T.R.Y. TIME TO REINVENT YOURSELF, THE NEXT LEVEL IS YOU!

Half the year is already gone.

The question isn't where you planned to be.

The question is: Who are you becoming?

In this special Black Sheep Leadership episode, Athena Renee introduces the first edition of Ascension Magazine and shares the powerful acronym TRY: Time To Reinvent Yourself.

If you've been feeling stuck, off track, frustrated, or disappointed with your progress this year, this episode is your reminder that reinvention doesn't require a new year—it requires a new decision.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why June is the perfect time for a reset
• The hidden reason most people never reinvent themselves
• The TRY Framework for creating momentum
• How to identify what's holding you back
• How Ascension Magazine can help you level up personally and professionally
• Resources, tools, worksheets, and community support available to help you move forward

Plus, learn about the Ascension ecosystem, including the magazine, resource vault, community, and upcoming tools designed specifically for underdogs, misfits, and Black Sheep leaders.

Download the first issue of Ascension Magazine and join the movement.👈🏽💯🔥

Remember:

Information is everywhere. Execution is rare.

#BlackSheepLeadership #AscensionMagazine #PersonalDevelopment #Reinvention #MindsetShift

"INFORMATION IS EVERYWHERE EXECUTION IS RARE"

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:28

What if I told you that the life you wanted doesn't require another year? What if it only requires a decision? Today marks something most people ignore. Half the year is already gone. The question isn't where you plan to be. The question is, who are you becoming? Because some people are going to spend the next six months making excuses. Others are going to spend the next six months making history. Today, I'm introducing something brand new called Ascension Magazine. But before we get there, I want to talk to you today about one word. Try. And today, try means time to reinvent yourself. Welcome to the Black Sheep Leadership Podcast, everybody. I'm your girl, Athena Renee. And this is where the underdogs, the misfits, and the black sheep come to turn pain into power so that they can build a life by design and leave a legacy behind. Now, if this is your first time tapping in, welcome in, family. I'm so glad you stopped by. And if you're back again, I appreciate you. What's up, family? And you already know what time it is. Now let's do this vibe check. Because if you're easily offended, sensitive, entitled, waiting on somebody to come save you or allergic to accountability, get your ass up out of here. Go ahead, tap on out right now. But if you're ready to think different and move different so that you can level up different, lock in. Because by the end of this episode, you're going to be walking away with something that you can execute immediately. All right. So let's get to work. Today we're talking about try. Time to reinvent yourself. The mid-year reset nobody told you about. You know, let's talk about this thing here because this is very important. And I'm excited to bring this to you because most of the time I'll drop a message, our messages come out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But today I really have been thinking really all week long about how this month or this year has just flown by. But at the same time, I have really tapped into the mindset of falling in love with the process. Falling in love with the process. And I've been hearing it everywhere. Everywhere you look and turn, you hear fall in love with the process. Because if you fall in love with the outcome, if you don't get it in that time, if you don't get it in that way, in the way that you imagined it, or the way you think it should come to you, you'll miss out. Sometimes you'll give up. But when you fall in love with the process, the process is the happenings, it is the fire that is carving you and shaping you into the person you need to be to get that thing. And I'm saying all that to say this when you fall in love with the process, you start looking at the different key pointing indicators in your process if you're winning or not, and you focus in on them. And that's how you start to change things. And so it just so happens, I've been hearing a lot about the breakdown of what it takes to change. So you can change a mindset instantly, right? You change a mindset instantly. Um, you can create a new habit in 21 days. It really broke it down. You can change your body in six months, it really broke it down. But the overall messages that I've in and and and algorithm pieces that's been coming through has been all about literally changing your life in six months. And I started to think about it because people say all the time, I'll start next month, I'll start out the vacation, I'll start when things come down, I'll start next year. Meanwhile, years disappear. See, reinvention doesn't happen because the challenge, the calendar changes, it happened because a decision changes. And here's the cool thing about June. June is a perfect time to reinvent, reinvent yourself. Because number one, you know, January, a lot of times people love to start in January, and I do too. I start things in January as well, but I'm someone that's changing on demand. You know, when you see how fast life flies by, time flies by, it's like, hey, you know, this is why it's important for your environment. Because if you place yourself around people that's go-getters and really get into it, you'll start seeing, like, dang, there's certain things they're doing. And if you really admire them, you know, you'll ask them questions and or you will just make observations and make tweaks. You can just make observations in the conversation. They might say, hey, I lay my stuff out. I have my lunch packed before I lay down at night. So that car is off 20 minutes of my day, right? So you start to understand that you know what? I can tweak this thing. I'm gonna tweak it along the way. I'm not gonna wait. I'm gonna start right now. But here's the cool thing with starting in June. In my opinion, it's June, and June represents the summertime. It's the spring transitioning into summer, right? And in the springtime, that is a time to start cultivating. But also, some people plant in the springtime because there are some of those super sweet fruit that you're only gonna get a harvest in the in the heat of the top of the summer, which is like July, um, July, August, right? Some of the harvest you don't get until later on then, but it requires a certain type of climate. And you know, in June, it starts getting hot. And what another piece I want to say about it being the summertime, spring, going into the summertime, it also for some odd reason, it brings us to it gives us an energy level, at least a nostalgia of infancy and teenage years, right? And so when you have these different energies and you can feel it in the air, especially when it's momentum just all around. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, think about the holiday season. It's people that are straight up atheists, don't even celebrate the holiday season. But even a grumpy ass can't help but to feel a little cheer, you know. And you know, and I know a lot of people, some people say, well, this happened on this time or whatever, but you can feel it in the air. It's a global thing. And you just feel that people more about want to see their family again. Well, that's the same thing I'm talking about summertime. Something about the summertime makes you want to get up and get after it, regardless of what it is. And June is full of evidence as well because you can now reflect on everything that has already been working in your life, or not so much. What goals matter, what goals are really fantasies, what habits are helping you right now, and what habits are hurting you right now. And it's not about failure, it's about feedback. We are a work of art, we are masterpieces, right? So you're not gonna get the full masterpiece right away. I always tell my folks look at your life like a masterpiece. Think about Leonardo da Vinci. It took them forever, it took them so long, they went through so much pain, building all of those different things. But guess what? Here it is, hundreds of years later, and people still visiting Rome to see those works of art, those masterpieces. Okay, so we're gonna fall in love with the process. But in June, now you got this feedback, you got this data about what's been going on. Now you can get into this T R Y framework. You ready? Write this one down because this is so bomb, and I'm doing it as we speak. Okay, T is time. You don't need more time, you just need to make better decisions. Decisions is gonna get you closer or farther away from your goal. I mean, I'm I'm in my life, I'm holding myself accountable because I get aggravated when I don't see the results, and I have to always tie it back to my decisions, my decisions and timing. Because, like I said, when you fall in love with the process, you start to understand and you get mature and you know that, well, I've been doing this for this amount of time and I'm not seeing any results, but I'm gonna keep going. Number one. And number two, whatever that thing is, even if you can find someone else in the world that has it or even something similar, you know for a fact they didn't get it overnight. You know for a fact they didn't get it in 30 days. So then you have to understand, are my expectations fantasy or are they really realistic? So I say this to say when I look at and start thinking about time, I tie it back, or my outcome, I tie it back to the decisions. So ask yourself, what am I wasting time on? Who is wasting my time and what deserves more of my time as a black sheep? Listen, I keep I'm gonna keep drilling this on y'all. We're not doing no more people pleasing. You've done enough, you've kept it real than real. Half of y'all, if you're like me and you resonate with being a black sheep, you have been you have kept it more real with other people than you kept with yourself. So it's time out for that. Ask yourself, what am I wasting time on? Who is wasting my time and what deserves more of my time? Next in this framework, R. R is reinvent. The biggest mistake people make is trying to improve a version of themselves they have they should have retired. Because sometimes, listen, you don't need a tune-up, you don't need a tune-up, you don't need a patch up, you need a whole re you need a whole haul. You know how they do a fashion hall? That means I'm bringing in a whole new style selection. You need a whole new build, you need new habits, new standards, new environments, new expectations. And let me tell you something. Obviously, new habits, your habits becomes everything, but new standards, man, that's something right there, it will change your life fast. It will change your life fast. Let's just say, for an example, if you was really into philanthropy, and one of your standards was you know what? I want to start going around circles of people that are into philanthropy. And that's you know, I want to do that once a month. And you might say, everybody I deal with or I run with in my circle, they recycle and they do a lot of humanitarian work. Guess what? A lot of people that you hang out with right now, and that don't even seem like nothing heavy. That seems like, oh, well, yeah, everybody should be doing some type of good work. But I promise you, that one standard will change a lot. Let's say when you say you don't want to hang out with people or you don't like a new standard in your life is people calling you before a certain time, respecting your boundaries as far as when you say you are not taking any calls after nine o'clock. Listen, people gonna fall off. You know why? Because it takes a lot to go up when you raise your standards. But when you lower it, everybody, Joe, dick, and blow, they coming in. They coming in, but when you raise the standards, man, you start to see so much. That's when that new environment piece comes in. My goodness, that new environment. Let me tell you something. An environment is so powerful. An environment is so powerful. Listen, you can be at home in a place where you know that's not your your ending, and you're like, I can't wait to level up. But you could still stay in that place and simply go over someone else's house. Let's say, for instance, if you're from the bottom of the basement like me, and then to get away, you will go out to the suburbs to some of your friends' house. The energy is different. You can feel it instantly. When you get around people that's in order and function, you can feel it instantly. When you get around people that you know that secretly competing and hate and don't really want to see you winning, you can feel it. The thing about black sheets is we just trying to get what we gotta get. So we ignore a lot of stuff. We sweep it under the rug. We feel like if they're not coming for me, I'm not gonna be causing no trouble. I want to keep the peace because you already had a hard life, right? But this is the thing. When you start raising them standards, you start recognizing that environment is important. And I'm always telling you this to be black sheep because we go in beyond above and beyond for people, and you cannot continue to give out what nobody else is putting in, right? And here's another thing a lot of people don't deserve your kindness or your energy, your energy is your currency, and when you understand you're about to level up, right, and you about to reinvent yourself, man, that environment is like a power source. I'm talking about it's so powerful. You can just go to an upscale, let's just say, for instance, you want to meet some business folks, you can just go to an upscale hotel lounge or lobby, right? And even if you don't drink, you can just go up there and have an orange juice, a pineapple juice, have oh, have some seltzer, and I promise you, people gonna come trickling in. And even if nobody says anything to you, the fact that you're in that environment, it just raises the bar. They can tell, okay, it must be something different about this person because they are in here, because they're gonna assume you belong, even if you look different. Why? Because if you was just the fact that you're there gives a signal that you at least own that frequency, okay, set them new standards. I'm telling you, that's gonna be one of the best things you can do for yourself, okay. Why of the try the framework T R Y yourself? Listen, nobody can do this part for you, not your family, not your friends, your boss, your pastor, not your coach. Only you. You listen, you don't need to be validated. You was validated the data. Creator gave you life when he put air in your lungs, you were already validated. The creator gave you responsibility to own over your own life. You're the CEO of it, and you can hire and fire and rebrand and reinvent accordingly. You got it, and this is exactly why I created Ascension Magazine. Okay, so Ascension Magazine, it is to help people, every issue will help you reinvent yourself, think differently, build momentum, execute. Did you guys know there are four disciplines of execution that works, whether you are leader or you're just a single household and you're leading your tribe of kids? Okay. But what I want to say is there is so much information everywhere. So much information. And the execution, it's like we fail on the execution part, right? This is an information, um, how do you call it? This is an information age that we're in. And with everything that's going on, a lot of people still don't get it. So every issue will help you get more into execution. You're gonna grow personally and professionally. Each issue includes a featured black leadership lesson. You're gonna get action frameworks, printable resources, infographics. Listen, I'm all about printing things out and actually looking at them because sometimes you need to post it up. I'm all about posting my goals up somewhere. I feel like you should have it, like in your prayer closet, in your woman cave, your sheet shed, your man cave. You should have these things. Um, and post them up. It also keeps you juiced up. Reinvention tools, worksheets, mindset strategies, success principles. You're gonna get community updates, and you're going to get access to some of our featured courses from the vault. Okay, I'm absolutely excited about it because transformation doesn't happen in isolation. Okay, as black sheep, a lot of times we start off by ourselves and we support everybody else. We support everybody. But when it's time for us, a lot of times it's just us. So I started the community for that as well. Because just because you started along, don't mean you have to walk that walk along. Okay. And here you'll be able to share your wins, ask questions, network, and build accountability because we're a family. Now, listen, as you explore the magazine, you'll notice that some of the resources are completely free. You can download them right away. But some of the other ones, they're going to require a quick email sign up, and even some of the advanced resources are available as well. The reason is simple. We're building a community, not just a magazine. The free resources are there to help you get moving immediately because, as I said, it's all about execution. The email-only resources help us stay connected and deliver future tools directly to you. And listen, when I tell you I got some stuff for you, I'm talking about from career hacks to start your career. I got resume templates, I got courses on everything you need. I got unlimited amounts of AI prompts that I'm going to be sharing with you for your business, for fitness, everything you need. You want to start a YouTube channel, a podcast. Listen, you will have access to that in the vault. Okay. And so the premium resources helped, you know, continue to support the mission and we'll know exactly the things that you want or you want to see while providing deeper training and transformation. But guess what? No matter where you start, the goal is the same: learn, execute, and grow. Okay. So I want you to do this, man, because we're at the half, the mid-part, the reset of the year, and I'm absolutely excited about it. I'm taking a look at my my goals as well. I've been working on it for the last couple of weeks since it rained uh for Memorial's Day, anyway, right? So it gave me plenty of time to reflect on how I wanted to pivot because I can see. Can you look around and just tell how much life is changing? Just around you is changing. You know, when you see how fast things are changing in your environment, that should tell you it's it's something about maybe I need to get along with the program as well, right? I need to be changing something too, and it's not necessarily about changing everything, but I want you to identify one area of your life that needs reinvention. Okay, write down number two, write down three things you've learned during the first six months of the year. Three things you learn, three things you learn. One thing that I've learned is people's actions show you how they feel. I'm not giving no more benefit of the doubts. I'm looking at the actions. Okay, so you write down three things that you've learned during the first six months of the year. And the next move is download the first edition of Ascension magazine and check out at least one resource. Okay. Now listen, I don't care if January didn't go your way. You still got six months left. You still have time, you got the opportunity, you still have a decision to make. Try time to reinvent yourself. And this issue of Ascension magazine was created to help you do exactly that. Okay? Now listen, if this episode is here for you, don't just listen to it. Execute. Because information is everywhere, but execution is rare. Take care. The links in the description box for that magazine. Thanks, guys.