Create Your Work

 Create Your Work

Great Ujima:

We are here to talk about using our Kuumba to create the thing that we do to make a living. We have to begin to use our Kuumba to create our work. We have all these marvelous principles waiting to serve us, but we are too busy serving others to realize the power that we have at our disposal. Combining the principle of Kuumba with the principle of Ujima as we get to do on this day gives us a look at the true power of this combination. The angle we will hit today is creating a system in which we are able to work for ourselves and serve the community at the same time. 

“Join me today on Ujima in creating the new, meaningful and fulfilling careers for yourself and your family”

We have talked about the importance of living a systematic life (verse from AOTL), but now let’s look at constructing a system that can work for us, rather than selling all of our time to someone else’s system. Right now most of us are involved in building up other peoples lifestyle at our expense, and this is the way the system (we exist in i.e. white supremacy or western capitalist) was designed. Now we have to begin to creatively push our Ujima toward working for us.

“How can our Ujima existence be turned into an action plan?”

First I want to mention that although these principles that we are talking about are African in origin, and we look at them from our perspective, they can work for anyone that uses them. As a matter of fact you can see them at work around you, they just have different names. These principles are being used against you and your tribe's success, so please pay attention. The whole world moves as tribes or groups of tribes, and if you are caught out here by yourself with no backing you simply become a resource to exploit. A beast of burden that will carry loads for the other team. If you are satisfied with that then this is not the place for you. Because here at GNJMedia we not only talk about your personal success but we talk about success for your whole tribe, so any system that you build that does not work with your true tribe, will not stand. It will be the equivalent of building a fine house on sand. We are encouraging you to build tribes around you so that you can have help in protecting your wealth, and be available to help tribe members build and protect theirs. Of course the system will start with you, and you will have to work hard but if you are not building others in (with a proper process) you are dooming your future generations.

“if you want to be great then you have to build a team of people who can stand with you and not against”

Now the first step is to be aware of where you are in your life now. You may be on the corporate plantation, or a public servant but realize that those systems have been designed not to benefit your group in the long run. They are systems that have been set up to give you the “OK Life”, and give the owners what our Ancestors called the “Best Life”. What our goal here at GNJMedia is to introduce you to the “crystalized wisdom” of our Ancestors that will enable you to live “The Best Life”. This requires you to call on the five parts of your being (IMESP) using your Ujima, of course using some of the practices and Ideas shared during the week of Ujima. We also need to call on our Kuumba to help us come up with some creative methods to work around the time constraints that many of us have.

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“Are you ready to take back your life and begin living “The Best Life”?”

I can say for myself that I am far from wealthy, and in the beginning phases it was hard for me but I had to find ways to make the work that I do for the world work for me and the tribe. At first I would take my break and lunch to think and write about what I wanted to do at home. Then I figured out that what I was doing in this organization could be shaped to serve me as well. I found ways to sneak the curriculum that I was building into the place of my current adventure (place of employment). I would find ways to train using the Player’s Pyramid, including the Nguzo Saba, Talk about the five parts of the Self, share the proverbs, use the folktales, and include the 4 pillars of health as well. Any extra assignments that were assigned, or that I volunteered for I would be able to use this and develop the system that we are talking about now. Believe me when you hear me say that I am thinking all the time. By me being myself in meetings, and embracing my Culture, it forced everyone around me to accept it even if they may have been a little uncomfortable with it at the beginning. This is not a recent practice. I have been Creating or recreating my work for years, I have even been blessed with the opportunity to train others in the methods, so that they can do the same. 

“The Nguzo Saba WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.”

I was able to set up a system by simply living my culture, here are some steps that you can begin to follow to do the same:

• Understand who you are and who you want to become! This was a crucial step that I was able to take when I was younger. Due to my embracing Hip-Hop, listening to my elders, and my study I began walking my talk. My clothes were different and my hair was different. Even how I communicated with the business was different and somehow it worked. As a matter of fact in most cases I was encouraged to continue what I was doing. 

• Always Know where you are and why! My experience will be different from 90% of the people reading this. Some of you will be in places where you may not get to speak, and teach. You may be an office worker. This is why you must  understand that your goal is not to change the organization, you are simply trying to be accepted as who you are. So always realize that you are on enemy ground, but use the freedom that you do have. If you have a space, make it your space. Also remind yourself constantly WHY you are in that place. If they have you there for a skill, then master that skill, and create ways to use that skill for your personal development and the Tribe. Use your Kuumba to make yourself indispensable. Become so good at what you do that you can complete skills and have time to focus on your Nia, and not be bothered by the organization.

• Divide your lunch and break time to be times where you work on you, your Nia, and your tribe. Spend half eating and half scheming on your escape.

• Get up a little early or go to bed later whichever you pick this time is carved out to use your Kuumba to create and also to use Ujima to align the 5 parts of your being.

• Use weekends to begin linking up with your tribe and have mindsets that will help you make it through the week.

“What if we started giving schools and organizations permission to be Black?”

Breaking away and doing things for yourself and your tribe is not easy, but “Those who are not willing to sacrifice will not be fulfilled, say the knowledge holder”. So the question is do you want to be fulfilled and live “The Best Life” or are you one of those that have gotten comfortable with being unfulfilled. If you have made it this far I already know who i am talking too, know that you are not alone we here at GNJMedia will continue to support you with the things that we do. I encourage you to stay plugged in and get on the email list, and feel free to email us back. This is a hard road especially when you have not been blessed with a tribe around you, but keep working this system and we will help you build what you need where you are. Maybe one day we'll be sitting around a national or international camp trip around a fire and you will be able to share your experience and motivate the next generation.

Until tomorrow.....