Week 9

Week in Review

Monday March 6, 2017

Graduation for the Kings of Spring ‘17 lies around the corner with only a few weeks, months, assignments and events away. For those of us who have been weighed down by our past, we would have never thought that we would have made it this far. As the Kings we claim to be, we don’t bother with yesterday’s troubles, but instead place our focus primarily on today and pray for a better tomorrow.

Through all of the obstacles that we as a whole have dealt with, we could all agree that this journey has to be the most challenging. Our knowledge of entrepreneurship and understanding of financial literacy is constantly evolving, thanks to Bert S. and the instructors of Living in the Village.

This is just the beginning of yet another work week. Things may seem strenuous to us at first, but as Kings we progress through the week one day at a time. Our work load gets lighter and lighter, but as we all know, come Wednesday we will most definitely be getting a “refill” in a sense. I encourage my brothers to keep up the great job – and now I have to go get some last-minute studying in. Good luck, brothers!

Jeremi R. (a.k.a. Left Eye)

Tuesday March 7, 2017

Financial Literacy is not the most exciting subject to read about, but it is very important for a person’s overall success. Being that we are all seeking change and success, we should take advantage of the opportunity that PEP presents to us. We are being taught entrepreneurship and how to create a business from the ground up, but what use is learning how to make money if we don’t learn how to save money? Money is a tool and is neither good nor bad; it is what we do with it that will determine its benefit, or lack thereof.

How grand it is that we are gaining all of these life-changing tools, skills and knowledge. When we first arrived on the unit, we were a bunch of unruly individuals – we were thugs, convicts, criminals and gangsters, and our daily lifestyle and verbiage attested to that. Now we are Authentic Men on the road to success.

Let’s continue to strive, read, study, imagine, dream and execute. It’s all worth it, brothers. The road isn’t going to be easy, but remember the road to destruction is paved with vanities and pleasures. Let’s stay focused on the right path.

Xavier A. (a.k.a. Chocolate Drizzle)

Wednesday March 8, 2017

I can’t say that one part of business is more important than the next; they are interwoven parts that work together to create the whole. But learning the different types of business formations is very important from both a financial and legal standpoint. Establishing your business as an LLC rather than a Sole Proprietorship (or vice versa) could possibly save you thousands of dollars and protect relationships between partners, investors, friends and family.

We have a lot on our plates as far as assignments, maintaining family relations, studying, perfecting our pitches, revising the financials on our evolving business plans and a multitude of other things. A few of my brothers and I were talking about how tight our time has become and how we have less time to do … well, nothing! At the end of our conversation my brothers and I came to the conclusion that that’s the idea behind PEP. We are hard at work, effectively utilizing our time and resources to bring about a positive difference in our lives and the lives of others.

If we learn nothing else in PEP, we will most definitely learn tolerance, patience, conflict resolution, public speaking and a myriad of different skills, which are getting quite extensive. PEP offers a good opportunity to grow and further develop, so may we all continue to take advantage of the opportunity.

Donald M. (a.k.a. Jerome in the House)

Thursday March 9, 2017

This morning we were called to the PEP room at 7 a.m. and told that we were about to analyze the character of our brothers. Initially some of our brothers hung their heads; it’s always a bit uncomfortable to give your brothers feedback on their strengths and weaknesses. When you give thought to the concept, it’s actually quite a helpful and beneficial tool to both giver and recipient. A famous man once said, “If you want to strengthen your brother, correct his conduct; if you want to weaken your brother, give him undeserved praise.”

The second half of the day we were called out to learn proper social etiquette from the esteemed Mrs. Colleen R. On behalf of The Kings of Spring ’17, we thank you Mrs. Colleen for being kind enough to come and instruct us in proper business and social etiquette. Now we can all tie a Windsor knot, properly entertain our guests without offending them or banishing them from our kingdom by pointing our knives in the wrong direction.

Today was an eventful day with the character assessment this morning and learning proper etiquette this afternoon. Tomorrow is our fitness and wellness course, and this weekend we will all be finishing up homework, reading and studying for the next chapter test on Wednesday, as well as continuing to build our business plans. We are learning that a man’s job is never finished – we aren’t running a sprint but a marathon. Pace yourselves brothers, and let’s continue to progress.

Michael M. (a.k.a. Sweet M&M)

Friday March 10, 2017

All of the brothers from Kings of Spring ‘17 are determined to keep going even if there have been bumps in the road. We lift each other up and encourage one another to keep pushing toward the finish line. Some of us had an abundance of homework, but that didn’t stop us from our main objective: graduating!

We are Servant Leaders and it’s our responsibility to help one another succeed. As a brotherhood we have experienced hard times, but we are positive and determined to have each other’s backs. We all have been getting to know one another more in-depth, and we continue to study hard for all of our upcoming tests. We aren’t merely interested in memorizing material; our goal is to learn concepts so that we can aptly apply these business principles to our lives and businesses.

Kings of Spring ‘17 are one of a kind – if one of us falls, we help to pick that brother up. We are united and work as a team, family and brotherhood. The love we share is unconditional and sincere. To be a King it is important to surround yourself with strong, positive, like-minded individuals who empower you to be the best man that you can be. We aren’t ordinary men: we are KINGS!

Martin D. (a.k.a. Brown Sugar)

Expressions

“Strength does not come from winning. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

Reform is a daunting, continuous, incessant journey that is full of adversity and trials. But we are men of honor, valor and integrity, so this journey is a necessary trek. Authentic men continuously seek to grow intellectually, spiritually and emotionally. We have goals in place, and we have this grand vision for our lives. We believe that in order to be successful that we must achieve all of our goals and actualize the vision for our lives in their entirety. But that’s not completely realistic: visions are perfect, whereas life is mired with imperfections. So to be successful does not require the attainment of perfection, but rather to stay the course as life’s storms rage on. To be successful is to have spiritual and psychological hope when reason loses its faculty. To be successful is to raise one’s children in spite of hardship; to be a good husband to our wives; to be kind to our neighbors; to live purposefully every day, regardless of our circumstances.

The Christian reformer Martin Luther once stood alone, completely abandoned by his loved ones, pupils and teachers, assaulted by those whom he respected as they questioned his moral integrity and loyalty to the very Church that raised him. At that moment Martin Luther had two choices: either he could recant and go back to that which troubled his soul, or he could trust his conscience and persevere through hardship. Martin Luther decided to persevere and was quoted saying, “Here I stand, I can do no other. May God help me.” I offer the same words of solace to you. If your strength cannot afford you to walk, then stand. We may not achieve every single one of our goals, and we may not actualize the visions for our lives in total, but we can and must be men of honor, respect, chivalry, love and valor. With God’s help, we must be KINGS!

Jaa’far A. (a.k.a. Jolly Rancher)