760. Self Improvement & Mindset | Praise Podcast

In this episode of The Man Up Club Presents, host Celena Lena sits down with Emmanuel Blackshear and 'TK' Kelly on Holy Culture Radio to discuss self-improvement and mindset. They explore their personal journeys, strategies for growth, and the importance of investing in oneself. The conversation highlights their faith, resilience, and the role of mentorship in overcoming life's challenges. Tune in for powerful insights on maintaining a positive mindset, setting goals, and building a successful life in the real estate industry.

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[00:00:08] What's up you guys? We are back at the Man Up Club Presents for another podcast episode on Holy Culture Radio. I have two guests with me, but I am your host, Selena Lina, a.k.a. Sis from Sis and Low Bro. I'm also the Youth and Program Director of the Man Up Club.

[00:00:25] Now the Man Up Club gives voices to young black males. We are located in the Twin Cities. The Man Up Club is a nonprofit organization for young black males between the ages of 13 and 24, where we teach life skills, social skills, academic discipline, and civic responsibility. If that is an organization you would love to support, go ahead and go to www.themanupclub.org.

[00:00:48] So let's jump into this conversation, okay? We are going to talk about self-improvement and mindset. Y'all say what's up real quick. Just say what's up.

[00:00:57] How y'all doing? Hey, what's up? What's up?

[00:00:59] Okay, so I have Emmanuel Blackshear. He is a man of God in the Christian faith. He's a Minnesota realtor, real estate investor, and social media influencer.

[00:01:08] And what's crazy about today's episode is that the man right next to him is pretty much doing the same thing, which is really crazy.

[00:01:15] And they both just found out that they run in the same circles. Next to him is Tashaun Kelly, better known as TK. He's also a man of God in the Christian faith. He's a business coach. He's a realtor and social media influencer. Did I give that pretty okay?

[00:01:31] That's not fair. Okay.

[00:01:34] So Emmanuel, anything else that you want to let the people know that you do or did I kind of cover everything?

[00:01:39] I think you kind of covered it. I'm a realtor full time just helping people, you know, buy or sell homes and just trying to bring the community back together in that way. So that's what I do full time. So I think you hit that right on the mark.

[00:01:50] I ended up, I went to Bethlehem University. So I am a Christian. I'm a man of faith. And he's played a huge role in my life. So I think you hit it right on the mark.

[00:01:59] Yeah. That's what's up. What about you, TK? Anything that I missed? Anything that you want to tell the people?

[00:02:04] I think that you got everything done flawlessly and perfectly. The thing that I would just say is one thing about me is I'm very family orientated.

[00:02:11] And I also am a member of a cap office I fraternity, one of the best fraternities in the world.

[00:02:16] Okay. I know that's right. You better represent. Okay. Okay. So let's dive into this conversation. We're going to talk about self-improvement.

[00:02:22] Let's talk the basics of self-improvement. You both are doing amazing things, you know, the way that you carry yourself and the way that I see you move from afar is just very respectable.

[00:02:32] Emmanuel, you can go first. What is your recipe for self-improvement? Because it may be different from other people.

[00:02:38] Well, I appreciate what you said in the beginning. I would say where it starts is really personal development and investing in yourself, taking the time to invest in yourself.

[00:02:49] I'm big on if I have to spend money to get education or you got to pay to play sometimes.

[00:02:56] I feel like it really just comes down to the time that you're investing in yourself.

[00:03:00] Are you doing the activities that it takes to get to where you want to go?

[00:03:04] So you got to identify where you're looking to go first and then which activities will take you there.

[00:03:10] So I'm hearing education and I'm hearing mindset.

[00:03:14] Education, mindset, reflection and investing in yourself.

[00:03:19] When I say investing, I mean reading, writing, reflecting, communicating with people, making sure that you're getting information.

[00:03:30] I feel like that is what separates the great from, you know, the average is information.

[00:03:36] So just making sure that you're you're investing in yourself and you're getting educated and you're being a student of the game.

[00:03:42] That's what's up. What about you, TK? What is your recipe for self-improvement?

[00:03:48] I love the answer that Emmanuel gave. I'm just going to go ahead and piggyback off of him with the self-reflection and improvement.

[00:03:54] So one of the things that I've learned at a very early age is that when you first wake up in those 30 to 20 minutes, that's when your brain is the most active.

[00:04:04] So when I first wake up, what I like to do is I pray first.

[00:04:07] And then secondly, I am listening to something very positive.

[00:04:12] I think that when you start your day and you hang around positivity and you think about positive thoughts, that's going to help your self-esteem.

[00:04:20] And that's just one effect of self-improvement.

[00:04:22] The other thing that Emmanuel will say is reflection.

[00:04:24] So, again, with that, I actually have a journal for where I am writing down what it is that I did today, what went well, and then what I could improve on.

[00:04:35] So just that reflection piece and that self-awareness that Emmanuel was talking about is very, very key.

[00:04:41] I think a lot of men don't like writing in a journal because, you know, they think of it as a diary.

[00:04:46] But really, I love writing in my journal because it lets me know the different conversations that I have that, again, were positive, that were great conversations that can benefit me and knowledge that I learned that can help me advance.

[00:04:59] And then also it lets me know my flaws.

[00:05:01] What didn't I do well?

[00:05:03] What was I not productive in?

[00:05:04] So really having that journal has helped me really self-improve myself.

[00:05:08] And then also, like he said, everyone reads.

[00:05:10] You know, they said that if you read, I think, five to seven books a year, within five years, you'll become the top 1% of any subject that you're studying or category.

[00:05:19] So reading is very important.

[00:05:21] And again, just the self-awareness.

[00:05:23] You have to know what it is that you want, write down your goals, and then you use that journal to see if you're getting closer to it or if you're not.

[00:05:29] And that's really what I think self-improvement is.

[00:05:31] And then, like Emmanuel said, of just having a positive mindset.

[00:05:34] With me having a positive mindset, I consistently always listen to positive things.

[00:05:39] So just like how you have to train your muscles, you have to train your brain to be positive and think positive.

[00:05:44] So you literally are very regimented in daily journaling.

[00:05:50] Like, you're super consistent in that?

[00:05:51] I would say yes.

[00:05:53] Okay, wow.

[00:05:54] That's impressive.

[00:05:55] I just think that, I mean, I don't find a lot of dudes who are very intentional with keeping a journal every single day.

[00:06:04] So that's really commendable.

[00:06:06] That's what's up.

[00:06:08] Obviously, both of you are at this place now.

[00:06:11] And it's like, by your answers, you know what is best for you and you're executing that, right?

[00:06:17] But how did you even get here in the first place?

[00:06:21] Like, what motivated you to self-improve?

[00:06:24] Go ahead, Emmanuel.

[00:06:26] I got to bring in, when I think about how I got here, two life experiences pop up in my mind.

[00:06:35] And then the first one was getting kicked off of the football team.

[00:06:39] Okay.

[00:06:41] No, in college.

[00:06:42] Oh.

[00:06:43] Yep.

[00:06:43] So I ended up getting kicked off the football team.

[00:06:45] And this forced me that football was my identity at the time.

[00:06:50] So me getting out of football forced me to find something else to be good at.

[00:06:59] When all you did up to that point was play football, it was real eye-opening.

[00:07:06] And your perspective changes when you have to find what you're going to do in the real world.

[00:07:10] I got a question.

[00:07:12] Was your dream to be an NFL player?

[00:07:15] Oh, yeah, of course.

[00:07:16] Oh, okay.

[00:07:16] I got you.

[00:07:17] Just like a lot of young men here.

[00:07:18] Yeah, exactly.

[00:07:19] And that's why, you know, it was kind of hard to deal with that.

[00:07:22] But you just got to figure out how you're going to take that, how you're still going to reach that same level of success, but just in a different form.

[00:07:30] And the second thing, the second experience was me quitting my nine-to-five job.

[00:07:37] And when you put yourself in a situation like that, your back is against the wall and you got to make something happen.

[00:07:42] And it's like, yes, you can make excuses.

[00:07:46] But at the end of the day, you know what you got to do.

[00:07:49] And I feel like that's just what it comes down to.

[00:07:52] What was your nine-to-five?

[00:07:54] So I was a data analyst for a corporation.

[00:07:57] Okay.

[00:07:58] Were you making a decent amount of money?

[00:08:00] I was making great money.

[00:08:02] I was making fantastic money.

[00:08:04] That's good.

[00:08:05] That's great.

[00:08:06] Yeah, IT and corporate is money.

[00:08:08] I was making fantastic money.

[00:08:10] But I went to school for psychology.

[00:08:12] So I was really unqualified for the position.

[00:08:16] And so I ended up getting the position.

[00:08:18] And then as I kind of got more responsibility within that role, they wanted me to start, you know, doing a lot of coding, just building out applications and things like that.

[00:08:27] And I'm like, guys, I don't even know where to start.

[00:08:31] I just didn't see myself having those conversations long term.

[00:08:34] So I just chose to dive into something where my strengths, where I saw my strengths.

[00:08:40] And that eventually led me to real estate.

[00:08:43] I want to pick a little bit more before we go to TK because what's surprising is you had this nine-to-five and it wasn't like it was a retail job.

[00:08:53] You know, it was a nine-to-five that was...

[00:08:56] It was a good job.

[00:08:57] It was a solid job.

[00:08:58] Right?

[00:08:59] So, I mean, there's a lot of people that have a nine-to-five, but they're living paycheck to paycheck.

[00:09:04] So it's not easy for them to just drop the job, you know?

[00:09:07] So what, in your circumstance, what allowed you to have that comfortability to do that?

[00:09:14] Like, did you have money stacked up?

[00:09:16] Like, what was your situation?

[00:09:18] I was...

[00:09:19] I really didn't even have much saved.

[00:09:21] I'm not going to lie.