outside influences
This weekend was historic for hip-hop as we witnessed the “greatest” rap battle ever. I put “greatest” in quotes because, in terms of music, the lyrics, the number of songs, and everything that went on between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, it was something we’ve never seen before. However, when you look at what was said, the subjects that were discussed, and the number of psychological wounds that were probably re-opened or created, it was actually pretty ugly.
And I got caught up in it.
And it caught me up.
Thanks to a lot of downtime between AAU games, I spent more time than I care to admit, re-listening to the songs, breaking them down in my head, and reading comments and theories on social media. If I wasn’t watching Roman playing, catching up via text with Leo’s soccer tournament, or FaceTiming Ang, Silas, and Leo I was probably thinking about the battle going on.
I didn’t think much about it because I was enjoying the music, texting with friends, and the engagement online. Plus, it had me energized. What I didn’t realize until last evening was that although I was energized by everything going on with Kendrick and Drake, the energetic frequency associated with the battle was low, very low.
Unbeknownst to me, Kendrick Lamar and Drake were pulling me out of alignment because the energy around their battle was so negative—it didn’t seem negative from the outside looking in, but as I’ve stepped back from it and observed it, it’s not the type of energetic frequency I’m used to operating in.
An example of how it impacted my energy level was a post I made on one of the social media networks. I didn’t say anything negative; in fact, I believe everything I wrote, stand by it, and I’d write it again today. It’s not the post's message that shows the battle’s energetic influence on me.
It’s the “why” behind the post.
The "Why": I was annoyed by another post I saw because I felt its message could have a negative impact on others; I see these types of posts all of the time as social media is full of them, and I always just let them pass. But for some reason, which I now know was getting caught up in the energy of the battle, I felt like I needed to cancel out the impact of that post by putting positive energy in the space, which I don’t think is necessarily a bad thing to do. Again, I love what I wrote, but if I could go back and change one thing, it would be the beginning of my post.
I started my post by referencing that I saw a post that I felt the need to address–I should have left that out. It wasn’t necessary. It didn’t add value to my message. And it just brought attention to the original post that had bothered me.
Lesson learned--and thanks to a good friend, a reminder to revisit The Four Agreements.
I’ve shared how finding alignment is a feeling—you just feel and observe that your life is aligned.
The same can be said about misalignment. While the social media post is an example of misalignment externally, I can’t explain how the misalignment feels other than to say I feel a little off; it’s a feeling you’ll know when you feel it.
I’ve already begun getting back to my routine, which will lead to a quick realignment to get back to operating at a high frequency instead of this low one that was residing in me over the weekend—an important note, the low energy from the battle was not showing itself in my behavior or interactions with others…who knows, if I stayed there long enough, maybe it would, but it’s not like I was a grump all weekend. So, your low-frequency moments may not be as obvious as you blowing up on people or being mean.
I share this because your outside influences will impact the energy level from which you operate. Be aware of what you consume, who you surround yourself with, and how you feel as a result of those outside influences.
The more self-aware you are, the quicker you will recognize when outside influences begin to mess with your alignment; you’ll be able to identify which influences are the cause and begin to adjust to get back to your alignment.
Yesterday’s note was about protecting your peace, a note influenced by the battle, and today’s note is about protecting your alignment by being aware of outside influences.
See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,
JC
