Building Your Legacy And Acquiring True Wealth

In this blog post, I tackle the overwhelming nature of the wealth-building journey.
The core of my mission is simple: to empower you to walk in wealth—mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially. It's about recognizing that you are the wealth, beyond investments, real estate, or businesses. You possess a unique set of talents, abilities, and inclinations that lay the foundation for your wealth creation journey.

First things first, if you're not following me on social media: 🔗 Follow JD Garnier on Instagram @GarnierJD, Facebook @JDGarnierSR, and subscribe, like, and share the Melonomics YouTube channel. 

Now, let's delve into a crucial concept—You are the wealth. Before investing or business endeavors, identify your unique talents and purpose. It's about living in your purpose and extracting maximum value from your endeavors. Once you tap into that purpose, your wealth creation journey begins.

However, in the age of information overload, analysis paralysis can set in. The sheer magnitude of tasks overwhelms us, leading to inaction. It's time to shift this narrative.

Yes, there's a lot to talk about, analyze, and contemplate, but the key is specificity. Break down the overwhelming into actionable steps. It's about taking small, consistent actions that compound over time.

Now, let's tackle a common question—how to start from where you are? The answer lies in understanding wealth as the separation of time and money. You become wealthy when your income, value, and earnings operate independently of your time. The three ways to build wealth are to buy assets, create assets, or become an asset.

Starting point: identify your purpose. If you're not living in your purpose, your actions may not be sustainable, even if financially beneficial. Living in your purpose allows you to add value to people's lives efficiently, increasing your earning potential.

Once your basic expenses are covered, you can decide where to channel your excess income—buying assets, creating assets, or becoming more of an asset through self-investment.

Building wealth requires consistency and commitment. It's like constructing a house brick by brick. The mindset of buying, owning, and controlling things of value is the foundation of your financial plan.

Now, let's shift our focus to Melanomics—a powerful approach to closing the racial wealth gap. Melanomics is about continuous sharing and implementing a unified mindset centered around wealth. It starts with one person—YOU. You become the catalyst, the change agent for your family and community.

Melanomics involves vertical and horizontal wealth integration. Vertically, you ensure the mindset permeates through generations within your family. It's about creating a pipeline of financial assets and values from parents to children.

Horizontally, you share knowledge and information within your community. It's about building relationships, sharing tips, and collectively working towards a common goal—wealth generation.

In closing, Melanomics is a call to action for a small majority committed to a purpose larger than themselves. By collectively working towards financial success, we can change the narrative and build generational wealth.

Remember, you are the wealth, and your journey begins from within.

Thank you for joining me on this episode of Walking in Wealth. Until next time, keep walking, keep thriving, and keep building your wealth legacy.

Ideas, Behaviors, and Changing the System: A Deep Dive into Wealth Creation

I hope the past week has been productive on your wealth creation journey. As always, my goal is simple: to help you walk in wealth mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially. We aim to take the gifts and talents that God has bestowed upon you and utilize them to create a purposeful life. Because, you see, wealth is not just about acquisitions; wealth is about who you become.

You are the wealth, not your investments, not your real estate, not your business. Before any of those, you possess a unique set of talents, abilities, gifts, ideas, habits, disciplines, and inclinations that form the essence of everything you do in this world. Once you tap into that, your wealth creation journey truly begins.

But before we delve into the heart of today's discussion, a quick reminder: If you haven't followed me on social media yet, please do. Find me on Instagram at @GarnierJD, on Facebook at @JD Garnier SR, and don't forget to subscribe, like, and share the Melanomics YouTube channel. You can also download the audio on my podcast by subscribing to Melanomics on iTunes and Spotify.

For those in the New Orleans area, catch my radio show every Monday and Wednesday at 8:00 and 10:00 AM on KKNO K75 AM or 107.1 FM radio in New Orleans. If you have any topics you'd like me to discuss on the show, feel free to email me directly at jd@jdgarnier.com.

Now, let's jump into today's topic. Recently, I had the privilege of being invited to Washington DC on behalf of an organization I'm not directly affiliated with, but some close colleagues and friends are. They invited me to share my perspective, given my almost 25 years in financial services, on how we can close the wealth gap. The setting was none other than the White House, and I had the opportunity to speak in front of over 60 highly successful individuals from around the country, including members of the White House administration.

It was an honor and a refreshing experience to engage with like-minded men who share my sentiments, ideas, and passions about improving circumstances in our community. For those who may feel hopeless, I assure you there are intelligent, successful, and passionate individuals working behind the scenes on our behalf. I'm proud to have been part of that crucial conversation, and I'll share more details in future episodes.

Now, the reflection from this event has led me to contemplate how we got to our current economic position and, more importantly, how we can change it. What is the crucial factor that needs to shift to put us back on course? This has been at the forefront of my thoughts since leaving Washington.

Everything, as they say, has a trade-off. The Civil Rights Act was a significant legislative milestone in our lifetime, enabling us to integrate into mainstream society. However, it came with its own set of consequences. Economically, it shifted our focus from a sense of community to becoming consumers. The decline in our economic circumstances rapidly followed, and this realization has prompted me to consider the roots of this trade-off.

The 70s marked the beginning of a pivotal era – the computer age replacing the industrial age. Factories employing inner-city residents began to close, leading to a phenomenon known as white flight. This period is crucial to understanding the economic challenges we faced, compounded by the crack cocaine epidemic in the 80s. The result? Massive unemployment, economic disparities, and a decline in the value system within our community.

Fast forward to today, where the racial wealth gap persists. White families control over 86% of the wealth in the country, while black families control less than 3%. The average net worth of a white family is approximately $186,000, while a black family's average net worth hovers around $17,000.

How do we change this? How do we address the systemic issues that have led us to this point? It's a question that demands attention and a thoughtful response. The key, in my view, lies in understanding the power of ideas.

Everything that exists begins as an idea. Every object, every concept, every sensation – they all originate in someone's mind. Ideas are entities in the universe, separate and apart from ourselves. The moment an idea is formed, it exists. An idea has the potential to become a reality, shaping our decisions and guiding us through life.

But here's the catch – ideas can be controlled. The system controls our ideas by manipulating our environment, consumption habits, and senses. Understanding this manipulation is crucial to dismantling the system and taking control of our economic interests.

How do we fight the system? The answer, according to JD Garnier, is surprisingly simple – change your behaviors. The system relies on specific behaviors from a certain percentage of the population. By collectively changing our behaviors, we can break free from the system's control and reshape our circumstances.

JD advocates for expanding our realm of ideas, prioritizing education for ourselves and our children, and collectively committing to saving and investing in our communities. The power lies in changing our mindset and behaviors, collectively contributing to a new narrative that prioritizes economic empowerment and wealth creation.

Join JD Garnier on this transformative journey of self-discovery, community empowerment, and wealth creation on "Walking in Wealth."

Role of a Father

Let's get down to the essence of Melonomics – the pursuit of wealth that goes beyond material acquisitions. It's about becoming the wealth, recognizing your unique set of talents, abilities, and gifts. It's about creating a life of purpose, where wealth is not just what you acquire, but who you become.

In the world of wealth creation, we often talk about investments, real estate, and business. However, I want to emphasize that you are the wealth. Before you accumulate any material possessions, you possess a set of unique attributes – talents, ideas, habits, and inclinations that shape everything you do. Tapping into these forms the foundation of your wealth creation journey.

Now, onto the core of today's discussion. In the midst of the chaos in our world, I find it imperative to address a significant hindrance to our collective success: fatherlessness. A new generation of young men has been deprived of the example of what it takes to be a man and a father.

The racial wealth gap is a stark reality – with white families having approximately 17 times the overall worth of black families. While historical factors have undoubtedly played a role, I'm not here to dwell on the past. Instead, I want to focus on actionable ideas and solutions relevant to today's society, economy, and culture.

Fatherhood is a crucial component, often overlooked. The dynamic of the black family has evolved over the last 50 years, with two-parent households decreasing from 80% in 1960 to less than 30% in 2020. Regardless of debates on fault, one undeniable truth remains: fathers are necessary in the household for social and financial stability.

To address this issue, we must delve into the essence of fatherhood. It's not merely about being a provider – it's about being a father. What does it take to be a father? This question is often neglected in our community, as if assuming that once a man becomes a father, he automatically knows how to navigate the complexities of fatherhood.

Drawing from personal experiences and observations, I want to emphasize three key qualities essential for a man as a father: vision, provision, and improvision.

1. Vision: A man must have a vision for his life and his children. This vision sets the standard for how he raises his children, emphasizing principles and values aligned with his purpose.

2. Provision: Beyond financial aspects, provision involves being a steward of resources. Managing resources wisely – be it money, wisdom, instruction, or relationships – is vital for advancing family circumstances.

3. Improvision: Life is unpredictable, and a man must be able to improvise, making the most of available resources and adapting to unforeseen challenges. This quality is crucial for instilling resilience and problem-solving skills in the family.

In my 21 years of fatherhood, I've learned that these attributes are paramount. Whether married or single, intentional fatherhood requires a deep understanding of these qualities to truly create generational wealth.

To build the wealth our community needs, we must foster strong, productive, and responsible fathers. Closing the racial wealth gap demands a collective mindset focused on increasing resources and opportunities for everyone.

So, gentlemen, let's step up. Let's be intentional fathers, fostering vision, providing wisely, and adapting to life's unpredictabilities. After all, strong, productive men are the key to closing the wealth gap.

Strike A Nail - The Key to Success

Strike a Nail

Success is not about how hard you strike a nail, but about how willing you are to consistently hammer away!

You can go work out at the gym for four hours straight, come home, look in the mirror, you will likely not see any results. You can go back tomorrow, work out for a n entire hour straight, come home, look in the mirror, and you will still likely not see any results.

But if you work out just 30 minutes a day, every single day……..I cannot tell you the time, I can't tell you the day…….but there will be a day when you come home you look in the mirror and you see results. You will eventually see progress because success rewards consistency! Success does not reward intense effort for short periods of time. It doesn't reward trying really, really hard one time and everything working out. Success rewards consistency. Success is not about how hard you strike a nail, but about how willing you are to consistently hammer away!

You don't build a house in a day.

You don't build a house in a week.

You build a house by laying a foundation and putting it together brick

by brick,

by brick,

by brick!

Until one day you look up and you have a house. One day you look up and you see the results.

Success rewards consistency!!!!!!!

It's not about how hard you strike a nail! It is about how willing you are to consistently hammer away!

Whatever you're doing in your life; whether it's your business or your education or your relationship or your body or your health. Whatever it is, you will be rewarded with consistency. I can't tell you the day. I can't tell you the time. But if you are consistent. If you're laying the foundation and building on your goals brick by brick by brick. One day you're going to look up and you will see the results. You will see the house. You will see your dreams come true!

Because success is not about how hard you strike a nail, but about how willing you are to

consistently hammer away!