HOW POVERTY RESTRICTS AND ENFORCE A CAGED MINDSET

The other day I was covering a lot of ground in Michigan and it just open my eyelids on how much I couldn’t see in my own state because of restrictions.

Financial restrictions close a person off to so much, including traveling.

When people aren’t given the resources to explore complacency can set in.

When people become complacent, excuses comes in like a tidal wave, giving people the most absurd reasons to why they CAN’T do something.

People start to act like they don’t want something because they don’t have access to it.

Which was the case w/ Gucci Mane, an American rapper, who’s been known to have extensive run-ins with the law.

However after his most recent bid, life changed for him completely, transforming Gucci into a whole new man, so much so people started a running joke saying he was a clone.

Gucci Mane, spoke with his interviewer, Charlamagne Tha God (Popular Radio Host), that he would come up with half-ass excuses to why he would not want to visit a foreign country. At the time, he couldn’t visit foreign land because of his criminal record.

Knowing the criminal record was the true reason, Gucci’s mindset instead deferred to rejecting places he couldn’t visit in the first place because he couldn’t face the truth about his restrictions.

At that time Gucci Mane wasn’t financially impoverished but his mindset was.

Poverty can be literal and figurative.

In either case it restricts a person in everything they do.

Poverty restricts a person dating life because poverty can create negative thinking that convinces oneself he or she is not enough.

Poverty can restrict academic performance, sport performance, anything that require human effort, poverty can negatively impact it.

To lose and shred the caged mindset, one must start to think free. This thought typically occurs when a person acquires more money but it must start before then.

People can start by choosing what they allow their minds to see everyday.

Growing up in my neighborhood I saw pitiful things, things that were detestable to me and below my standard of living. If I would’ve abided by only what I saw in my communities, I wouldn’t have amounted to much. I decided to place my eyes on different sources.

That first step for me was GQ MAGAZINE. The lifestyle depicted in that magazine was one I knew I wanted the moment I laid my eyes on it.

Seeing that helped shift my mindset from impoverished limited thinking to unlimited potential.

Whether its a magazine, movie, or even a family member. Seeing something opposite of the reinforced poverty lifestyle can spark the changed needed for the individual to escape a caged mindset. Once the mind is set free, their is no bounds to what one can see.

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WHAT THE RESURGENCE OF GUCCI MEANS TO ME.

Gucci was founded in 1921 and I’ve been aware of the brand probably since 98/99(I was born in 92) and ever since then I knew it was a signal of luxury. My mother has always carried purses but I always noticed the ones she favored most was those which bear the famous double g monogram. It was in that monogram in which she probably found the symbol of luxury and in my life time I learned only but a few brands (Burberry’s pattern, Louis Vuitton’s monogram, and Ralph Lauren’s pony…just to name a few) would be able to capture the power of luxury thru a world recognizable logo.

I listen to a lot of rap actually it’s my favorite genre and Gucci is definitely one of the most spoke about brands in the genre (hell a person even made a legendary career off its name, s/o Guwop). But for a while it seems like Gucci was just a name to be glorified and revered than actually to be respected and worn because of its design/quality.

But something magical happened to Gucci in Jan 2015. It appointed it’s new Creative Director, Alessandro Michele. He isn’t new to brand by any means as he worked over 12 years inside the Gucci design studio. However when he was appointed Creative Director his vision was truly able to come to life and we now have the Gucci that we have today.

What does that mean exactly? Well in my personal opinion it means that people are looking at Gucci for something they didn’t see in a long time and that is, innovation. That’s right from the embroidered pieces of animals to unique floral prints , Gucci is capturing an Eclectic energy that I believe no other brand at the moment is capable of. So in 2016, when I put on Gucci I won’t be thinking “oh this is good product because Gucci name is stitched in it and I paid $2000 for it”. No not all, instead I’ll say “Wow this is proof of fine labor and I’m glad I’m able to even to wear such a piece, oh and it’s by Gucci”. And that ladies and gentlemen is what the resurgence of Gucci means to me.