Breaking Chains Speech

From a young age, one of the first aspects of mathematics we are taught is the shape. We learn about the circles, the octagons, the prisms and the other barrage of misshapen Greek constructs. But see the issue comes when you learn that these shapes have your life's construct.

You see we start off in a square. Picture a square in your mind and put a little figure inside, I usually use Super Mario as my little point of reference. See now Mario is in a tightly locked square and all he can do is move in this square trajectory.

One shape down, five more to go.

Later, if not earlier, we learn about the circle and here we go! Mario starts running because he is trapped in this square— the box mindset, the house, the phones so with a closed mind. All he can now do is close in then run in circles.

He runs, he runs: monotonous job after monotonous job; in cursed circles, in cycles of alcoholism; cycles of hearts. We get caught in this continuous motion on being comfortable, because it's safe. It has no surprises. School is fairly comfortable.

Risk? Deviating from the circle? That's the challenge.

Two of five.

Mario runs, with no gold coin in sight. He looks up. He sees the climb to grab that dreaded gold coin; that girl being held by Donkey Kong; those broken corporate ladders he must climb.

I want you to now look at Mario from a three dimensional perspective now. Pretend you are now looking at him from the back. He is now facing a pyramid. We see pyramids in every aspect of commerce classes, Maslow puts our existence in pyramids and economists aligned us as statistics in pyramid shaped graphs. Our true struggle begins when we see the pyramid shaped climb we take to reach a gold coin.

Mario gets tired, he pants climbing over steps of debt, steps of corporate pyramids and jumping over barrels of inequality. He keeps climbing and remains climbing, grabbing nothing but bronze coins along the way. Gold still out of his reach. Exhausted, he sits on the step and remains there.

Three out of five.

He sees that the pyramid is never ending. So he settles for bronze coins. We remain looking at Mario in a three dimensional perspective, he turn to his left and sees a tunnel allowing him to slide down the pyramid, introducing our next shape, the cylinder.

The cylinder comes much later. This green shaped tunnel that takes us to the ground. Its molded by alcohol, anxiety, depression, guilt and sometimes love. Mario sees no path but down. He runs and jumps into the cylinder. He falls as he watches the years go by of what could have been and what was. Regret encumbers him as he drops off the pyramid, past the circle and beyond the square.

Four of five.

The last shape is the ultimate construct. The rectangle.

Who didn't love the never ending classes on calculating areas and perimeters? The endless hours of ruler aligning are truly unforgettable. Mario follows the cylinder to it's bottom, fully ignoring the hidden exits along the walls- the proverbial tunnel and lands back first into a closed rectangle.

The rectangle— the shape of the bill, houses and eventually... the casket.

Five out of five shapes.

Shaped lives end in a shaped existence.

As a growing African man and young entrepreneur, I have noticed that the minute you decide to adopt the straight line, is the same day you become destined to draw a shape.

One must be as fluid as the squiggly line. Take Microsoft's brand as an example, their design shifted throughout the years from four vividly colored squares of ingenuity to a flat faced luminescent logo. As a squiggly line gives you have the flexibility and the adaptability to flex your life muscle.

The life muscle must be pushed to it's limit to build strength. Like any muscle on the body, when you go to the gym, lift those weights or run until your legs burn you are creating micro tears in the muscle for it to be rebuilt bigger and sturdier than before.

It will hurt. You will cry. You will lose yourself. You will love and get hurt. You will hear "no." You will grow.

Your life muscle must be broken down to be rebuilt stronger than ever.

Find the meaning in every tear life makes in you then allow it to heal. Your life muscle will grow stronger and harder than it's ever been.