Have you heard of the hottest drug on the market? It’s called Clout. Many are addicted and no one is sober. “They do anything for clout” 🎶 Yeah, that. Clout AKA Influence. We are living in a world where the collective majority feels forced to be influential; to be known/deemed important. To some extent we all crave validation. That’s normal. What’s not normal is the addiction of validation to an extreme measure … and making it a competition of self-worth. If you don’t have status/influence gained by followers, likes, associating with famous people, expensive cars, designer clothes … then who are you? Clearly not important. This twisted cycle is harming our people more than we realize. It’s effecting how we co-exist with one another, slowly dividing us more and more everyday. Imagine what it will do to generations to follow?

Have you recognized how Clout is separating our society? Do you see a solution for this?

My solution : an antidote of “self-validation and acceptance” administered to all those who got a dose of “clout-desire”

If only it were that easy. For if everyone saw themselves as important and worthy, there would be no need to go to these extremes. The saddest part about all of this … the high that Clout gives is ever-fading. The high never lasts when it’s based off an external source. The only high that’s eternal is the high that comes from within. Most highs are sought after for a release or escape - Clout is usually sought after for power. Yet (like most drugs) the high is only fool’s gold. Influence does not equal true power. True power cannot be gained through the conquest of material things. True power cannot be obtained by rapport created through an illusion. True power exudes from within … remember, that’s where the true high resides.

I’m not sure where our collective goes from here. I have hope for a different future; a future where we build together instead of stomp on one another for the name of the game. It’s not cute anymore. We are too evolved for this. We have an abundance of resources and intelligence to create a whole new world. It’s time we use it.

I let you in on the hottest drug, now I must warn you of the strongest poison … Gossip.

Gossip is a deadly poison, sneakily decaying those who drink it from the inside out. For the body does not know the difference between negative words towards another vs. yourself. The body stores this negative speech as a direct attack against your vessel. The anger, the hatred, the spite, the greed, the envy, the jealously, the boredom leading to mindless conversations … these should not be taken lightly. When you use your tongue to speak about another - you are actually speaking about yourself. Sure, Gossip can ruffle a few feathers, get the partied started … yet the long-term effects are hazardous.

What do we do when we have a society addicted to an intangible drug and consuming an intangible poison? It won’t go away overnight. Truthfully, it will never go away. It’s deeply embedded within our programming, and heightened by the presence of social media.

So, where do we go from here? Awareness is the first step. Once you are aware, you can pivot in a new direction. Every time you catch yourself wanting a hit of Clout or sip of Gossip … deny yourself the fix. Pivot elsewhere. Only then can we elevate as a community. Our minds are too brilliant to be caught up in such a pointless cycle.

Much love. We got this.