Montay Lee  0:40  
I've had something on my mind. And I thought this was a time to be fitting to just talk about it and speak about it. Because it's something that's helped me. And it's been helping me in my life.

There's a lot going on in the culture, people are talking about a lot of different things.

Talking about men, women, relationships, the state of the economy.

Censorship online, there's a lot of topics floating around. I've been going through a renaissance in my life. And it's all centered around self improvement, personal growth, development. And one of the tented tenants that I'm starting to live by, has to do with being present. The title of this episode is the power of living in the moment. And it's my intention in this episode, to deliver on the reason why being present in life is a gift. And it's something that a lot of people overlook, for a variety of reasons. But I'll tell you, from my personal experience, the times when I've been conscious of it and done that I've had the best results, and been the most and felt the most fulfilled in my life. My name is Montay Lee, I am the host of Karat Juice Podcast. And at the Karat Juice Podcast, we observe society, we digest it, and through the nuance of it all we attempt to progress forward. I hope to give you some insight, some life lessons on things that you can use in your life to be more productive, successful and present, moving forward. And that's my intention. And that's what I'm going to do here for you today. So, ah, man. I am currently listening to an audio book by Marcus Aurelius. He was a philosopher, a stoic, and it's meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I might link it in the show notes of this episode, but it's all about stoicism is stoicism is all about in a nutshell. Not focusing on all the outside factors that you have going on in your life. Because you can't control those things. Instead of doing that, continue to seek logic. Seek knowledge pardon to use your logic in Reason, as well as make sure in that process, you focus on the things that you can't control. The number one thing that I have been using and that I didn't even know that I was doing in my life is, whenever I am in a tough situation, or whenever money's tight, or I got laid off, or I'm going through a tough time in my life, and I don't know what to do next. That's when I get laser focus on what I need to do in the moment to get out of that situation. And some years ago, I was facing situations like that, and I didn't realize that that's what I was doing. And that's how I got out of some difficult times. When I was on my last legs when I was really struggling when I didn't know where my next meal was gonna come. That's what I focus on naturally. And since I've been studying, and doing some more research on stoicism, and how you can live and prosper with that philosophy in your life, I'm realizing that that's the key that a lot of people, myself included, forget and MIT and is missing, in their day to day lives. And I know why. You go to social media, you go on YouTube, you go on Instagram, you go on Facebook, and the majority of what you see is negative. Why is it negative though, it's negative, because that's what gets pushed, it's a negative, because that's what people naturally a lot of people, not all a lot of people are drawn to naturally, but it really doesn't help and serve you. And what I started to realize and started to notice was, I was becoming less productive. I was looking towards the future too much, or looking at what other people had and other people had going on, rather than focusing on what I can do right here in the moment. And I've talked about this in the past on the podcast, but I think that's what the dangers is of us being so connected when it comes to social media.

A lot of people aren't focusing on their situation in life, because they're focused on what everybody else has going on. And that's dangerous. It's dangerous to have a snapshot of just the highlights of what people have going on in their life. Because let's be honest, let's be real. A lot of people put their best foot forward when it comes to social media. And they don't show you the low lights. A lot of people are just looking at the highlights of people and you never see the lowlights of what they have going on. And you start to feel bad about yourself. Especially the young and impressionable people that are online. They don't know what they're going to do yet in their life. They're looking towards the future. They are looking and they're saying, hey, what am I supposed to do here moving forward. And you could get trapped in that. I'm gonna give anybody who is feeling trapped, and confused, and uncertain about what they're doing in their life, a key a gift, this is my gift to you. The gift that I'm giving out to you doesn't cost you a thing. All you have to do to unlock this gift is to focus on what's right in front of you. Because it's my position and what I think is far too often in life, people are too busy looking behind them towards their past or ahead to the future, and trying to figure out what they're going to do and what they're going to get and what they need to do to make it that they forget about what's right in front of them. And if you instead focused on what's right in front of you, you will be able to have more fulfillment in life. Life will be more enjoyable. You'll be somebody that people want to be around and you'll get to and above your goals. And I'll elaborate on that. People that people want to be around are people who are what charismatic, caring people who listen to them. Actually listen actively listen. Do you know who those type of people usually are? Those are the type of people who are present and living in the moment. Those are the type of people who are just they have that level of awareness. And that's the point that I want you to get to and I I'm not saying that I'm perfect. I'm still working on this. I don't have it all figured out. And I don't claim to have it all figured out. Me speaking on this platform on this podcast right now, it's therapeutic for me to be able to speak about these things that I'm learning. Because in the process of me speaking about the things that I'm learning when it comes to my journey, my life journey and stoicism, the life lessons that I'm learning from it, hopefully it's going to help me but it's also hopefully going to help you as well. And as I said, this is a podcast. Sometimes people say, Oh, why are you speaking? So? Why are you speaking slowly? Speak faster? Sorry, pardon me. This is a podcast. All right, you can listen to it on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or wherever you consume podcasts. While you're there, do me a favor, rate and review the podcasts please five star five star five star. And also, if you're watching on Facebook, YouTube, whatever platform you're on, like, follow subscribe to the channel. All right, I appreciate you. Also, I have an announcement to make. I am I got some inspiration from a content creator that I really look up to and appreciate Ollie all doll here on YouTube. And he did a podcast talking about or episode talking about why everybody should start a newsletter. And he talked about it as a way to be able to add value to people, how to teach people how to connect with your audience, and also interact with your audience. And I thought it was a great idea. And I am pleased to announce that I did that I follow through and I started a newsletter as well, it's going to be absolutely free. And it's called the juice review. And I'll give you

a little snapshot of what you can see here, I'll probably link it in, it might be linked in the show notes. It's called the juice review. And then this is my newsletter right here, I'm proud to announce, I'm going to be putting it out every week, I believe it's going to be released on Sundays, and it's free to sign up, you just put your name email there, and you'll get it in your mailbox, I promise to not spam your mailbox or anything. And it's just going to be some insights from me. And what I'm gonna be doing is providing, like, things that I'm talking things that I'm learning things that I'm watching great podcasts that I've listened to, it's going to be a better way for you to be able to connect with me, I'm also going to be adding in some of the life lessons that I talked about here on this channel, as well as giving some content creation tips centered around if you want to be a content creator, creator, and I'm going to be more in my niche and in my specialty, which would be podcasting. So if you're somebody that wants to eventually become a podcaster, if you want to learn the ropes and figure out what you need to do, to get your voice heard, to get your words, get to get your message and your story out there, then you should definitely check out the juice review. Link is going to be linked in the show notes. As well as the description. I appreciate you. So when it comes to the topic of being present in the moment I'm gonna speak from my own experience. The times when I felt the most unenthused and lackluster almost like a head of fog, in my mind or just in life was when I was thinking about other things. Have that has that ever been you? Have you ever been somebody that you're having a conversation with somebody or you guys something big coming up some project that you're trying to do or you're not happy with your job, or you're trying to figure out what you're going to do to be able to move because you don't like the situation that you're in and you're constant. Your mind is constantly turning and churning and figuring out what can I do here to get better? Where can I go with here? Who do I need to talk to to get out of the situation that I'm in? I call it a fog. We've all been there, right? I have. I call it a fog. It's a fog that just kind of glazes over me. And it actually like hinders my ability to be the best version of myself. And what I'm learning and what I'm figuring out and what I'm sharing with you when it comes to stoicism is you can clear up all of your problems and all of those situation that you're going through if you focus on what you can do inherently. What can I do in this moment today? To get me to the goals that I eventually want to get too, because I know I sometimes will constantly be thinking about where I want to be in the next couple of months, or where I want to be in a year, or what I want to accomplish. And sometimes looking ahead and looking out towards a goal too much will distract you from what's right in front of you, which is the process the work. I don't want to sound like I'm preaching. And that's not what I mean to do. But this has, what I'm learning right now, has really been helping me. And, unfortunately, what I have not been seeing so much online and on, especially on YouTube, because I'm a huge fan of YouTube, and I've been checking it out. What's been getting pushed a lot in a lot of the algorithms has been negative content, people arguing, people constantly talking about problems, but rarely bringing up solutions. And when somebody talks about solutions, it rarely gets pushed. Why is that? Is it because it's not? Dramatic? Is it because it's not the easy thing to do? It's, it does take work at times to realize what, where you're going wrong and where you're faltering. And put the mirror back on yourself as to why you're not where you're supposed to be. I'm going to put it on me. I'm not where I'm supposed to be.

I'm not happy. I'm not content with where I'm at in life. But I do know that I'm putting in the work to get to where I need to go. I think once you can be honest with yourself, and say, Hey, I'm not doing everything that I can do to reach my goals. That's when you can actually trust the process and get ahead. Because this work that I've been going through, and I've been doing it it's starting to shape and change the way I look at a lot of things in life. Like before, I'll be honest with ya, okay, before, a lot of these big stories that have been happening in the news around, I don't even want to bring up the people's names. But there's been people that have been getting kicked off of the YouTube platform, okay. In the past, I might, I might have covered some of these topics and talked about some of these things. But I know that's what the majority of people are going to do. I want to add something into the atmosphere. That is something that people who are in a situation that difficult or they don't know how to handle a situation they can listen to, and they could get hopefully some some value out of. So like I said before, I'll link the book that I've been reading and listening to the Marcus Aurelius. I'll definitely link that in the podcast episode in the show notes. And above all else, okay. What I think is starting to happen when it comes to so many things, especially online is you need to start minding and being mindful of the negative thoughts, the negative media, the attention seeking type of content, they're starting to pollute so much of these platforms. I'm not knocking nobody understand people need to get their hustle. But what I'm saying is your time above anything else in this world is the most crucial thing that everybody has. Okay. Make sure that if you're going to be spending your time on something, is something that's going to be adding value to you in some way. I love entertainment. I love to listen to a good conversation, what have you. But it gets to a point in your life if if you don't if you don't have a place to stay. If if you bought to get foreclosed on. If you bought to if you bought to go bankrupt and everything I think it's time to start looking inwardly and being like, hey, what can I do? What do I need to do in my life to get out of this situation, and it's not focusing on what anybody else has going on in their life. That's just the honest truth. And I'm saying this, because I was that person four or five years ago, where I was really tough down battle my luck. And I couldn't afford to, I couldn't afford to sit back and think about what other people had going on, I had to grind, okay, or I was going to be out on my butt on the street. You know, I was out, knocking on doors to make Commission's to make money. And I did it, I did it with a smile on my face. But what I'm saying is there there comes times in your life where I mean, you just have to push through, okay? And be present in the moment and not worry about what anybody else has going on. And this has been on my heart and on my mind, because I see a lot of the youth spending a lot of time on YouTube, a lot of young men. A lot of young men, unfortunately, don't get enough attention in society as to leadership and mentorship and things that they should be thinking about and focusing on. And if I could talk to my younger self,

when I was, you know, 1617 trying to come up. What I would say is, focus on learning, focus on seeking out wisdom and knowledge, seek out mentorship. Focus on developing, try to get better each day as something, ask questions. Have a curious mind. And beyond all of that, put in the work. There are so many things that could distract us in our lives. And like, fortunately, for me, I was born in the 80s. Okay, please. I got to grow up in a time before these were very popular. I'm so fortunate and happy about that. Anybody watching on the replay, or what have you. I know you can relate. Before the smartphones got very big people still had to talk with one another. We still had conversations, we still went out in, you know socialized and stuff. And what I'm starting to see more so than anything, especially with younger people with the youth and young people are not socializing with one another as much. They're spending more time behind the screens. They're spending more time in online chat rooms and forums, and you name it, and what the damage to that is you can lose some of your ability to like, your social skills, your soft skills, your ability to interact, and to, you know, have camaraderie with other people. And that's unfortunate, because that's one of the the greatest gifts that fortunately, I was given from the time that I grew up in. And also my experience of playing sports, like if you if you don't know, I played basketball, I play basketball in college. And I, I was the captain on the team. And I love that experience because it helped to teach build character within me. It taught me about adversity, it taught me about competition. It also helped me to buy with my teammates, and to have that camaraderie with them. And those are things that young men could really benefit from. If you can, I would anybody that's able bodied, I would say join sports. If you're if you don't like sports, join a group a team you'd like to play chess you like to, I don't know, go running cross country or whatever. Get a group, get a team because it'll help you to be able to socialize with fellow people that are like you. And it's something that people don't talk about enough. A lot of people just want to talk about what other people have going on in their life, and they're not focusing on the things that they could do in their life to get them moving forward. I spend a lot of time as a young man Listen into music, okay, going around, looking at other stuff that other people had going on in their life, not focusing on me at times. And I would be in a way better position right now, if I took the advice that I'm speaking right now. Don't worry about trying to please everybody. Think about what you want to do what you want to accomplish in your life, seek out membership, mentorship, and then focus on what you can do today, this week, this month to get to those goals. And I'm just, I'm just kind of ranting at this point, but that's okay. I just wanted to say something real, I just had some real estate to get off my chest. Because the negativity that's starting to be spread online all the time, will not serve you. It won't serve you one iota. As a man. Let me be honest, let me be real with you, as a man, nobody's coming to save you. If you want something, you're gonna have to go get it. The best way you could do that is focusing on this moment right now. What are you going to do in this moment to get to and above your goals? Chances are isn't probably not going to be playing the video game the whole day.

Chances are, it's probably going to mean seeking out mentorship. Figuring out if it's some somebody that does something that you want to do, go and see if you could be getting mentorship from them. See if you could, you know help them with what they have going on. And in return, you might even might not even get compensated for it. But you might get some knowledge that can help you grow and develop the most. Here's the life lesson right here. As a as a young person growing up. It's not about money. Right now. The most valuable thing for a young person to get when they're coming up is knowledge. Knowledge from people who have already experienced life. Because if you can learn from somebody who's already got 15 years more experience than you in life, you can supplant them, and jump ahead in knowledge without making the mistakes they made the 15 years before that make sense. Learn from people who have more experienced than you, it's going to help you so much more. And I know I've been a young man, I've been a young person before I got a handle, I know what I'm doing all of that. Listen. If somebody's willing to give you some knowledge and some game who has more experience than you adhere to it, you can learn from those 1015 20 years that they had already experienced in their life. And they you can take it as a blueprint, and go and be better and do better. And it's not that we're competing with one another. But what I'm saying is utilize the resources that you have here on YouTube. If you want to do something, I always say to young people, if you want to, like make more money or more income, get into coding. Get into the trades if you don't want to go to college, there's so many resources for young people. And I know that was kind of a tangent that I went on. But that was just on my heart. I think this is important. Because in this present moment that we're in currently, with everything that's starting to happen with inflation, with I just seen it was a report, there was a lot of layoffs recently, I'm talking about a lot of layoffs at a lot of major companies. So I don't want to like stoke fear in people. But people need to start getting focused and laser focused on what it is that they want to do exactly in their lives, especially for my men. Because as we know, there's not a lot of programs, there's not a lot of resources for you. If you do fall on hard times, if you don't have a support system or a structure and I want you to succeed. I want you to be successful, and I want you to be the best version of yourself. And the best way that you can do that that I've learned is by being present in the moment. Focusing on what you can control, not making excuses about the outside factors that might be holding you down, or that you perceive or think that are holding you down. Steel, nobody's going to come save you and help you. You got to figure it out. And the best way I can tell you from experience you can do that is by focusing on what you can control. And I think that I've learned a lot these past. What How long has it been that I've been doing this podcast now? I've learned so much in the past what it's been like a year and a half. I think this is officially episode number 79 of the podcast. Yes, I think it's episode 70. We're getting up there.

And just a reminder, for my audio listeners, I used to release the podcast every Tuesday. Now the podcast is going to be getting released, you're going to get an episode at least every Friday. All right, so we got a new posting schedule, get an episode every Friday, subscribe on YouTube, like the channel hit the notification bill. Because you never know when I'm gonna go live. I just go live, you know, on a whim, you never know when I'm gonna go live. So make sure that you are subscribed on YouTube as well. This is episode number 79 of the Karat Juice Podcast. And also housekeeping stuff, Karat Juice podcast.com Go to Karat Juice podcast.com For everything Karat Juice Podcast, also check out the newsletter newsletter, we got another commercial for that, check out the newsletter here for free, it's going to be linked in the description in the show notes, where I'm going to be providing insights on culture, I'll be providing some practical life lessons, productivity insights, I'll even be talking about content creation, specifically given tips for people who want to start their own podcast, I have experienced some expertise on this. So I can definitely help you out. And you can learn from some of the mistakes and also some of the wins that I've made. Subscribe to the to the newsletter, The Jews review, I appreciate you. And lastly, is there anything else that I had on my mind that I wanted to talk about? I want to value your time and I don't want to just sit here and Yap if I don't have anything else to talk about. Also, yes. Lastly, I have a Reddit community that I built. And I started it is called Karat Juice Podcast, R Karat Juice Podcast, it should be in the show notes too, linked in the description. And there, I just wanted to have a place where I could speak to the community speak to people and we could chat about things that we have going on. So if you want if you want to be already I want to be able to interact, you know, chat with people. So do me a favor, and go ahead and join the Reddit if you want to interact with me that way. If you don't like Reddit, you don't want to do it. Fine. That's cool, either. Let's see here. Oh, and we got somebody right here adding a comment. Shout out to you James Hartley. Let's see if I can run this. So James Hartley says, Hey, kJP How are you doing? I'm doing well, sir. Shout out to you. He said, I'm sadly not a young man anymore. And I'm always trying to learn from others. Awesome. Yes, I agree. Shout out to you. I appreciate you interacting on the broadcast. But I agree. Yes. Always say people should never stop learning. You should never stop learning because I don't know if it's for me. But once I stop learning, I, I feel stagnant in life. So I'm always either listening to a podcast, audio book, checking out stuff on YouTube, trying to figure out what I can do, because I have, and I think the people that I'm drawn to, I've always had a curious mind, like somebody's podcast that I used to listen to. And all the time was Joe Rogan's because he even if he didn't believe in the person that he was interviewing, he was curious about what they were talking about, or things that people have done in their life. And he will question and he will be curious. And I think that having a curious mind is something that's just like a great spice of life that will help you to always be present in the moment and learning and developing and growing. So yeah, shout out to you. Appreciate you interacting on the channel. Alright, let me see. And lastly, this is what I'll say, man, like, I'm going to be doing live streams from time to time, so make sure you like, subscribe to the channel. If you haven't already. Hit the podcast fee for my people who just want to be podcast listeners, but In regards to YouTube in regards to content creation, and all this type of stuff, this is something that if you want to be a content creator, if you want to create your own podcasts and things like that, it is not something that you're going to, it's not something that's going to be an instant gratification type of thing. And I think that's why I like it. I like it. Because it's something I have, I constantly have to learn it. Learn at constantly something that I am trying to learn and to get better at, and to develop. And it forces me to, like stay on task, it forces me to have a process about how I'm doing things. That's why I'm drawn to creating content, and also just expressing myself.

I think, especially for men, it's important for us to get our message out there. All right. I choose and I want to make sure that the message that I'm message that I'm putting out is one that's about self improvement, progress, growth and personal development. But I think it's important for people to be able to speak. And in light of a lot of the stuff that's been happening online, with people getting banned off of platforms and stuff like that, I do think that you have to be wise about what you say you have to stand on what you say. But I think it's important for people to have a voice and to hear people speak, who have a differing opinion than you. Because if you try to shun the people who don't think the same way that you do, that's where you can get into a dangerous space because I think it's important to form a deeper level of understanding. We have opposing sides. Nobody wants an echo chamber when it comes to media. And right here, this is independent media. This is the Karat Juice Podcast, again, where we observe society, we digest it, and through the nuance of it all we attempt to progress forward. I don't have all the answers I don't claim to also. Like I say, I'm going to insert right here. All right, like I say every time on the Karat Juice Podcast. love someone. hug someone. Do something good for someone not expecting anything in return. And until we meet again. I'll see you guys. Peace. We're gone.