DeoVonte “Deo” Means
As I entered into the triple decade club, I awoke to discover that almost instinctually I and my peers began to organically utilize the talents and hobbies we possessed to leave a mark on our worlds. Individually, we utilized due-diligence, set deliverables and became fairly competent at incorporating an effective skill-set to produce an impressive product. Some are labeled artist, entrepreneurs, small business owners or perhaps talent resourceful. I’ve come to blanket categorize it as simply “enterprising urban sophisticates.” Enterprising is defined as ready to undertake projects of importance or difficulty, or untried schemes; energetic in carrying out any undertaking. characterized by great imagination or initiative. As I embarked upon this new journey of establishing a cohesive platform where like-minded individuals would find an oasis (The Flyy-Life), I consulted with peers and conducted an informal analysis of the landscape I was prepared to enter. I wanted to discover what strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats lay before me. This was all part of my strategic planning. I was bewildered, to say the least, when collectively we realized one of the major handicaps facing the enterprising sophisticate is simply support. I understand the competitive spirit but many of us are so conditioned in the rivalry antics of youth, that we allow these actions to have unprecedented control over our behavior even as adults.
To an enterprising sophisticate, support can be as small as a click of the mouse to “like” a post, attending a hosted event, or even a word or two saying “good job…job well done.” Money is not always a mitigating factor. Yet even the smallest act of support forces many of us to juggle the recipient thru warped categories such as “do I like them”… “do my friends like them”… “do we still harbor years old passive conflict”… “do they appear to have a more successful lifestyle than me”… “are they more popular”… “are they getting more attention than me” etc. Basically we filter the recipient of our support thru our insecurities and envy. If the recipient spark a negative reaction then we decline our support…shade. At this point, it appears rather childish in my opinion. By no means am I endorsing a consumer or the public to sign-off on mediocre products, services or entities. In fact, I tend to be rather selective of who and what I support but I am learning as a man, if you remove those lenses of “shade” you will discover very impressive talent within the boundaries of your backyard that is worthy of our individual support.
I will not allow myself to be a hypocrite and say I have not indulged in this behavior, but as I grow into manhood, I find myself moving beyond my comfort zone. Challenging myself and embracing attributes that will allow me to be the man I always yearned to be. We all want to live in a fabulous city, but a city is defined by its occupants, its ability to remain progressive and the abundance of opportunities it presents to its inhabitants. Enterprising sophisticates are major contributors to the success of any modernized city but this demographic also tends to function like beautiful garden Day Lilies. If they are not given adequate nourishment and support, the beauty they possess will either cease to exist or they will find a way to relocate themselves to another area that’s well fertilized and encourages their growth. This quarter, I’m embracing support, shade was so last year. Not to mention, it’s not cute having a desolate backyard, full of “shady” trees while your neighbors bask in lush vegetation and beautiful foliage in the sunlight. Hopefully my peers will follow suit as well…Deo
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