Authentic Friendships in 2025? | The Black Coffee Club Live

From den my soul. Pop pop pop popple copple copple copple copple. Man, Yes, Lord, Yes, Lord, what's up with a family. What's the damn deal? Man? This is Junior the Truth and this is indeed your Black Coffee Club Live. Man. Yes, Man, Thank y'all so much for taking the time to tune in. Man. I really truly genuinely appreciate it. Man, if I had a million tongues, I couldn't tell it all. Thank you all so very much, man for your support. Man, Welcome to your Black Coffee Club Live. Man. I am indeed your host, Junior the Truth. You can follow me everywhere via social media. I could be found with the handle Junior the Truth. That's j U n I R R t H G E t R E t H and that's of for all the social media platforms each and everyone. But if you're really looking for me, you can catch me over on Simple Truth Network. That's www dot do, Simpletruth dot Network. It is our very own information excuse me super information Exchange or excuse me information super Exchange. So y'all be sure to come pull up on me over there. Man. Salute to the family. Thank y'all so much, man for taking the time to tune in Man today's show. It's really truly just gonna be about leveling up our connections. Man. If you will, if you're looking for deeper, more meaningful friendships in twenty twenty five, then I'm gonna give you the best I got. Like Anita, you know what I mean. We're gonna dive into my These are my own personal excuse me once again, my own personal five steps to create authentic friendships, man, And they're not only going to enrich your life, but they're gonna withstand the test of time. Man. If you knew here, make sure you subscribe, join the community, if you return it, what's good with you? Man, y'all go ahead on man and grab I'm pretty sure y'all not still drinking coffee this afternoon because we are in the afternoon, so uh, but grab you a drink, man, and sit back and relax, man, and we're gonna really definitely get down through there. Man. I'm man, I can't even express to you how excited I am, but you'll already know how I do before I do what I do, So let's get to it. One. So I'm hustled harder than the moment. I'm a feast on these streets, got a revolver. I talked for these niggas trying to take me off the block where I'm pointed daily sit Bailey's out the bottle. I can't even explain to y'all, Like I tell y' all lot of time, man, I can't even explain to y'all the metamorphosis I go through when that song comes on. It's almost like I don't know, man, Like I'll be getting ready for action if I was. If I was a ww F wrestler, like that be my song. You feel me, they'd be like, all right right now, like you know what I mean, Like you know how you actually they don't announce im first on the WWF. You just you know, imagine you being in the arena and you are, you know, chilling, and you sitting there with anticipation, trying to figure out who's next. You know what I mean, what wrestler getting ready to come out next? If you anything like me, like Junkyard Dog just just just had a wrestling match versus Jake the Snake Roberts, you feel me and then you're trying to figure out who Finna come out next? And then it just kind of gets then the then the music. You know, you're on the edge of your seat with anticipation, and then the music kind of the music kind of I mean, the lights dim down and then all of a sudden, ah, y'all gonna explode. The arena's exploding. The arena exploding now coming all the way from the west side of the day, Ohio, your w w as in the Continental Champion Junior, the truth. I'm ast on these streets Gallery took for these niggas try to take me off the block where I points daily baileies out the bobbles. That's how I feel. You feel me like, That's that's how I feel, he said. For in the w w F man like the only only person who was saying nigga was was Vince McMahon and Hawkogan. But you get what I'm saying, like, that's really how I feel. Shall Will says, it's still am here, sir, and so they d Man Junior. So I'm gonna get some of the West Coast. I'm gonna get a whole lot of the West Coast family. Actually up, you feel me, They're gonna be actually up and rocking with us. But salute to you all, man, Thank you all so much. Let's stop acting out, man, just in case some people coming through here for the first time. You feel me that some people might be coming through for the first time. We don't want to act out. We don't want to run them off. So salute man. For those of y'all who might be new here to back the Black Coffee Club Live. This is where we talk about self mastery, personal development. We have cultural conversations obviously that matter to us, man, especially for those of us that are in and around my age. Man, I'm just finna tell you the truth. But regardless of your age, creed, color, whatever the case may be, you definitely welcome here. It's all love. Y'all gonna have to bear with me. Y'all hearing my kids metals and I said I wasn't gonna take them off to day. I walked my son up and put his medals on. You feel me, So i'm i'm h i'm uh. You're gonna hear my key is metals dangling around the background, So I'm gonna try to minimize it as little as possible. Let me see if I can put it in there and see if that helped you feel me, I don't want to, you know, I got my chain hang low. That's the deal. The only change that you're gonna have to see me having on, man, you fear me, you're gonna see them the only change you're gonna see. But anyway, man, so salute at Today's focus is on friendships, man, real authentic, fulfilling relationships. Let me let me start. Let me start this off like this, man, and I'm not gonna put y'all on it. Well, first of all, let me send y'all some love before I get started. Salute to the hommy d Man Junior in the building. What's good with you? Bro? Salute the Mark wonderlicks man in the building. What's up with your big Mark? Salute to my sister, My beautiful sister Shawa. I'm gonna stop there. Salute the Shawa. What's going on with you? Gorgeous? Y'all be sure to go subscribe to my sister Shawah. I think it just might be out all. The artist Felix newon Nes is in a building. What's up with you? Felix? Salute to you, hommy, thank you so much? Uh uh so, anyway, de man Junior said, and we talk crazy, so get in where you fit in, and salute to everybody. A few of y'all are listening in stealth mode. Also, we are live on the Facebook as well as the Twitch. No Instagram today, No Junior to truth Mobile app. We're kind of starting to peel back. We're kind of pulling back. So primarily you're gonna be seeing us stream live on on the Twitch. So salute to the Twitch community over there tuning in. Salute to once again the YouTube community and the Facebook live stream and everybody all of the podcast community. Y'all gonna be hearing this or wherever you catch your podcast app. Thank you so much, really truly genuinely appreciate you. But let me say this, so I was y'all know this this month, and I've been trying to do things. I'm gonna be doing things rather with regard to my content of the of course, it's of the self help, self mastery variety, and and I don't know if y'all picked up on it to not, but and I'm gonna do them, and I'm gonna I'm not gonna announce them. It's gonna be you to figure it's gonna be on you to figure out the theme. But the theme for January coming out this year was authenticity. You feel me, We're gonna start twenty and twenty five with authenticity. So that's been that's kind of been the that's kind of been the thing everything we kind of talked about. It's kind of been in and around the concept of authenticity and the thing that I'm I've noticed and I've been sitting back for a few years, honestly speaking, especially you know, as I reflect on being an adult and my years, you know what I mean. So because theoretically you feel me, I've been I've been twenty one over shit twice. Now you feel me I've been twenty one a couple of times. And so I'm kind of just reflecting over my life. And let's say, since the age of twenty one, salute to Joe Townsend in the building, what's up with you, homie? And when I reflect over my life, man, and I'm looking as an adult, you know, the truth of the matter is and in twenty and twenty five is kind of like, you know, really a stopping point for me. But when you get to be an adult, you don't really have many authentic friendships, especially you know, in modern times, you know, especially in the social media era, you don't really get and have a lot of authentic friendships. Now I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna put a caveat there, and I'm gonna or I'm gonna put a bookmark there, and I'm gonna say for people who are you know, I'm in my mid coming up on my late forties, and I have very few friendships that I would consider authentic meaning, you know what I mean. I've been around these people. They tried and true, you know what I'm saying. These are people that I can call on when it go when it goes haywire. There's very few of those. Saluting my sister Thriving Glow with Joe, you know what I mean. You know I can't read Thrive and Glow with Joe. Salute to my sister in here in the building. Man, y'all be sure to go subscribe to the sister that's Joe the Lady. But she's changed her name to Thrive and Glow with Joe. You feel me? Don't that sound like? That? Sounded like the like that need a theme song, Thrive and Glow with Joe. Just let your soul glow. Yeah, that's that soul glow. You need to get that soul glow anthem lit shine through Liz. Let your soul glow salute to thrive and glow with Joe, my beautiful sister in the building. Y'all be sure to go subscribe to her and go go follow her over on Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube channel. Go check out our content. But I'm realizing, man that like, I don't have a lot of and I don't have a lot of what I would consider to be authentic friendships anymore. And it's kind of where the world has has led us to be. Like every relationship that you have nowadays, it's kind of a relationship that's kind of predicated on people leveraging one another, Like, you know, we cool, but you know I do this for you, so what you're gonna do for me? You know that kind of ordeal. And I'm talking about them that y'all remember the song Friend of Foe. I'm dating myself, but you remember that friend of Foe with E forty eight ballum JG. You know what I'm saying, Like, I'm I'm I'm under that friend of foe campaign, like my friends, like who can I call on? Like who can I literally call when it gets heary? Who can I call? Like a lot of y'all. Man, y'all show tremendous love and I and I love you all back. And we have an exchange for sure, and our exchange is predicated on us coming together on these on this this this social media platform and these these multi media you know, uh uh, these multi mediums, mediums and all of that. And I appreciate that, but I'm talking about like people who like not like for real, like people be around your family and your kids, and people who be in and around you. I don't have a lot of that. And I was trying to figure out because I remember growing up and having friends like you know, that was my homeboy, and that was my homeboy, and that was my homeboy and we was cool and you know, talk every day and be around each other and you know, if I'm going somewhere, it's gonna be with him, and YadA, YadA YadA. And I really don't have that. I really don't have that now. That was the mic scratch. I really don't have that. What I have now is just a bunch of and I'm talking about my personal life. I can see a lot of relationships where people just you know, it's kind of a you know, surface level. Yeah, that's cool. You know, I like you, you like me. We cool, you know that kind of ordeal. You got something jumping over there, I got something jumping over here. We might be able to come together and collab you know, in the in the in the in the in the the under the mission of you know, growing what it is we're doing, and so on and so forth. But I'm talking about like my for real friends. Though you understand salute the Big Dasmondkunkin doll Man, my BCU family, what's good with you, dead man, It's not really, it's not really, it's not really like that. And then I know also, and I'm just gonna be real. I know that it's very difficult for men, but it's it's it's almost twice as difficult for women to have authentic, those authentic friendships and relationships with other women. You understand what I'm saying. And when I say authentic, I mean for real. I'm talking about for real friendships. And I know in the way I know and the reason why I know that these friendships and relationlationships or other way that are no better than surface level. Is because I'm gonna just be real with y'all. Like a lot of people, I kind of look at I look, and I can see where folks are, Like outside and y'all be in air, Like y'all be outside in air, y'all be outside dead wrong y'all, Like y'all be outside tripping and your friends don't tell you that you're tripping? What's up with the sweet tea to cheating in a building like your like, like people be man, I'm trying to I'm trying to like teeter the line because I don't want to start cussing and fussing and acting crazy, especially in the afternoon show where it's gonna be more people sliding through and whatnot. But the fact of the matter is, man, a lot of people be out of pocket and like you don't have friends. Like that's where your friends come in and say, hey, man, you tripping? You feel me? Like what are you doing? You tripping? Nah? Like in twenty twenty five, like friends sit there and watch you crash and burn, like they gonna literally watch you drive your car off the cliff and they not gonna say nothing to you. You understand what I'm saying. Like, they're not gonna say a thing. They gonna sit there and they gonna wreck off of it, and then they gonna get on the phone and they gonna call some other friends and they gonna talk about you. You understand. But your friends are not gonna pull you. They not gonna pull your They're not gonna pull your car when your car need to be pulled. They're not gonna pull your coattail when your coattail need to be pulled. And it's just it's just amazing, and I see it over and over and over again. Now it's just me being real. You know what I'm saying. If this don't apply to you, don't take it personally. If it do apply to you, then I'm talking to you. But I'm really talking all of y'all. That's a lie. I'm talking all y'all. At the end of the day, like like men think about it, man, it's so many people who run around and they gallivanting around like like like you got it, like you got it all together and life is good and you and you got it all together, and you don't like people looking at you like, Nah, you tripping, understand, But ain't nobody gonna tell you you tripping because you really don't have friends, Like if you got like who can you call with your deepest darkest thoughts? Who can you call with your with your with your deepest, dark, darkest issues that you need help with, Like when you need to literally talk to somebody you feel me, who can you call that's gonna get in that space with you and practice empathy? You understand what I'm saying, be willing to help, be willing to listen to you, be willing to help you resolve said issues. Who or are they gonna listen to you? And then get on the phone and gossip with somebody else about your issues? Like it's a cold game, you know what I mean? Desmond said, really, no one like when you if you're telling the truth, if you're telling the truth, like and so my thing is, I'm looking at this right and I'm like, man, it's twenty twenty five, and like people have friends, like y'all be man, I'm trying not to people have I'm trying to speak in generalities. I'm not I don't want to you understand what I'm saying because I don't want to say y'all because then everybody gonna get person take it personal. People gonna start running from matter of fact, smash the like button, police share the content if you feel so inclined. But like, you have friends, like y'all, have friends around you, and you have people around you, and it's common practice in twenty twenty five to have friends and have people around you that don't even man, they don't even fuck with you for real, And I'm trying not to curse. They don't really fuck with you. And it's no way, in no way, And I just heard Corey Holkom say this a couple months ago, Like there's no way in the world on earth at this point in time in history that you should be around people who don't rock with you, Like, there's no way. You should not be around no fake friends. You should not be around fraud friends. You should not be around that fake energy for the sake of just being around people. You should not be around people and calling people friends that don't hold you accountable, that don't share with you, that don't look out for you. If you got you know, you got businesses or whatever, and your friends don't even promote your business they don't support your business, Like nah, like you don't. Y'all don't understand. Like I have a lot of people that consider me a friend. All right. You know what I just said. Y'all heard it. And I get more support from the people that are literally in this chat right now, like right now, it's eleven of y'all live streaming in the live stream on YouTube. As far as my businesses are concerned, I get more financial support from the eleven now ten people that are on this live stream then I do people who consider me friends as a collective as a whole. I get more shares, I get more likes, I get more comments, I get more views, I get more purchases. I get much more support from you all than I do people who considered me to consider themselves my friends. People I've known for thirty plus years. You feel me, and so at the end of the day, Saluta colla face still I seen in the building, Homie, Salute the land of the two one six? What's up? What you brought? Salute to you? He said, only a hit dog holler. He's speaking the truth. June, Yes, sir, Salute to you man. A happy birthday once again to you, bro I'm looking at it though, like there's no way in like the world it's so full of this fake stuff and people going on vacations like you going on vacations with people. We had an incident and made his young sister rest in peace. But y'all remember the incident a couple of years back where the young lady went on vacation and I think they went to like Mexico or can Coon or something. And she went to Mexico with a group of people and they ended up fighting and they beat they and some and they beat the little girl to death. They beat her to death. You feel me like, that's this y'all remember what I'm talking about that I can't call no names. I want to say her last name was Robinson because it's my last name. But I can't remember the whole the intricate details, but I remember when that happened. And that is this, That is this new weird shequila uh shan quila. That's this new weird world that we in where people just be around and be with people and go and travel the world and you don't even we don't even be thinking of like, like, man, do you understand we don't even think to go travel the world and be around some people in these intimate spaces with people who don't fool with you. So I thought about that, and especially I'm seeing social media. I see the social media posts. I see the hey girl, hey girl, hey friend, hey friend, and all that my best friend, that's my best friend. All that bullshit that I see, and people hugged up and dapped up and so on and so forth. But at the end of the day, they're really not rocking with each other, like people don't rock with each other. And this is real life. And I'm talking about people my age. I'm talking about people my age. You understand what I'm saying. Like, one thing for me is I don't I don't do the new friends thing Like, man, if I don't, this is no disrespecting nobody. You know, we can have a relationship. We can be cordial. You know, y'all could be my people, part of the community. All that we can show love and everything and love on each other and all that good stuff. Right, But for somebody, because when I say friend, like to me, and this is a part of my my this is a part of my male personality trait. I'm a Sigma male. So this is a part of that. This is a part of me being a six person. You know what I mean, as far as numerology is concerned, I'm a Pisces. I am. I am an American Indian. You feel me Chatar blood. It's just a lot of things that lead me to be in a space where I have deep and I seek deep relationships and friendships. So people who I actually call friends, right, you are in the same hierarchy as my family. You feel me das like you you're family because like my family and blood line, like I didn't get to choose that. You understand what I'm saying my family and blood line like that. I was born into that. You understand what I'm saying, like my lening, I'm born into that. But if you're my friend, I actually chose you, like I chose you to enter into this this space and this level of intimacy with me. And I'm not just talking about I ain't talking I ain't talking romance. You know what I'm saying. I'm talking about like my friends, that my people who are my friends, like I chose them, and we have any relationships, like we have intimate friendships. They know me, I know them. You understand what I'm saying. My children call them uncle. Their children call me uncle, their their wives call me. You understand what I'm saying. Like the people who are like I'm talking about my friends. Yeah, and so that just took me down a that that just took me down a rabbit hole because my friends are like my brothers. And I'm gonna be real what you are. I don't have female friends that close like I don't. And that's I have a lot of female friends that are cool. I care for them, you know, all that kind of stuff or female you know people that I care for and you know, they they homies and and you know we have friendly you know, relationships and so on and so forth. But I don't have friends that close for obvious reasons. You understand what I'm saying. I can't go into those intimate spaces with with a woman because I'm a Yeah, I'm attracted to women. So if i go into those intimate spaces with a woman, then I'm going to cross certain boundaries and it's gonna end in h It's gonna be it's gonna be chaotic. The end in the train wreck, friendships end with train Indian train wrecks when I with females. So I'm one of the few people. I'm a I'm a cave man, salutes a dirt game boss in the building. I don't believe men and women can be intimate friends like that. I don't believe that you understand what I'm saying. I don't believe you know women and should be Oh that's my friend. Yeah, I'm one of them. I ain't one of those. So I don't believe. I don't believe that you know what I mean. I believe if if you know I'm around a woman and she tells me, hey, that's my friend, it's either him or me hawking. I'm just I ain't playing. I really mean it. But anyway, so yeah, that's that. But anyway I didne went down this rabbit hole about salutor. She heartstack. What's up? She harshtack my friend, I'm just playing. I'll just fled. Hey, men and women can't be friends, not to not to the capacity I'm speaking of. In my opinion, you understand what I'm saying. Look at sweet Tea, she said, one of my best friends is a male. Mm hmm. Look look she harsh I said, Hey, best friend girl. All right now, all right, now they I got it, she heartshed. I got a loose grip on reality. You better, they say, you better go and hit on now leave me. They get the behind me, Satan, I gotta lose grip on reality girl. Hey man, But anyway, salute the TV sports talk hashtag the Bronx in the building. What's up with the TV sports? My brother Jared o Levin Green, what's up with you hommye So anyway, look though, so I'm looking at these relationships, and I'm looking at friendships, and I even observe people's friendships, Like I be observing people's friendships, and then I'm always a person like I be getting pulled into a whole lot of third party stuff and you know, I'm you know, I get to look in and I get to see stuff, and you know what I mean, And I'm like, yeah, I get to see, like I be seeing how people interact. I see how people talk to each other, I see how people look at each other. And I'm like, I'm like, uh, I'm like, ah, man, you know what I'm saying, Like that ain't really your friend, y'all really ain't friends like y'all really ain't. But I think that in twenty twenty five, we're in a space in this world where it's time. There's no reason and no excuse for you to be around people who really truly don't mess with you. You understand, to be around people who really truly don't mess with you, people who really truly don't have your back, people who really truly like are not your friends. And so my antidote to that is to talk to you all and to give you all this my thoughts on this, but also to work on a blueprint for how do we figure out how to cultivate friendships right because at this juncture, like you gotta like it's all about friendships, like real, authentic, fulfilling relationships. You understand, the world is so busy right now. We're always dealing with digital stuff. Everything's you know, minute by minute, you know what I mean, and everything so instant and so fast. So how in this new world do we build strong connections that last. You understand what I'm saying, because y'all, I'll understand what I'm saying, because some of y'all don't have like some of y'all are forty forty plus. You understand what I'm saying, and you don't have the same friends today that you had last year. You feel me like, and then I'm my dumb ass is sitting here telling you that my friends are you talking thirty years or better? Like what I got? I take that back, one of my friends, it's like twenty maybe twenty five years or better. But like everybody else, And I wish, I wish Thomas fu was in here, because he'll tell you, Thomas Feu is we from the we from the second and third grade. You understand like we we from the sandbox. But anyway, so people who you know, you your friends one minute, then the next thing, you know, y'all not friends no more. And I'm saying, how do we avoid that? Because you cannot allow people and their energy and those and their spirits, and you can't allow that everybody's stuff in your space. And so we have to set up some contingencies in place in order to avoid the BS and to cultivate deeper relationships. So all right, man, I'm I'm So we're talking about my research. And when I say my research, already know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about my own personal experiences. That's my research. I'm under the Luther Vandross campaign. I can only speak for the things I've been through. That's all I'm here to speak for. I can only speak for the things I've been through. I'm not here to talk about nobody else's experience. I'm not talking about what nobody else does. I'm not here to talk about nothing not in red. I'm sitting here telling you about the show enough Gospel and what I've experienced in my life and what I've researched and things that I've implemented to kind of help with help me. So anyway, we're trying to cultivate these deeper bonds, and we're gonna break down why it actually matters. I guess, first of all, your friends, like you got to understand what kind of influence your friends have over you. Now, Like I know, we're supposed to be grown. And when you've grown, excuse me, you're supposed to have your own mindset and your whole mind frame, and you supposed to be able to to to to to you know, do this, and and and and and and be your own man and be your own person and so on and so forth. But ultimately, at the end of the day, when it's all said and done. Like, your friends have a huge influence over you. They have an influence over your mindset. They'll help support your growth, they'll help shape shape your future. Some of y'all are sitting in a spot right now based on some information that your that your friend gave you. You feel me like some of you all are sitting in a spot right now based on information that you got from a friend. Rather it was a job. Rather it's a city. Some of y'all might live in a city right now that your friends said, Hey, man, you need to come live here. Man, it's dope here, bro, we can move and shake. Some of y'all are literally sitting in the manifestation of a conversation or information that will share between you and your friend, all right and help shape shape your future. And and then a lot of y'all have been in these spaces or end up in these spaces based on information that will shared by a friend. And then y'all no longer friends no more. Does that make sense? So if your circle isn't strong, you could be missing out on a huge source of motivation, support and overall well being. So we're gonna get ready and by the end of the show Man. I want you to have a clear concise picture of this blueprint or this map that I'm talking about in order to help you cultivate deeper relationships, because I'm gonna tell you right now in twenty twenty five, that surface level stuff is dead man. The surface level stuff gets you. The surface level stuff gets you in places you don't want to be. It always has, And people think I'm so funny like people in my real life. Right I get invited to events thrive and glow with Joe. I get invite into events and I'm literally like, I'm not going because I don't know who's there. I'm a control freak. There, I let the cat out the bag. I'm a control freak. I don't like being around any and everybody. You feel me, And if I am around, I like to be in complete control where I can actually remove myself. So everywhere I go, I'm by myself. I drive myself. I'm in my own space, Like that's just what I do. She harshtat. When we were in Atlanta for the BCU pull up, like everywhere we went, I drove by myself. I was moving around by myself. When we all got together, at the party, I mean at the house, and everybody cooked and was playing cars and stuff, and they was looking for Junior, like where Junior wred you? Junior is off to hisself, Like I'm in complete control of myself. I'm always on that who are gonna be over there? That's my ordeal. And so I don't really get a lot invited to a whole lot of stuff. I don't go a whole lot of places because and I definitely am a person that if we going somewhere, you can't you can't add something on to me, right, So I can't come to your house to pick you up to go to an event, and you got two people I don't know with you, I'll leave you feel me because I can't excuse me. And this is me, This is my own personal code. In philosophy, the big day has been said. I was in the kitchen. I was in the kitchen. I came late days, I sat, and I moved it and was in one spot and I didn't budge. That was it. I was in that one spot and I didn't eat, and I didn't you know what I mean, no disrespect. I know it was a whole bunch of engines in there cooking and making it do what it do. But I didn't. I didn't. I didn't see who. I didn't see the hands that prepared the food. If you will, so nah, But so I'm I'm I'm a person that if we go somewhere together, I'm responsible for you. You understand what I'm saying. If I go somewhere together, then it's if you have what issue, whatever issues you have, those issues become my issues. So you can have beef in the streets and if we go to a restaurant together and then that beef comes, you know, and and and and and it plays out the manifestation of that that beef and that energy plays out. I'm now involved in that. So at the right age of forty six, I now understand that. Man, Nah, Man, I can't. I can't subject myself to that because it's I got too much at stake, Like it's I got a lot riding on myself. It's a lot riding on me and what it is that I do. So I'm always Yeah, the man Junior said, that's our beef. If we ride together, Yeah, that's our beef. That's our problem. If you if we go somewhere and you and some shit. I'm in some shit salute the old school. Instantly, he said, that's law, bru. And so I don't go nowhere. I don't be going around. I don't move around with a lot of people. You understand what I'm saying. I don't really do that. And if if TI if I'm somewhere with you and then you bring a whole bunch of extra people, I'm gonna get up and leave, like it's a good chance. I'm gonna get up, and I'm a slab bro like all right, I'm gone, you know what I mean. That's just me. That's how I am. I don't I'm not around. I'm not a person to be around a lot of people. And I don't mess around with people I don't know like I don't do I don't really do that. I know in this new world, you're supposed to be a networking and doing this and doing that, Like nah, I've never been that way because I understand it. It's just I understand how important it is. If I got to ride for you, I gotta know you. If I got to ride for you, I gotta know you. And so that's just me. But anyway, so what I'm saying is is we have to work beyond to get back to the subject. We have to work beyond the surface level, and we have to get to having authentic relationships because I do believe that authentic friendships, though on the way out, they do still exist, and so you have to get to them so that you can have those so that you can improve your quality of life. Because I mean, let's just be clear, man, having genuine, authentic friendships will improve your quality of life. If you don't have genuine authentic friendships, man, your life, I'm telling you, it's gonna be fucked up. And I'm talking about all the way around the board authentic like authentic. So anyway, number one, number one, and I'm giving you my five steps to creating authentic friendships. And this is friendships last relationships, and we're not talking romantically. In twenty twenty five. Number one is a prioritize intentional presence. We live in a time where there's constant distractions, phones, TVs, you know what I mean. Notifications is always something that that's fighting for our attention. Ways, but excuse me, true friendships require dedicated time, like it takes time, Like you gotta have dedicated quality time. You have to set set times, to set times aside to literally be with your friend. Do you understand what I'm saying? And it could be, you know, y'all could be sitting here watching the game, y'all, could be music, y'all could be going somewhere, going to an event. You know what I mean. But you have to you have to have an intentional presence. You know what I mean. You gotta you know, you gotta talk, communicate. It might be a telephone call, it might be a daily tapping. And I have a daily tapping in with I wish t was here. I have a daily tapping in with Thomas Fu my brother, have a daily tapping with him. Sometime during the day, we tap in with one another. Hey, what's happening, bro? What you got going on? Everything cool? Everything? All right? I'm closing this house. I got this going on. Man. I just finished the audio book. I had to remaster that joint. I just gotta release, you know, y'all. Yeah, we tap in with one another. You feel me. You gotta have intentional time. You gotta have that time, practice active listening with one another, maintain eye contact, ask, you know, thoughtful thought, provoking questions when you interact, you understand what I'm saying. When you with your friend, Like, put your phone to the side, put your phone on silent or safe down or face down or put it away and show them your friends that you have, like that they got your undivided attention. See, that's why y'all be missing. Like a lot of times, y'all have these friendships and y'all be missing the fact that that man, I'm trying not to cuss, but y'all be missing the fact that they fraud and they really ain't your friend because you on your phone, you checking, ig, you scrolling, or you doing whatever. Like nah, bro, you got to sit down and really talk to people and really listen to them, listen to the shit that they say. You feel me. I'm a person I'm big on. If I'm talking to a person and a person's always, always, always, always, always always talking to me about somebody else, I'll be like, oh okay, you feel me, Oh okay, nah nah. So anyway, but for me, let me see, I know a thing that happened to me, uh, is that I had friends that I hadn't I hadn't talked to in years. You know, what I mean. Still my friend hadn't talked to him in years, you know what I'm saying. And then we end up linking back up or whatever. And then like the first like probably like thirty minutes, you know what I'm saying, they was just busy checking messages, you know what I mean, and on their phone and taking calls and shit like I'm in the middle of a sentence. Motherfucker take a call and I'm sitting there like like she hears stad you know how I am. I'm like like like this, motherfucker just take a telephone call while I was in mid sentence. Why like me? You feel me? Like like huh, like we in mid I'm in mid sentence and motherfucker pick up the phone and start talking on the phone while I'm talking. Packed it up, all right, man, I'm about of here, bro, I catch up with you. Was good to see you, homie. Take care of yourself. You feel me. You take care of yourself. I got a slide, you understand. But anyway, so you gotta spend intentional time. Now, I'm gonna ask our question what distractions do you have when you're spending intentional time with your friends? Because I'm pretty sure you've been spending intentional time with your friends, maybe you haven't, or if you've been around your friends, if you're watching the game out of sporting event, watching the fight, whatever it is. What is one distract action that you wrestle with when you around your people? Number two, this is a hard one. You gotta foster open and honest communication. You gotta focus honest and open or excuse me, open and honest communication. Authentic relationships throot, they depend They depend on transparency and vulnerability. You understand. If you always wearing a mask and holding back, then you can't form a true bond. Like I'm not having a bond with you. You're sending your representative to me. You understand. And so the problem with me with the way that I'm wired, and this is me being honest, the way that I'm wired is that if I'm giving you my authentic self and you are sending your representative to me, then I feel that you're trying to get over on me. You understand what I'm saying, and so I feel like you're trying to get over on me, which is one of my that's one of my t triggers. Like that's one of my red flags, and that's one of my pet peeves, and that's one of the things that drives me crazy and it causes me to have implosion salutes. My brother be about a fart in the building. Is that a person who's trying to get over on me? A person who because getting over on me? It makes me think that you think that I'm not intelligent you feel me, or that you're coming to me with a something for nothing, like you want something from me, but you do not want to give me what you're asking for a lack of reciprocity. Those are all forms of getting over, which is all forms of you making a play on my intelligence. That is the way my mind works. You feel me. So if if bringing I'm being authentic, because that's what people want. Man, keep it real, be real, be real. They want authentic you. But you're sending your representative to me. I can't fuck with that. I can't you understand what I'm saying like I can't. So we have to be able to have open and honest communication. I also have to be able to hold you accountable to your bullshit within our friendship and then not just within our friendship. If we're friends, I have to be able to hold you accountable to your bullshit within your life. If I can't hold you accountable to your bullshit within your life, then I can't fuck with you. Gonna you're not gonna be able to be my friend because I'm a person that I am going to give it to you. I'm gonna give it to you straight, no chaser, bro, I'm a straight shooter. If I see you, if you bullshitting, or you're doing something that's not solid, or you're doing something that's hindering your own progress, or you're doing something that you ain't supposed to be, man, I'm gonna be the person that's gonna give it to you. And if I can't do that, then we can't be friends. But we have to be Our relationship has to be predicated also on open and honest communication and you have to be authentic. You have to be authentic. And for me, I'm always because I internalize stuff, so I always look at myself first. I'm very reflective, shower like, I'm always looking at myself. So when things go on, like, I look at myself. When in relationships that I have with other people and something go wrong, I look at myself and then when I explain what I'm when I'm when I explain what I'm saying or what I'm feeling, I always use my eye statements you feel me, I say yeah, yeah I feel or I use my eye statements. I don't ever project and say you this, you that, now, I feel this, I feel that. But I also like literally, like I'm very intentional, and I have to be able to have these conversations with you, if my friend, but it has to be a conversation with the authentic youth, not your representative, Like I don't ever want to see your representative ever, Like put your representative away when you're dealing with me. Yeah, And so that's that's it. And the thing for me is because my life been just the stuff I shared with y'all, Like my life is being chuck full of struggles, you feel me, one struggle after the other, one piece of one traumatic experience after another. That's my life, you understand. So when I get into weeds of that and I get deep down into my internal struggles with certain things, and I'm talking to my friend, like how dare you send your representative to talk to me and to get this information? Fuck you? And That's kind of where I'm at with it, which is why, once again, Shawa, I don't have a lot of friends. What's up with you? A B I don't. I don't have a lot. And then at the same time I do the same thing like I never. I never. What you see is what you get with me. I represented. The only time you see my representative is if I'm out there trying to get some money. You feel me if I'm out there trying to get some money. If you see me when you see me in a New York Knicks hoodie or a Punch Junkie hoodie or Simple Truth hoodie or Team Robinson and the well not not really, that's where we start. You see my representative. But when you see me in that and that's you know you're getting the authentic me. You see a junior to Truth hoodie punched you. Yeah. But if you see me in a in a Team Robinson in Associate is polo, you feel me a Team Robinson in Associates Global Logistics Polo. That's my representative. When you more more times than not, when you see me in a suit with my briefcase, that's my representative. If I got my if I got my briefcase. If I got my brief bag, you feel me, that's yeah, that's my representative. That's my representative. But I don't bring them to an authentic interaction with my friend. Number three is you have to cultivate, cultivate empathy and support. Real friendship means being there for each other. It's not just about sharing good times, but also providing support during the rough patches. If I can't call on you when when the chips is down, when my funds are low and my dad's are high, and I want to smile, but I have to cry if I can't get with it, if I can't, if I can't, if I cannot call on you during them times, I don't need you around me. Like it ain't gonna it ain't all about it ain't all ice cream and birthday cake. It ain't all elephant ears and cotton candy. Nah, Like we gonna we're gonna, We're gonna have these times where it's gonna be real rough. You feel me, it's gonna be real rough. I'm in spaces where it gets real rough for me, And you mean to tell me you're not gonna be around when it's real rough you're gonna leave me. You're gonna and you. And the thing about this ship is because the world is social aid, because everybody's so uh inter interlocked with one another, and everybody's so gossipy, and everybody's in everybody's business. People know when you got ship going on. People know when you got ship going on. And you mean to tell me, you know, I'm down bad right now, and you ain't gonna come around me. You ain't gonna come around me. You ain't gonna call and check up on me. You ain't gonna come see about me. And you know you know I got this going on, and you ain't gonna come see about me. Man, that's a cold game. That's not friendship. That's not friendship. I have friends that if I don't hear from them, I call. They have friends that. Man, this is about the discip around the time they lost their mama. Let me call. What's up with you? Yeah? This around the holiday season. I know it gets a little rough over there. Hey, what's up with you? Yeah? Nah? Man, Like that ain't no way. You gotta cultivate empathy and support, and you have to do the same in exchange, in the same in exchange bro, you have to be If you know what it's like to lose somebody, you gotta be there. You know what it's like to lose your job, you gotta be there. If you know what it's like for people to have turn off within their marriages and relationships, man, you gotta be there. Man. You know what it's like for you know what it's like for people to fall out with their kids and having strange relationships with their kids. You gotta be there now, Watch this though, watch this, watch this shardstack. If you don't know what it's like to be in those situations, but you gotta. You got a person, your friend who's in those situations, you gotta be there. You gotta be there. Like, I have no idea what it's like, bro, but I'm here with you. I don't have no like I've had homeboys very their children. I have and I hope and I man if like, that's my one thing that I want. I want to get out of here without any of that being bestowed upon my children. I don't I want to get out of here without death being bestowed upon my children. I don't want to have to face that because I'm not sure I can so I don't know what it's like to have gone through that, but I'm here. You feel me like I'm I'm I'm here. You have to have empathy and support in your friendships, and it's there's a lack of empathy and a lack of support and it's and it's so like, man, it's crazy, and so you can't really have a real friendship because I'm looking at it, I'm watching and the people that be going through shit, they gotta go off to theyself because they don't want to be ostracized. They don't we don't want to be talked about. They don't want to be hurt, like Shawa just said, like, they don't want to be hurt. They don't want to be done dirty by people who supposed to care about them. So they got to go off to theirself and they gotta go suffer off in silo. Man, it's motherfuckers in relationships that's getting abused and beat on and they don't have a friend or a friend that can advocate for them because of the because they don't have authentic friendships. No, no, motherfuckers is in toxic relationships because they don't have authentic friends, saying hey, man, you don't have to deal with that. Come on over here, I ain't got nobody to call on. Naw. You gotta be empathetic, and you have to and you have to and you have to practice empathy and support. You gotta have empathetic listening, listening. Try to understand people's perspectives, even if without judgment. Try to understand what people are going through. Try to listen even if you can't relate, even if it don't apply to you, even if you've been through the very same thing. Right. Part of empathy, part of empathy is I'm listening and I'm here with you while you go through your process. I don't have the answers for you. You feel me, and I let people ask me like, all right, bro, you've been through this, how do you deal with that? Then I okay, this is how I dealt with it. But I'm not coming in here acting like I'm finna solve your problems. Because of where you are and what you're going through and your process, you feel me, I'm not feeling I'm not finna do that. Like my empathy, I understand that you have to go through it. You gotta feel what you gotta feel, and I'm gonna sit here with you, and I'm gonna be supportive right here with you. But I don't have the answers for you. Do you understand what I'm saying. I can tell you what I had to do when I buried my daddy, and how I felt and the things that I had to do, But I can't tell you that because I can't cheapen your I can't cheapen your connection and your process and your bond with with going through that, with going through that experience of your life. But I can sit here with you, and I can be here, and I can be empathetic, and I can support, and I can listen, and when you call me at two am crying, I can answer the phone you feel me, and I can come sit with you like I can do that, And all too often we're not practicing that because everybody's distracted, everybody's doing something else, and you don't realize the need for being empathetic and support of the people that you supposed to love. Your friends. Yeah, yeah, See, we're talking about authentic relationships. We're talking about authentic friendships. We ain't talking about this fake bullshit that y'all be doing. We ain't talking about that. We ain't talking about the pull up. We ain't talking about the you know how y'all talk, yes, bitch work, Yes, we ain't talking about that. Nah, Bro, My this is my this is my homie. We ain't talking about that. Were talking about authentic friendships. Bro. When you down there in that in that in that ship and the motherfucker gonna sit there with you and and and cry with you, you understand what I'm saying and be there for you. Nah, you gotta engage and shared experiences. That's step foward. You gotta engage and shared experiences. Yeah, I'm talking about all my friends, and I'm talking about my friends. We have story here, story upon story upon story upon story upon story. We have so many shared experiences throughout our life. Salute the Supreme Beast, boxing t all calgory in the building. What's up with you? Bro? We have extreme We have these stories that literally bookmark our life and and our motions through this life all the way to the I'm talking about, Like I keep telling y'all, I hate to keep saying this, but one of my friends that's always here, that always talks and chats in here is Thomas fu my other friend is probably listening, but he doesn't really chat. He don't respond. You feel me, And that's Jay Wirth, He don't really respond. But we got stories upon stories upon stories upon stories. You feel me. That bookmark our life and it's walk. Where as early as I can remember, Like to be honest with you, I don't remember a time when when when Thomas wasn't my dog. I don't really I don't really really remember that. But we have shared experiences and you have to engage in those shared experiences. Memories are the glue that hold friendships together. You gotta do things, do things together, create memories, you know what I mean. Rather, it's a new hobby, traveling, volunteering, you know what I mean, watching the playoffs. Like I said, uh, it's it's it's stuff that we do now, especially like since I've started covering the sport of boxing writings and the Punch Jones set of the Punch Junkie and so on and so forth. Like there's been so many fights that I've gone through, gone to. We're too few. Like, nah, bro, I'm coming to that fight. I'm coming to that fight, you know what I mean. It's fights that he's booked before I've booked, like nah, and did he hit me? Like y'all, but just bought the tickets for the Aerospen aerospensing Danny Garcia fight. You know what I mean. Like, but it's it's it's it's it's things that you do, and you do certain things like together and create those bonds. You feel me And I'm not saying take away from your family and your and and and you know, your your your your your spouse and your children. And I'm not saying that, but I am saying that you have to take some time to have those shared experience and engaging in shared experiences with your family. You know what I mean. It might be a monthly uh day trip, you know what I'm saying. It might be a monthly dinner, you know what I mean, it might be a weekly tap in or whatever the case may be. But those sort of adventures and situations will help you all continue to stay to stay tight. Yeah, all right, I think this is number five. This is the last one because I gott get ready to go. I gotta go pick up my children from school. You gotta practice consistency, man, and follow through. I'm gonna tell I'm gonna tell you for myself, one of the worst things in the world at my age is an inconsistent person. Like, if you're grown and you're inconsistent, I can't respect it. You feel me like, I can't respect it. You gotta be consistent. You know, somebody will call you and you'll be like, oh, yeah, what's up? Old? Every now and again? You know what I mean. You know how y'all know how we talk in the culture. Yeah, every now and again. Nah, that every now and again, that wishy washy Nah. I can't mess with that, Like, it has to be consistency and follow through. The other thing that I hate because there are people who like, I have an event, and I'll invite you to an event, right, and people will RSVP for events and then don't come. You want to get exiled from my invitation lists? Do that shit, you feel me? Tell me you're gonna be somewhere that I've paid money for you to come be and you don't show up. Tell me you're gonna be somewhere, period, and then don't show up. That is a quick way to get exiled from my invitation lists. Forever, you feel me, I'm talking forever, forever ever forever ever, forever. Nah, that is a quick way consistency and follow through, she Harstadt says, and loyalty Like friendship, it ain't really built overnight, man, it's ongoing effort. Like friendship is a it's an ongoing thing and the thing that you understand, Like you have friends, and you got friends that you grew up with, right and y'all are no longer friends no matter, you know, when you see them as cool or you know whatever, and you might even still call them your friends and whatnot, and that's cool. But friendship it is literally it is a relationship like it is. It is active. It is ongoing man, like it is action. It is it is a verb like it is. It should be treated like a verb or whatever that whatever that uh, whatever that appropriate language is. But it is it is action, it is activity like it is ongoing. It is not a Friendship is a It is a journey and a process. It's not a destination. You feel me, Oh, that's a called I should put that on the shirt. Friendship is a is a journey, not a destination. Ain't that dope? Shee hearts that you like to write and read and ship, Ain't that dope? Friendship is a journey, not a destination. Nah, man, one time for the friends. I'm about to put that on the shirt. Friend true friendship is a journey, not a destination one time for the friends. Nah. It's a It is a truly it is a true to life journey. Like friendship is a journey, bro Like we journeying through this life. And friendship don't even end like friendship like that was about the That was about the that was about the man. My father has friends and my father's friendships. And this is me actually witness witnessing this my my my father, Like friendship don't even stop at death. You feel me, like, it don't even it does not even stop at the transition of life. It does not stop. My father has friends that and this is how this is how serious it is. And and and when I when I see them and they're like my uncles, when I see my father's friends, they stop me. I don't mean like stop me, like, oh man, what's happening to give me a hook? I ain't talking about that, Like they stopped me, and they have something to share with me about my father. They stop and they and they take exception or not exception they take time to love on my son because I'm trying not to get emotional because my son is my father's grandson that my father has never seen and he has the same name as my father, and so they my father's friends. They take time to check on me, talking about my daddy been gone what I say, been like shit, seventeen years that he'd been going, like seventeen years. All right, see heart, sat, thank you, love back to Jerry Duty. Hey find that nigga guilty and if he was there, man. And they always got a story to share with me about my father or about them growing up. Even if it's a story that I'm familiar with, they still take the time to share it with me. Or they say, man, I was just thinking about your daddy, or man, I was just talking about your daddy. Or man, your daddy just came to my man, man, or man, your daddy was in my dream. Man. Man, your father was so proud of you when this happened. Man, when you went to school and we were sitting there, and I remember we was watching you play Notre Dame and your daddy was so your daddy was so excited to go to that game. And I remember that like Red, I'm talking about friendship, bro, that goes beyond this realm. Bro. It's not a destination, Bro, it's a journey. It ain't like my daddy died and then people stopped being his friends. No, like my daddy's really like I have friends that still s gives my daddy's friends send gifts to my children. You feel me like like bruh, I'm talking about real life and shit, consistency, follow through like I have contingencies, and I have and I have agreements man with my friends. Right, something happened to my children, Like, Bro, I need you to I need you to like I need you to come see by my babies. Bro, I need you to come see by my babies. Something happened to me and I ain't here, Joe towsand you hear me, Bro, if something happened to me and I'm not here, man, I come see by my babies. Bro, come see by my babies. Don't just don't do me like, don't do me like like like have people do in twenty twenty five with this frog shit. Come see by my babies, man, come see by my business. Make sure my kids is straight. And if something happened to you. Bro, I'm there. I'm there. If something happened to you, Bro, ain't nothing gonna happen to your kids that don't happen to me? First, I'm there, Uncle Calus there, and I'm talking about for real authentic relationships, man, for real authentic friendships, Bro Supreme said, he said, Man, you got me tearing up my daddy friends like that and he's still alive. Bro, I'm trying to tell you I'm talking about friendship. Bro. That just it surpassed to supersedes everything. Bro. You know what I'm saying, Like I got that my daddy has friends, brother, that was so much friends. They will see me in the street there wrong. They will correct me, Bro, because of who my daddy was. You feel me, They would correct me and point me at should I be trying to do in the street I wasn't allowed to do because of my daddy's friends. Sometimes you understand the weed, man, my daddy homeboy, ain't finna sell me no weed. Nigga, ain't you in college? Get your ass out of here, for I beat your ass, Like you know, I got that kind of love. You are all American? Bro? What is you what? Bro? You're getting recruited by man. What nah? Man, Bro, I'm trying to tell you like friendship and this is just all step five. I didn't anticipate step five making me feel this way. But practice consistency and follow through. Man, Friendships they ain't built overnight. It's ongoing effort, regular check ins, birthdays, significant dates in life. You know what I'm saying. Be the friend who sends a quick text. Man, what's happening with you? You all right? Everything's smooth? Holl at me. That's it all it takes. I know, everybody, get busy, man, we all got lives. Everybody going to million miles an hour. Bro, get it. Take a few minutes to check in with your friends. I'm talking about your friends. I ain't talking about everybody. I'm talking about your friends. And that's it, man. Those are my five steps man. Number one, Prioritize intentional presence. You got a ditch the distractions when you're with your homies. Don't be over and you know what I'm like, man, Bro, Just ditch the distractions. Foster open and honest communication, you know what I mean, Hold each other accountable, open and honest communication, Cultivate empathy and support you gotta be there for your friends, man, when it's time to be there, and they got to be there for you when it's time to be there. Engage and shared experiences, man, y'all gotta do stuff. Create memories together, you feel me, create memories. Y'all should be laughing. Y'all should be laughing. And also practice consistency and follow through, man. You know what I mean. Reliability, seements, trust and longevity. Man. Yes, indeed in twenty twenty five, and I know it's super hard for us to have authentic relationships, but it is very much still possible, very much still possible, man. But so lout to y'all. Thank y'all so much for taking time to tuneing in. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't announce this, but y'all be sure to go over to the Truth Shop www. Dot the truth Shop dot com. You can go shop all of the merchandises over there as well as we do have the Simple Truth Minute Manual audiobook. It is up and available over there now, so you can go over there and get that audiobook. It's it's been remastered, It has been remastered and it's up so it's new. It's a new experience. So people, you know, some people say, man, I already got the audiobook. That's cool. I understand it, but it is different. It is remastered, man, and they's got a little razzle dazzle on it. But go get the audiobook www dot the Truth Shop dot com. Also, the printed version of the of the Planner is available, so you can go get the printed version of the printed version of the Simple Truth Minute Manual Organizer. It is available over there, but just go over and check out the shop Www dot the Truth Shop dot com. Salute to everybody. Man, y'all been keeping us busy. Man, y'all been keeping us busy, busy, busy, busy busy. But go check it out. Man Salute Jared Levin Green. Now y'all in here chopping up my father, he says, My pops Homie will tell me and Bro to stop cussing old school cats. Yep, yep uh thriving glow with Joe says, let us know when the shirt you're talking about, the Black Coffee Club shirt, I got you. It's a couple of shirts already over there, but you're talking about the you're talking about the coffee the Black Coffee Club show because you got the mug already. Saluit to everybody that bought that mug. Man, thank y'all so much. Joe Town's a big Joe towns. And my brother said, my dad is retired, but every time I see his clients, they always ask me how dad is doing and how much of a great man he is. Makes me realize I got more work to do. You feel me, bro, But it's a but it's a it's a it's a journey, bro. It ain't a destination. That's the beauty of it. But salute to y'all. Thank y'all so much for take time tuning and really truly genualely appreciate y'all. I gotta go get my kids. Man, this is Junior the Truth signing off. I'm giving you a daily reminder, man, all, salute to everybody that shows love to the Black Gentleman Grooming Company. You know what else I do? So to everybody that shows love to a Black Gentleman grooming company. We do have a line of all natural, handcrafted grooming products specifically with you in mind, so be sure to come check us out www dot the Black gint dot com. That's www dot the Black gint dot com. This is Junior, the true signing off man, giving your daily reminder of you your life like a pair of dice until your life looks like a pair of dice. Man. I'm a how born player made if you don't know anything else about me. At the end of the day, I gotta keep pushing baby. We are of the best grooming cutters for you. For you that sung that you're handcraft. We want to help you swag swag a stock class and luxury luxury. There you got product sells made for you with hot quality. Yet to get a start with. 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