TO IMPOSTOR OR NOT TO IMPOSTOR (YOU ARE A WINNER) - 27TH SATURDAY, JULY - 2024

I SAW A CLIP LAST NIGHT THAT PUSHED ME DOWN A RABBIT HOLE OF REVIEWING AND WANTING TO SHARE OLD WORK. I HADN’T DIPPED INTO THE PAST IN A WHILE FOR MANY REASONS. ONE MAIN REASON WAS THAT MY POPS TOLD ME IF I LOOKED BACK, I WOULDN’T SEE WHERE I WAS GOING. CONSTANTLY LOOKING FORWARD HAS TAKEN ME FAR, BUT IT ALSO MADE ME FORGET WHY I WAS GOING IN THE FIRST PLACE. I BEGAN LOSING DIRECTION, WILLPOWER, AND INVITING SELF-DOUBT. I SECOND-GUESSED MY ACTIONS AND MY SENSE OF BELONGING, OR AS WE CALL IT NOWADAYS, 'IMPOSTER SYNDROME.'

BUT AFTER HEARING SIMONE MANUEL’S SHORT SPEECH AFTER HER RACE, IT WAS TIME TO SPIN THE BLOCK. AS I SHUFFLED THROUGH FILES AND OLD POSTS, I COULDN’T BELIEVE ALL THE THINGS I HAD CREATED, THE PEOPLE I HAD MET, AND THE STORIES I TOLD. IGNITING AND RINGING WERE THE WORDS OF MS. MANUEL THROUGHOUT MY HEAD: 'I KNOW I'M A WINNER.' SOMETIMES, TO FEEL IT, YOU NEED TO SEE IT. SEEING YOURSELF IN THE LIGHT OF JOY, CONFIDENCE, AND PASSION REALLY DOES AWAKEN THAT WINNER INSIDE YOU. LOOKING IN THE PAST DOESN’T SLOW YOU DOWN IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU LONG FOR. MANY TIMES, IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO SEE WHAT THE FUTURE CAN BE.

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KEVIN CARTER - THE Hood PHILOSOPHER