. But you just have to make the best out of it and know that it is a mental battle and you will overcome the odds. Like growing up in the hood. For me that was the odd like it's like everything is against you, but you can't use that as an excuse okay, you can't use that as an excuse to play the victim and you must instead find a way out.
Speaker 2:
Remember to trust and reinforce your capabilities. You know. So, growing up in poverty, you don't have a lot of the, the legacy, as they call it. You don't have a lot of the, the tools and the resources financially, um, and even just the knowledge, like there's a lack of knowledge in the. I can't even really say.
Speaker 2:
See, I'm going through a phase in my life right now where I'm learning so much about history and what I identify as that I'm really having to, um, know more about who I am and my history, the ancestors, the history of the land, the lives that have been told in history. So I was all like pro-black, black until I realized that a lot of the history tricked us into believing that Black people weren't in America and that we all came here as slaves, when in actuality, we were majority here before they arrived and we were native americans, indigenous people. So during this whole time, like this hood to hood journey, I'm also having like a transform, transformation of my mind and having to unlearn history and really who I am, other than just black. Okay, so growing up in the hood, like growing up in poverty mentally, that really plays a big part of your confidence and being mentally balanced, and I think that's one of the biggest tricks that they ever told in history, because I was one of those people, um, who grew up wanting to be, you know, smart, intelligent, learn, grow. History was never that subject. That really, it never really. What would I say? It never really touched me like that because I always felt like it was targeted against people who look like me.
Speaker 2:
So, even during this podcast, I'm like, okay, you know, I identify as a Native American. Well, well, not a Native American Indian, because the language is so crazy, like going back in history and realizing the things that have kept Native, well, american Indians in this type of mental warfare. So was just a sidebar, but that is a lot of why, mentally, we have to really know who we are, um, staying firm on who we are and when we are met with new information and things that are different and lies and history, it does make an impact on how you move forward and it definitely impacts me 100% on how I move forward from this journey from hood to hood and hood to entrepreneurship, and it's very, very tricky space right now. But okay, so just your mental space, um, stay focused, know who you are. If you look like me and you are black, you know we have to really figure out who we really are.
Speaker 2:
Okay, I'll just leave it there for that part, and knowing who you are really settles a lot of the battles. I know you guys seen the president of Russia, putin. He revealed this ancient picture of Jesus and he was black and his people was black and it's like wow, so much history has been like hidden, and to know this is part of being confident in who you are, you know and knowing your history. So I'm just on a whole other level right now. This year 2024, you know what they say this is the year of truth and I believe it. So.
Speaker 2:
Section two financial and spiritual costs. So there will be some type of financial and spiritual cost to believing in your dreams. Financially, just simply, simply, it's going to cost money, like every level is going to cost money for applications, um wardrobe, to look the part you know. Whatever level you're at, it's going to cost. So hopefully you have a good village, but if you come from the hood, like me, your village may not be able to financially support your dream. So you will have to work two and three jobs possibly, I know, in college I one time I had three jobs in college.
Speaker 2:
I had the work study at the medical school in the drosophila fly lab. I did that um some days after school I worked at win dixie as a cashier and, um, what else did I do? I had one more job at the Econolodge, the hotel. So three jobs as a undergrad student. So that was like a financial sacrifice, like I had to give all my money away which I could have used for luxuries or investments, um, to invest in my education, to take this risk of being in the one percent of dentists, you know, and it was a financial sacrifice. I could have used my money for something else. I could have invested in the stock market a long time ago, but that wasn't my dream and I took the route that I thought was more financially appealing and it was a huge sacrifice, the spiritual sacrifice.
Speaker 2:
Sometimes you might feel spiritually drained I just talked about this Facing doubt and uncertainty, but remember, faith can be a powerful driving force. So faith is a powerful driving force in your life. So during those times when you are going through the spiritual and a financial struggle, you have to be spiritually full. Like your faith has to be there. Even the faith the size of a mustard seed, it has to be there. You still need to have it, because once you lose the faith, it's kind of hard to believe in your dreams. And it's kind of hard to invest in your dreams because you have a lot of doubt, you don't know it's really going to happen. And like I say this route to dentistry, I didn't know if it was going to happen, but I believe, like I just kept trying. I had a passion. I'm like if this way don't work, I'm gonna try that way. If that way don't work, I'll try this way. If that way don't work, I'm gonna have to go. And this is how you have to be. Every door will get closed in your face until you go through the steps that is required along your journey and then you're going to meet that one door that's open just for you. You know the WNBA coach. Well, not the WNBA, the NCAA coach, dawn Staley from South Carolina Gamecocks. She said it uncommon favor and I believe that. So you got to have that uncommon faith and uncommon favor to have a spiritual availability to continue in your dreams.
Speaker 2:
Number three time is going to cost you time. So you have to be consistent. So time management is your most valuable asset. Time goes like this and really I want time to just kind of slow down and I, as I, get more comfortable doing the things that I really love and not rushing and going so fast. Time does slow down. So that you can manage your time, so that you're not going crazy. You want to manage your time wisely by prioritizing the tasks that align with your goals. What are your goals? So you want to align your tasks in parallel with your goals. You know they cannot be different. You can't be strolling social media all day but you're trying to pass your class. You can't be trying to get into a school and they have this admissions test, such as the DAT, which is a dental admissions test, and you're not even studying. Like I'm not talking about okay, I studied for an hour. I'm talking about studying all day, all night, anytime you have free time, and learning how to tell people no, I can't go because I have to study. I have a bigger dream and I just have to focus. Like this is the type of relentless focus and time management that you need when you are climbing to the top, when you're an entrepreneur, you have to have time management. That can be so hard with so much on your plate, but no excuses is key to success.
Speaker 2:
Push past your limits consistently to achieve your goals now with consistency. You must have it, um, something like, I'll say, dental school. When I got into dental school it was like 100 dental school weekends, nights. You can't have a job. You just study, or go to class monday through friday, eight to five. You're in class. After that you are studying your ass off. Okay, and you must be consistent, otherwise you will flunk out and be something else. You know it's, it just is so difficult that you wouldn't believe. But if it's something that you really want, you have to push past your limits. In dental school, I realized that my brain had a capacity that I had never even tapped before, because I'm like, wow, I didn't even know that I could consume so much information, regurgitate so much information and just move at such a huge, uh, such a fast pace. You know, and retain this stuff. But it's a goal and you got to do it, otherwise you'll be a quitter number.
Speaker 2:
Four passion and purpose. So your passion fuels your dreams. It was. It's what drives you to push past obstacles and keep going. So I just talked about having passion. So passion is what is what's going to get you over the hump. Passion is what's going to fuel the belief in your dreams and your um, your the way you invest in them. That's what's going to be the difference between the people who make it and the people who don't the people who get weeded out and the people who don't get weeded out. There was a class in at florida state, um, organic chemistry, and this is probably one of the hardest classes I ever took in my professional life was organic chemistry. But I had my passion to be a doctor was much more than the tough time that I was having in that course. So my passion over over read, my struggles in organic chemistry, you know, and there was a purpose that was also involved.
Speaker 2:
If you're not aligned with your purpose, it's time to move. Repeat that if you are not aligned with your purpose, it's time to move. I'm gonna repeat that if you are not aligned with your purpose, it's time to move. Don't settle for a life that doesn't fulfill you. If you are finding yourself feeling, you know, sad, a lot down and out, a lot, um, miserable, not really enjoying life, not really know what, knowing what direction to take, it's because you haven't found your purpose. Once you find your purpose, you will be passionate about it. You will have the time management that you need to commit to it. You will do it consistently, you will make a sacrifice spiritually and knowing you will pray about that thing and then you invest financially into it and then mentally, you will be happy. You see how we just reverse everything that we just talked about. It all goes together. This is a success language.
Speaker 2:
Number five accountability, accountability and action. Ok, we have to take accountability and a call to action. This is the final piece to the puzzle in believing in your dreams, because it's going to cost you. Believing in your dreams is an investment. We have to understand this. It is an investment of different, multiple levels mental, physical, spiritual, financial. In your time, your consistency. It's an investment of passion. It's an investment of having a purpose. And the final piece is is an investment of accountability and action.
Speaker 2:
Now, this one right here, guys it, it's like the icing on the cake. It, it's what makes it look, it's what make it. This part of believing in your dreams as an investment is you got to take accountability. Okay, stop blaming others for your circumstances. Take responsibility for your actions and your work ethic. If you're lazy, just say you're lazy. If you're procrastinating, know your weaknesses. Don't blame other people for you not progressing forever. Sometimes, like you, you know, coming from the hood, I get it. We have so many more obstacles stacked against us. We have to deal with situations that aren't set up for us to make the alley man we set up in a situation that's you know destined for failure.
Speaker 2:
But when you're destined for greatness and you have that oncoming favor and you are mentally prepared and you know your risk and you are just consistently investing that time, that consistency, all of these things work together like a big pie. And when you take accountability and you know your weaknesses and you don't blame other people and you learn how to move forward from that. Because we have all well not all of us, but a lot of us have been, you know, in the situation coming from the hood, when we play the victim, because it's such an easy thing to do Dang well, you know, my mom died when I was young and when I was in elementary school, so I just didn't even have a chance. I was always in custody battle. So I just know that I wasn't gonna make it. My dad didn't live with me. He was, he wasn't there when in my younger years. So I just know, you know it was over for me. You can't blame the setup, because it's a system and as I go back and I unlearn history and learn the truth, all of this has been set up for failure.
Speaker 2:
So, to be able to get to where you are, pat yourself on the back. I'm serious. Pat yourself on the back. Improve your worth, that your work ethics. Improve on your weaknesses. Don't procrastinate I can't even talk. Procrastinate, be passionate and use. Take action.
Speaker 2:
This is a call to action to dream bigger than ever before. Set goals for every aspect of your life and take tangible steps towards them. What do I mean? Take steps that you can actually see. Like. Don't just sit and absorb this information and like, yeah, you know what, I'm gonna believe in my dream and it's gonna. I'm gonna make an investment. We have to know the words that we're using. How are you going to invest in your dream? Are you going to go and start a business with the state? Are you going to, you know, sit down and create something on paper? What are you going to do? Are you going to pray about it today? What are you going to do? What type of sacrifice are you going to make to make sure that your dreams come true and that your goals are being completed and that you are fulfilling your purpose? Okay, what are we going to do? What are we going to do guys? Um, are we going to do guys? So, in conclusion, remember anything worth having. It will not be easy. I had a coworker of mine tell me that when I was working at the Econolodge Motel, going to Florida State undergrad, dealing with a bad relationship, to say anything worth having, won't be easy. The cost of believing in your dreams is high, but the reward is priceless. And I'm. Your dreams is high, but the reward is priceless. And I'm here to tell you that the reward is priceless. But every level is a different type of sacrifice, it's a different type of stress. So each level, you must use this recipe, these five different sections, to get to the next level. It's like like a rinse and repeat. It's going to be recycling Once you go through one level and you elevate to the next level.
Speaker 2:
You want to continue to be in that balanced mental space. You want to continue financially and spiritually investing in your dreams. You want to continue giving that time, that consistency that's going to change it. You have to be consistent. You want to continue consistent. You want to continue to remind yourself what is my passion? Am I passionate about this? Is it really fulfilling my purpose or am I fulfilling my purpose? And then you want to take accountability and always take more action to get to the next level. So you should always have some type of positive goals. Next level. So you should always have some type of positive goals, dreams, in your atmosphere. Okay, so once you change your mindset and invest in yourself and take action today and believe in yourself, you will unlock the doors to success, leadership, financial freedom, mental freedom and generational wealth.
Speaker 2:
Okay, now the last word that I want to talk about before we wrap this up, on how we must believe in our dreams and make an investment towards it. So the investment is just the action behind it. Right? So this is all going to build our, our generational knowledge. We are focused on building generational wealth, but generational wealth starts with building generational knowledge and just being mentally in a space to absorb this knowledge and being consistent and just striving through those difficult moments is what you need to push through when it gets tough. I know that some days you're going to be up later than everybody else. You can't go to every function. You can't celebrate every milestone for others, because you have to be relentlessly focused in fulfilling your passion and your purpose, and sometimes that's going to be sleepless nights.
Speaker 2:
Like I said, it is an investment and a sacrifice, so don't feel bad, it's going to pay off later but for right now, if you want to continue to build generational wealth, you must learn how to continue to build generational knowledge. Share the knowledge, give the knowledge, be the knowledge and Give the knowledge, be the knowledge and you will multiply the knowledge and this ultimately leads to success. Okay, so I hope that this podcast really just got your mind flowing so that you're just thinking about. You know I have to be successful. If be successful, I have to take action. I need to make an investment like what am I gonna do? What steps are next? How am I gonna make this thing reality? What do I need to do to hang in there, because it's gonna be hard and then sometimes you go hard and it doesn't work out. Now, in these moments, is when you will know if you're really passionate about it, because if it doesn't work out and you get knocked down again and again and again and you don't get back up, maybe you don't have a passion or you kind of lost the passion. But if it's something that you're passionate about and you have a purpose for doing it, the the money part will come later, but it's just the knowledge, the skills that we really have to know what we're doing and why we're doing it? Why are you doing what you're doing? If you are just going to work, living, check to check, why are you doing this again? What are you doing to change it? How are you investing your time? Or are you all? Are you giving all your time to this type of system, this recipe that's keeping you mentally drained, financially poor, spiritually poor, with a lack of time, so you can't be consistent, you don't have a purpose or a passion, because you're doing it for bills check, check. You know what I mean. So let's take some accountability in our lives.
Speaker 2:
I know that the story is tough. I came from a tough story. I came from a tough situation. I'm not living with either of my parents growing up and just having to deal with those different custody ballots and switching schools, and you know the hood to hood story, being young and grown and all this stuff. So I couldn't stay there. You have to take accountability. So that's what we're going to do today guys, let's take some accountability. Let's get a call to action to believe in yourself. I don't want nothing less, nothing less. Okay.
Speaker 2:
So if you found this podcast helpful, make sure that you are liking, sharing and, most importantly, subscribing. Um, I definitely want to keep this going, to subscribe and be a paid subscriber. It is only three. Remember anything worth having. It won't be easy. It's going to cost you, but the reward is going to be priceless. You have to change your mindset. Invest in your dreams, um, spiritually, financially, with consistency, with passion, purpose, and take some accountability. And also, you want to take a call to action. Don't just sit on this information. You can't build generational wealth without getting some type of generational, generational knowledge, knowing who you are, um, excuse me, being unapologetic when it comes to following your dreams, investing in yourself. Don't let anybody stop that. This is how you go from hood to the hooded guys. This is how you go from hood to hood it guys.
Speaker 2:
This is how you go from hood to hood it okay, this is how you do it don't forget to subscribe, share this podcast and if you really really love it, you really really see what's going on. You can really even be a paid subscriber for three dollars per month. Just three bucks one, two, three, three dollars per month introductory special to the hood, to the podcast. There are a lot of perks that come with that, um. So yeah, I hope you guys will, uh, keep tuning in and let's grow this podcast.
Speaker 2:
This podcast is kind of like the representation that it requires to go from hood to hood, it meaning like it won't be all peaches and cream in the beginning. Like I read something like two weeks ago. It said you never start and you just won't ever start. Like you know, every day is going to keep going and you're waiting to be perfect. It never happens. So I said you know I wanted to be so perfect. I got this big vision in my head, but it doesn't always start like that. You have to start from day one and keep getting better and better and better. That's the recipe I'm using and I'm gonna rock with it because it's got me this far with other ventures and dreams and goals. So I'm gonna use the same recipe for this podcast and I'm not going to quit. You know what I mean, because I feel like we're growing.
Speaker 2:
This is number three and I want y'all to continue thinking about this success language, thinking about, um, investing in yourself, not just financially, but spiritually, mentally. You know all the leaves, okay, um, but Dr. Shon . Thank you guys for tuning in um, and this is the hood to hood express, where we are giving you financial literacy, spiritual and, you know, mental, just freedom to be yourself so that you can be the best that you can be. All right, all right. So this has been hood to hood with Dr. Shon tv and I'll see you guys in the next podcast.