Dreaming in a Bubble?
We must become allies to each other
If “dream snitching” is one threat, the opposite is just as deadly: dreaming in a box or bubble.
Disclaimer: Always a work in progress.
Another caveat is navigating this tension: not telling people your goals and dreams vs. confiding in the right people. There’s a difference between broadcasting/announcing your goals and moves vs. confiding in the right individuals. The independent thinkers and outliers with a growth mindset—fellow travelers on a path of awakening.
What if your best idea is just - missing community?
We’re told to grind harder, hustle more, and push through with nothing but grit. And you know us brothers; we think we can John Henry our way through everything.
But maybe the missing ingredient isn’t effort. Maybe it’s people.
How many brilliant visions never see daylight because we try to build them alone? We cradle our ideas in silence, waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect confidence, or the perfect version of ourselves. As Carl Jung said, seek perfection before completion. Meanwhile, in the world, a group of people, somebody somewhere, is waiting on something we never share.
Brothas—can we collaborate?
That’s the question beneath the question.
Can we move past the need to be the man, to be in charge, to never defer, never ask, and never admit we need someone else?
Too often, we struggle to subordinate to another Black man. I see it everywhere—stores, service jobs, everyday interactions. The smallest tasks turn into silent battles for status. I notice this, for example, at the airport; the brothers working baggage treat lifting another brother’s suitcase like an insult to manhood. And honestly, I’ve felt it too. For years, whenever I’m dropped off, I carry my own bags. Something in me feels awkward letting an older Black man handle them. But I digress. That’s personal—but it does speak to something deeper.
And in the public eye? The beefs, the breakdowns, the silent competitions. The cutting down instead of building up. Rap culture turned the playful battle of rhymes into literal warfare. And even before the violence, there was the art of the cut-down—the way we hunted for flaws, exposed them, and made them identity. The Dozens, which everyone laughs and brags about, created thick skins, no doubt, but what else did it do? How did it shape us in other subconscious ways?
We need the courage to examine this—not to criticize—but to understand.
In the documentary I Am Not Your Negro, there’s a short clip called The Secret of Selling to the Negro. A sales psychologist says:
“The secret to selling to the Negro can be expressed in one word: recognition. Perhaps because he’s had so little of it, the Negro needs it even more. He needs to feel important. Most Negroes buy by brand… Symbols of quality and prestige are important… and they are influenced by the opinions of others.”
Whether we like it or not, some of this lives inside us-how could it not?
So the question becomes:
Can we be vulnerable enough to say, “I don’t know”?
To learn instead of posture and pose? To collaborate instead of judge, compete, and nit-pick? To admit someone else has a skill, a strength, or a piece we need or could draw inspiration from?
Because pretending we’re always on top is just fear wearing confidence as a mask.
Brothers, this may be difficult to hear…
We don’t have allies in the ways we like to imagine we do. This recognition is embodied in the hashtag #SYSBM (Save yourself, Black man). Here again, you will have to endure the predictable shaming tactics. Da communitah sees us as nothing more than community eunuchs. You will face criticism for running, escaping, and not “building.” I’m not rooting against that, but IMO we’re long past that; no mid-20th-century political philosophy—we’ve been waiting 65 years to work—is going to materialize.
Just know, groups always need an internal enemy for cohesion. So get comfortable being the villain in their story. The talk and shaming are just posturing, signaling, and deflection. But why does it matter? What authority or jurisdiction do they have? What can they take away from you or deny you?
Also, leaving has always been a form of resistance. BUT, you aren’t running from something; you’re growing into something. And here’s the thing: you can ignore all of that and refuse to engage because you don’t need permission. Nor do you need to explain yourself.
A free-thinking Black man’s life is for him to live…simple as.
Maybe I’m deep in the weeds, but the core question remains:
Can we collaborate?
Can we commit?
Can we support each other and leverage our collective knowledge?
Too many times, collaboration turns into competition. Side agendas appear. Cliques form. Someone uses the group to leverage their own come-up and disappears at the first opportunity. I’ve seen teams assembled with the promise of building something together—only to discover later it was just a ladder for one person’s ambition.
Because here’s the truth: Dreams don’t grow in silence. So stop dreaming in a bubble. Invite people in. That’s how dreams become real—together.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
If you’re building something—share it. Say it out loud. Tell the right people. Collaborate.
We must become allies to each other
That’s the heart behind launching The Global Brotha Mindshift Community.
A space stitched together by curiosity, creativity, and the belief that none of us has to walk this road alone.
Collaboration isn’t a buzzword - it’s a doorway.
When we pool our skills, our stories, and our lessons learned, isolation becomes connection. We grow faster when we share what we know, ask better questions, and learn from each other’s journeys.
Our space isn’t rigid. The topics aren’t locked in stone. They’re starting points—conversation seeds— guided by the people who show up, share, and build together. The community will shape itself, the same way a river finds its own path.
If you’ve been searching for conversation, support, inspiration, or a tribe of fellow reinventors, creators, travelers, and thinkers—this is your invitation.
👉 Join the community. Create a profile. Introduce yourself. Then help shape what comes next.