One of the most powerful tools we have is our thoughts.
I pictured us as the bad and discarded seeds of the streets, being planted in concrete, watered nurtured and being able to grow into flowers that attract butterflies. Most of the seeds didnāt make it past the concrete, but the most important thing was the vision, intention and the thought.
The experience is the gift.
Pic by: @morganevansdixon
You know school days was epic, I was going on a school trip, and I had no money, so the weekend before the trip my bro Benji (rip) said yo, me and some friends are linking up in Brixton on Saturday morning and we going west end to steal new era jackets (this is 1992 or 1993) Iām still a bit fresh from handsworth so donāt know all the man dem yet, so anyway Saturday comes we link up in Brixton itās a guy I met previously on my adventures Peanut a Y28s, (peanut Harvey and benji are the ones who made me know everyone in Brixton lol) anyway he introduces me to Jacob Y28s, and a whole bunch of others, and then we get on the bus to go west end and itās snatch and grab all dayš (dem days u ask to try on the trainers put the trainerās on and then run for your life š) and basically that Tshirt Iām wearing was my prize š and I sold some other bits I got that day and brought myself a gold sovereign pinky ring and a watch, And I had an amazing school trip as a 12 or 13 year old. #elijahashanti #schooldays #oldschool
Sometimes itās hard to stay focus, and in the energy of God, when you live in a city filled with demons and devils. But as long as your character, mental health and faith is solid you will always be good. At times it might look like the demon & devils are winning, but they have to deal with their own thoughts of jealousy, greed, hate, envy, insecurity, torment & trauma and bad mind ways on a daily basis, and that alone is torture for them, that is their hell on Earth, so if your a clean heart just stay focused on your own paradise, you donāt need to join them in that hell experience. #elijahashanti
This picture reminds me of all the layers we try to cover ourselves with, in order to escape who we are, and how the layers we create can reflect and impact us, negatively or positively.
For example if you just take a step back and look at YouTube or social media, you can see all the trauma and trauma responses, 80% expressing unhealed trauma. The best investment you can do for yourself is healing your inner trauma, and learning how to control your demons, remember trauma is not all bad coz trauma can also build unique character, but donāt be out here leading with unhealed trauma. Donāt cover yourself with so much b#llshit that you forget who you are. #elijahashanti #webuiltdifferent
People always say to me, Jaj you help a lot of people where do u get that drive from and my answer is always the same, i inspired a whole generation, while also contributing to and Fu**king up a whole generation (unintentionally) so the drive comes from accountability, motivation, inspiration, responsibility, community development, Business and personal growth. I put back in what I took out, in order to rebalance. Now Because of the career development, mentoring, and music platforms we do many of the new younger generation never had to get involved in negative street issues, or go to prison, now they got businesses and fly business class. #elijahashanti #brixton
Loads of people say f##k the streets etc but for me the streets was like a training ground, it was education and development, it built character and taught us strength, made us interact with the good the bad and the ugly. We dealt with heavy cash from a young age, squandered money, bad investment choices, and the list goes on, yes there was negativity but there was also a balance of positivity. I donāt think itās fare to indulge in street culture and then when it hits you back the same way u was hitting others, you then turn around and say f##k the streets, instead a little touch of accountability may do many people a touch of good in life. We live and we learn valuable lessons so that we can pass on to others, and then show gratitude from what we got from it, whether good or bad, and then we progressively move on. #elijahashanti
Pic: Jaja, Harvey, Pruney 90s
Itās that time of year when I enter a new chapter, new portal, new dimension, new mindset, new growth, born on this day as a gift. #elijahashanti
Pic by: @jedieah9
