My Name is Cheiks Akeung.

Life is shit if you let; breathtaking if you allow. Nothing creates you but your beliefs. Nobody will move you but yourself. I love loving. It makes me write.

[cheiks]

How could I call a problem a bad thing???

Real quick.

When I face difficulty, I either take steps towards a possible solution, or I run away. [Usually]

Running away is fine. Nothing really changes in my life. I don't win or lose the battle; I remain safe by removing myself from the issue. Totes fine.

Moving towards a solution is a little different. It's empowering. I amp myself up before I dive in. I give myself emotional strength and determination with great pep talks, and grounding meditation. Then I go for it. The more love I put into the process, the more fun I have. The more relaxed I allow myself to be. Most of the time, the "hard work" isn't hard at all. It's joyous.

I often give my muscles a little flex during and after my battles. I catch myself in the mirror, and I say "Boyyyyyy!! You's a bad-ass bitch!" I feel more beautiful when I rise to the occasion. My lips appear more rosey. My smile is brighter. My hips sway a little. My feet feel more sure of themselves. For a little while, I feel myself being the person I've always wanted to be.

Every problem gives me an opportunity to fall in love with myself all over again. How could I call that a bad thing?

[cheiks]

Unbox me.

I'm not a biracial lesbian feminist DJ.

I am Cheiks Jordine Akeung.

There has never been, and never will be another like me. I measure myself in units beyond say, like Beyoncé. That's to say, there's no one, and no thing that should or could be used in comparison.

Stop categorizing me. I am what interests me, but the definition(s) of what interests me do(es) not define Cheiks.

We are so much more than a list of interests.

Unbox me, B.

[cheiks]

Perseverance is bullshit.

When you train yourself to withstand really shitty circumstances, your parents and peers - most importantly your parents - applaud you. “Good job kiddo! It’ll pay off soon, don’t worry.” 

Fuck that noise fam. 

Firstly, it’s not your parents’ job to be proud of you. Thats your job, and only your job. Stop living your life based on how your parents + peers react to your decisions. Pleasing others will never please YOU. Unless that’s what you’re into..

Secondly, stop withstanding unnecessary struggles. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of experiences that build us, and help us to grow. But there are also a ton of experiences that only help us to build and reinforce bad habits. When we get really good at having bad habits, we get really good at thinking up more creative excuses as to why we aren’t making any steps towards our true goals.

This winter, I faced the most challenging financial + existential shithole of my life. I didn’t have enough income to cover my routine expenses, and I could not persuade myself to step back into the food service industry, until I found a better job. I couldn’t even get my body to walk into a restaurant, until I was on the absolute brink of homelessness after my car was repossessed.

My tolerance level was set way too high. I was pushing to withstand extremely uncomfortable circumstances for way too long before taking any real action to fix it. I lived in anxiety and fear for months before it grew to a state of terrifying PANIC AND DESPAIR!! That’s what it took for me to eat my pride and go find a job as a bartender. I actually really love the environment and the people at this particular bar.. So I’ve faced zero losses. I fucking love it there.

My point is - How many unwanted experiences are we allowing ourselves to grit our teeth through, because we’re afraid of the solutions?? On top of that - how many of those solutions are actually really fucking fun, and not scary at all???

Perseverance is bullshit.

[cheiks]

Meditation 101: A Beginner's Guide Animation

Are you new to meditation, and interested in finding out how to start a practice? We'll walk you through the basics! Visit http://www.happify.com for guided ...

My favorite explanation of meditation so far. Let’s remove all the expectations and ideas you have about what should happen when you meditate. When you start doing that, you’re already overthinking and rambling in your mind. Just relax. Breathe. Everything begins at the breath.

∆˚Follow The Story of Cheiks

[cheiks]

Cheiii

[cheiks]

Coming around, full circle.

Fear is to be overcome by courage. Courage is easy to find, knowing that failure is a concept of fiction; a little imagination to keep the story interesting.

You cannot fail. You can only experience. Experience is directed by perspective. Perspective is created by your beliefs.

Believe that the fear you feel is as real as the failure you create.

Nothing exists without your declaration. Nothing hurts without your consent.

Your word is your power. Speak confidently.

Cheiks loves you ❤

[cheiks]

Being Homeless. I.

Not having a home of my own was one of my favorite life experiences so far. I learned so much about myself and how much power we have as the creators of our experiences.

Before I left my apartment to dive into this adventure, I had it all planned out; I was gonna sleep in my car, shower at a gym, and store all my stuff in storage for about 3 months. If all went well, I should’ve had most of my debts paid off, with enough saved up to move into a new apartment.

What I learned was that no matter how well you plan shit out, you'll only gain what you feel you deserve. You need to value yourself as a person to move forward in life. No matter how well you plan something out, you can’t achieve anything unless you really feel deserving and worthy. They call it self-confidence these days.

[cheiks]

So Far, so homeless, so good. Part II

After a month of being slightly homeless, I feel like I’m still exactly where I started. Every time I get my hands on some extra funds to pay off my debts, another debt fills its place.

I’m realizing that I’m not letting myself move forward. Every time I get an extra $10, $100, $500, I lose all self control and let something else to stick a siphon hose into my wallet. It’s almost as if I’m afraid of allowing myself to be debt free. Because then I won’t have any excuses as to why I’m not extremely successful.

There’s something about people who haven’t moved forward, and will never move forward. They always have excuses. They always have an “unavoidable circumstance.” & They always give great advice that they’ve never acted on themselves. Meaning they know exactly which steps to take to improve their lives. They just have an excuse not to.

The first step to quitting is admitting that you are very VERY capable of bullshitting yourself. The second, and last step is to stop.

If you don’t get what I mean, ask me about it.

Follow The Story of Cheiks ∆˚

[cheiks]

When the world starts spinning and spiraling, restart. All starts with a breath.

Follow The Story of Cheiks ∆˚

[cheiks]

All I needed was a little meltdown.

I just went to Florida with my wifey poo, and my bestie boo. Had an amazing time, tanned until we burned, and drove back to NYC after 3 amazing nights. Then I had this insane meltdown because I was dirt broke, had no savings, and had no idea how I was gonna pick myself up out of this rut. But likee… Why tho? It’s not like I blew all my money in Florida and woke up to negative dollars in my account, feeling regret and anxiety. I was broke in New York before we left, I went to Florida broke as hell, and came back to the city the same ol broke as fuck. I’m crazy. That’s all. I needed my girlfriend to gently caress some sense back into me and remind me of my life’s motto:

“If you have a problem that you aren’t going to fix, then don’t worry about it.. & If you have a problem that you are going to fix, then don’t fucking worry about it.”

Shout out to my girlfriend for being level-headed and rational. Thank you baby!!

It takes a certain kind of woman to look at you like you’re an idiot while catering 100% to your emotional ass needs. I love her, and I can’t not. It would feel stupid.

[cheiks]

Cheiks’ Guide to Survival Part III

Cuddle. Cuddle a lot. I cuddle whenever there is room for cuddling. It reminds me that somebody loves the fuck out of me and the heat I give off. Somebody loves to breathe in that spot in the middle of my back. And I love that spot in the middle of her back. I love feeling loved while giving that love right back.

I think you’ll like it too.

[cheiks]

Cheiks’ Guide to Survival Part II

Meditate. Just sit, be quiet, and let your mind be quiet too. When your eyes open, the world will be bright and beautiful. Your muscles will be relaxed. You’ll feel energetic. You’ll feel kind of invincible. Nothing will be able to ruin your day. Not even being homeless.

[cheiks]

Cheiks’ Guide to Survival Part I

Smile. People wanna be around other people who smile.  Smiling is good. Smiling makes your heart happy. Smiling makes you want to smile more. Which might mean.. you’re happy. Allow yourself the luxury.

[cheiks]

All I needed was a little meltdown.

I just went to Florida with my wifey poo, and my bestie boo. Had an amazing time, tanned until we burned, and drove back to NYC after 3 amazing nights. Then I had this insane meltdown because I was dirt broke, had no savings, and had no idea how I was gonna pick myself up out of this rut. But likee... Why tho? It’s not like I blew all my money in Florida and woke up to negative dollars in my account, feeling regret and anxiety. I was broke in New York before we left, I went to Florida broke as hell, and came back to the city the same ol broke as fuck. I’m crazy. That’s all. I needed my girlfriend to gently caress some sense back into me and remind me of my life’s motto:

“If you have a problem that you aren’t going to fix, then don’t worry about it.. & If you have a problem that you are going to fix, then don’t fucking worry about it.”

Shout out to my girlfriend for being level-headed and rational. Thank you baby!!

It takes a certain kind of woman to look at you like you’re an idiot while catering 100% to your dramatic needs. I love her, and I can’t not. It would feel stupid.

[cheiks]

If you’re struggling, you deserve to make self-care a priority. Whether that means lying in bed all day, eating comfort food, crying, sleeping, rescheduling plans, finding an escape through a good book, watching your favorite tv show, or doing nothing at all — give yourself permission to put your healing first. Quiet the voice telling you to do more and be more, and today, whatever you do, let it be enough. Feel your feelings, breathe, and be gentle with yourself. Acknowledge that you’re doing the best you can to cope and survive. And trust that during this time of struggle, it’s enough.” ― Daniell Koepke

[cheiks]

When the world starts spinning and spiraling, restart. All starts with a breath.

Follow The Story of Cheiks ∆˚

[cheiks]

Man up eh?

“Life has no victims. There are no victims in this life.”

No one has the right to point fingers at his/her past and blame it for what he/she is today. We do not have the right to point our finger at someone else and blame that person for how we treat others, today.

Don’t hide in the corner, pointing fingers at your past. Don’t sit under the table, talking about someone who has hurt you. Instead, stand up and face your past! Face your fears! Face your pain! And stomach it all! You may have to do so kicking and screaming and throwing fits and crying- but by all means- face it!

This life makes no room for cowards.”

                   — C. JoyBell C.

Follow The Story of Cheiks ∆˚

[cheiks]

Be kind to yourself. Nurture yourself.

Follow The Story of Cheiks ∆˚