How To Be Successful And Black.

Can you believe it’s November already!?

I find it amazing how the first 2 quarters of the year seem to move at a snail’s pace, and the second quarter seems to vanish - also like a snail.

Without referencing the Disney film Turbo, which plays on the idea of snails moving quickly, we can learn a few lessons from the gastropod.

But first, let me pose a question: if snails are so slow-moving, so much so that we have the term “at a snail’s pace”, how come we never see them move from one place to another? They always seem to appear out of nowhere and be gone the next time we look for them.

The unlikely answer is silence.

They don’t make noise.

They take each movement slowly.

And - by how their flappy doodly things bob up and down as they move - they’re calculated.

Black people must emulate this energy if they ever hope to succeed.

Let me explain.

Vusi Thembekwayo puts it perfectly. He says, “There are 3 blacks: the 1st black, the best black or the only black.” - I’m paraphrasing, of course, so I encourage you to go find the actual clip and learn the whole lesson, but in essence - our society, In South Africa (but I very much feel this is reflected in the global economy as well), to be a successful black person you need to be one of the 3 blacks.

However, the unfortunate side effect of this belief is that it leaves very little room for shared wealth or success, which drives competition through the roof.

As a country (but also as black people around the world), years of slavery, degradation and subservience taught us to double down on community and left us with generational trauma.

The trauma is terrible, but in many of us, it fuels our drive to succeed - an unlikely positive. Doubling down on community is great, as is giving support when you need it; however, the hidden negative of this is the “it’s all of us or none of us” attitude.

Essentially, many black people have a drive to achieve and succeed that is unmatched, but the only way to attain that success is the be the first black, the only black or the best black, AND if you overcome all that and actually attain success, the black community looks to you to bring them with you and if you can’t you get dragged - all of us or none of us.

So how, then, do you find success as a black person?

Remember the snail…

Move slow.

Make your moves in silence.

And calculate every move.

People will see what they see when they see it - if they see it.

Lord knows if they see you coming, they throw salt.