Dekera G. Rodriguez

Life’s matrix is rendered incomprehensible without the gift of Black literary works. We use them as guides, medicine, and starstuff for alchemy. They serve in good times and bad. Read Black often to resurrect and to remember.

@Phil_Lewis_ Now that’s crazy.

The Justice Department is suspending a policy requiring newly hired federal prosecutors to possess at least one year of experience practicing law news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/do…

@iamdieforyouuu spring rolls

You have to name him the last thing you ate

@ScarfaceTrades_ Happy birthday, and congratulations!

$26,000 on my birthday. Great start to the month.

@ScarfaceTrades_ Day 3 yesterday was awesome. You spent a lot of time answering questions after the live trading session that gave great insight. Here are some notes, but I’m watching again to take better ones. Thank you for the 3-Day seminar!

@Jacobztrades Keep your head up and stay focused. Use your practice account for higher risk. Continue making steady gains. Follow you because you have locked in payouts consistently. You already know what to do. Good luck!

As long as keep not managing my risk I will blow account after account I need to be very disciplined with this and Again today I was not and I paid the price Learn the lesson the hard way

@ScarfaceTrades_ and @JdubTrades_ Some Notes from Day 2 of seminar. Thanks again! Can’t wait for Day 3 in another hour or so

@ScarfaceTrades_ Thank you for the session. Excited for today and tomorrow!

Today was the first day of the 3 day live event. We had some technical difficulties but once they were solved thousands of traders saw a SIMPLE way to start trading tomorrow. The best part? We still have 2 days left (HUGE REVEAL Day 2) If you haven’t already… Register now: summit.scarfacetrades.com/2-0

When I started my goal was $50/day Now 7 years later I average $10k/day Soon $20k will be the normal Trust the process.

@ScarfaceTrades_ Here are some of my notes from yesterday’s seminar. I always learn so much from your videos and your process. I can’t wait for today and tomorrow #Trading #BreakandRetest

@AlexHormozi I’m so sorry to hear this, Alex. My heart goes out to you and your family during this time. You have my deepest condolences. May God be with you.

My mother died in an unexpected accident at her home on Friday night in Baltimore. I want to take a brief moment to honor her life. She was admitted into the first ever female class at John’s Hopkins (a huge accomplishment, because before that, it was men only). She ran a private eye surgery practice for years. She went to Africa multiple times to operate on entire villages to literally heal the blind. She helped anyone who didn’t have money - despite never having much of her own. She gave her life to Christ when she was 42, and never looked back. She lived in God’s grace. For the few who knew her, you know she was incredibly intelligent, kind, and unyielding in her faith and values. She also loved me fiercely despite her difficulty showing it. But she was always proud. Always available. Always genuine. And truly did not care what anyone thought besides Jesus. Also… She was a great stay at home movie date. We’d get double features on the weekends. And I’d get to pick one candy. She was a great cook and liberal with her use of butter. I only found out as an adult that the proper way to make Mac n cheese was not simply “melt a stick of butter then add noodles & powder.” This method also applied to eggs, steak, most other things worth eating. She could hold her liquor like a champ and was always down for a good time. On her good days - she was honestly wonderful to be around. That being said, she was also a terrible driver. She was disorganized, clumsy, could not remember where she put her keys, wallet, phone, shoes or whatever she was looking for - ever. And she’d argue about anything. And that was Florence. No matter what you thought of her, she was consistent. And she bent for no one. Florence was a ball of goodness that struggled to deal with the world around her. She suffered her own demons. And near the end was in great mental and physical pain. Now that she has passed, her pain has ended. And she can finally reunite with her Creator. I hope her worldview is right and she is welcomed home in His arms with a message we’d all want: “well done my good and faithful servant.” Maman, I will miss you.

Trading didn’t come into your life for money. It comes to give you patience, give you emotional intelligence and increase discipline. Trading will unlock your full potential not just financially but every aspect of life.

@KodyNordquist CREATIVE

Actively doing is the key to alpha.

@grace_ssmith @jackcapobianco2 Awww. Congratulations Grace!

MY FIANCÉ!! @jackcapobianco2 You inspire me, encourage me, protect me, support me, push me, lead me, challenge me, comfort me, and love me. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life doing the same for you. 💍🤍 08.05.2023

@ricklewisco Hilarious Rick!

I have the best job in the world. I'm the world's worst & highest paid waiter. I pose as a bad server at high-end corp events who gets more and more odd and eccentric over the course of the meal—overfilling water glasses from a height of 3 feet. The reactions are priceless.🧵

In stressful moments, never forget this: Your brain has an in-built negativity bias. This means that if you let it run wild, it will... • Foster and intensify negative emotions • Highlight past losses and failures • Downplay present abilities and achievements • Exaggerate future obstacles • Prioritise negative information over positive information That's just the way it works (for all of us, by the way!) But the good news is: Your brain also has the wonderful capacity to choose one thought over another. You can observe your brain do all of those silly, unhelpful things—and then consciously choose a more positive and empowering thought. Reminding myself of this negativity bias has been super helpful in observing my thoughts without getting lost in them, and then moving past them.

@mvarghoose @ricklewisco Agreed!

I got hired to be a stunt double for a famous actor. But pretending to be somebody else was painful. The actor was Jim Varney in "Ernest Goes to School." My specialized stunt in the movie was running on top of a rolling bass drum in the middle of an active football game. 🧵

@ricklewisco Very compelling story, Rick. After each Tweet, I couldn't wait to read on. What a wonderful way to bless a stranger who overcame himself to seek change for his family.

I gave $500 to a stranger on the street once as an experiment. I never found out the man's name. But I did find out exactly what he did with the money. 🧵

That's all for today, thanks for reading! Hopefully you found this helpful, if you did, a favour to ask: 1. Give me a follow. 2. Give this a retweet. Until next time.

I love this analogy. It captures a tension that so many of us feel but couldn't adequately name. Selling a shovel can feel false (even if financial circumstances dictate that you should) because you uncovered pieces of gold at some point, and you believe you can hit your version of the motherlode. It's a bet for sure. You can bet on yourself and continue digging. But no one wants to be the dummy with a handful of dirt who 10 years later sees that he should've been selling shovels. I think some version of both digging and selling makes sense.

Gold before shovels. During the Gold Rush, the people who made the most money weren't the prospectors looking for gold, but those selling shovels. This anecdote gets thrown around a lot lately because we are in another gold rush: the creator economy. The fracturing of the mainstream media and the proliferation of new tech tools means it is easier than ever to make money as a creator. A camera, a keyboard, and the internet: this is what you need to build an audience and change your life. Huge changes are afoot and a lot of people will get rich, but this is where the gold rush analogy falls apart. The reason people got rich selling shovels during the gold rush was that prospecting for gold was zero-sum: you had to hit the motherlode to get rich. Selling shovels was much steadier business. This is not the case today. Fifteen years ago @kevin2kelly laid out the blueprint for creators in his essay 1,000 true fans. Today, a creator can earn a living from the direct support of a thousand committed fans, each spending $8 per month. Many have started this journey and found it difficult. They have to upskill themselves. They often graciously turn and offer lessons on what they have learned. I have witnessed that here, many creators fall into a trap. The immediate gratification from sharing and selling lessons on "how to be a creator" eclipses the reason they got into the creating business in the first place. There are a lot of innovative, noble, hard-working people making tools and content for creators. I admire their vision and that they provide a needed service. And I really admire their work ethic. After all, we need shovels to find the gold! But there are others who get frustrated honing their craft. They then pivot to selling tools to other aspiring creators. After they've built an audience and got some cashflow, they get frustrated nobody wants the stories and ideas they really care about. If helping creators doesn't speak to you, resist that temptation. The world needs more good ideas. The world needs more great stories. So hone your craft. Keep making art. Find your people. Put gold before shovels.