Yusef-Andre Wiley argues that poverty is a mental box created by inherited belief systems, not just lack of money. The way out starts with becoming trustworthy: trust is the most valuable personal asset, and building it through how you appear, speak, and interact opens doors that formal education often can't.
Chapters
When we've been groomed a certain way, it's quite interesting how that grooming can define exactly who we become. It'll define it. And when it defines who we become, whether we was groomed by the neighborhood, the community in which we was raised in, educator, a mentor, a doctor, or just someone in the streets. Who knows who we will become? It's a trip how we, we think that the only thing that's stopping us from becoming rich is just simply having money. And being able to get it by any means necessary. That's not it. It's literally looking at who we are and what we can become. Looking at the possibility of who we can become. Because if we just change the way we think, the way we process information around us, the people that are around us. We take on belief systems in our community, in our neighborhood, you know, don't snitch, don't do this, don't do that, drive this kind of car versus that kind of car, look this way versus that way, spend your time doing this versus this versus that. In any case, we're inside of a box. We've been placed inside of a box, and that's how we function inside that box. We haven't really showed the courage to step outside of that box. And if we only knew, if we really knew that all it takes That first step is for us to become a trustworthy person. Become someone that you're trusted by people. That is an asset, and I don't think we really understand that. Just think about it. Think about in your life, just sit back for a moment and think about people that you trust, people that you would literally put your life in their hands. You would even trust them with your money. You would trust them at your house, around your family. Think about that. Just really contemplate that for a moment. I want that to sink in. Think about individuals in your life that you trust. Whether you know them or not. You trust American Airlines, you trust Southwest Airlines, you trust that if you get on that airplane that the people that are in that cockpit know what they are doing. They know how to fly this plane and they're going to take me to point A to point B. They're going to take me to my destination. I'm going to arrive there safely. We trust that airline. We trust when we walk in a building, in a structure, that the walls are not going to cave in because there's a level of trust there. We believe, we have a belief about if I go in this place that I'm okay. We have a belief about it. We have a belief about if I buy a box of cereal by Kellogg's that I'm not gonna get sick. It's gonna be okay. I trust it because I trust the company. I trust the corporation. I trust this establishment because they have this asset that they've already built of trust with us in the community. Once that is broken, think about it. Once that trust is broken, what happens? We flee from it. And in many cases, We see corporations collapse because they've lost the trust of the people. So we have to be able to wire our minds in such a way to where we develop this level of trust. When you enter a room and you are you are seen by those that are inhabiting that room, they trust you. They trust the way you look. They trust the way you dress. They trust the way you talk to people. They trust you to be around their daughters and their sons. They trust you. That is your biggest asset. It's not your house, it's not your car. Your biggest asset is you. Developing that trust with people, that can take you a long way. Many times people rise to the top in corporations, not because they have the best skill or they put in the most work in college, they have the degrees. In some cases, in some instances, it's because the level of trust that the CEO has with that individual. So this person is being promoted He's been raised up because of it. That should be a clue as to what we need to do to get out of our condition of poverty. We have to start there. That's where it starts, right there. That should become your brand. That has to become your brand, is that when I call you by your name, And when it's heard by others, there's a trust factor there, and they're okay. If we do this, we'll get out of the condition that we're currently in today. Peace.
