Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mel Alston. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Mel , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I returned to my hometown in 2009 from living in New York for a few years and I was looking for work. I had no particular interest in any field, nor did I have a concrete plan of what I wanted to do. I ended up working contractually for D.C. Public schools at both alternative high school and middle school. I was serving young people who come from impoverished backgrounds, most if not all are in survivor mode with the odds stack against them every morning they leave their house and make it back home.
After a couple of years, I left and joined an agency in MD in 2011, where we service 100% of young people who come in contact with the judicial system. The repetitiveness and the way I was able and still able to reach them and connect with them as individuals helped me discovery that I was naturally gifted in this field. Being able to do that on a consistent basis and seeing the impact, I found and saw purpose.
I saw the effects of showing up in this space – authentically, and the positive effects and impact it can have on a young person’s life. When you find your purpose, life constantly affirms it and never lets you stray too far from it. I can’t think of a better purpose to aspire to inspire the younger generations, and to help them navigate and circumvent life lessons and pitfalls you have already learned.
In a few short years, I envisioned myself still doing the same thing but with ownership. I knew over time how it would look, the bigger picture. However, I had to see the small pieces of the picture that led to the bigger picture. Through the years, I have been adding all the pieces to the bigger picture, from micro vision to macro vision, carefully trying to not leave any important details out.
Thirteen (13) years later, I still see the picture clearly, more vividly and I am laying the ground work to achieve the final result. So through every obstacle, every setback, and all the pain and down times, I’m just more reflective in finding the pain and purpose in the lesson. Once I find it, I go back to the script, revise and adjust my goals, revise the script where it’s needed, and reposition myself better than I was before.
When you find your purpose, you have to create a vision that makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning. You gotta get up and go get IT ! Adding a brick a day to your foundation. Elevate your game while patient perseverance maintains until your hard work and opportunity intersects.
“Spoke some things in to the universe and they appeared.
I won’t say it’s worth it, I won’t say it’s fair.
Find your purpose or you wastin’ air….
Eyes opened, I can see it clear.” ~ Nipsey Hussle
“Find your purpose, pursue it relentlessly, passionately, and loudly.” ~ Angela Bassett
“Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses.
Focus on your character, not your reputation.
Focus on your blessings, not your misfortunes.”
― Roy T. Bennett
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am the founder and owner of REBEL. REBEL stands for Relinquishing Erratic Behavior Enhancing Life. One of the prongs in our eco-system is the Cosmicality. Brand, which is our food service branch. It is the one of many that will come from the REBEL system. A system built exclusively for our young people who come from backgrounds of impoverishment and underserved communities. REBEL aims to prevent, reduce and combat juvenile recidivism. REBEL will help youth achieve their goals and aspirations through resources, advocating, opportunities, and mentorship. Our mission is to have a nationwide impact, become a standard model in removing the negative stigmas of traditional residential settings by redefining its very meaning through forward-looking strategies and practices. Our vision is that every youth will become substantive, contributing members in their community. With our mission we aim to be a difference maker to promote and create other avenues and views of possibilities for our youth. Reach one youth successfully and it has the ability to impact a whole generation and generations to come. I can’t have an idea planted in my mind and reaffirmed in the most meaningful of times, and willfully choose to NOT act on it.
Cosmicality. features an all-encompassing American Soul Food. We are a Safe-Serv compliant company that uses high quality ingredients and maintains proper food handling safety practices. Cosmicality. is currently going through a rebrand and we are having a soft launch later this year. Please stay tuned for more information through our social media channels.
I still actively remain in my professional field, and recently to a promotion that is not only advantageous to my career but also teaches me more in depth about my profession. I get more insight to the business function and how it all ties together. That knowledge adds to my arsenal of making REBEL successful. It’s a full circle moment in my career and another step in my entrepreneurial growth.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Resilience. Perseverance. Consistency. Dedication. Just keeping the four qualities in tune with your goals and dreams. You look at hard times and defeats through different lenses of growth and applying it. You have to know that there is going to be hard times. You are going to have moments were life is “life-ing” and it’s about how you go through it and how you come out on the other side of it. Each phase of REBEL from the beginning and even now, it hasn’t been an easy and smooth ride. Learning the lessons through everything. You have to believe that the end result, accomplishing those goals, will all be worth it !
Being a Student. These laws have helped me to keep going and push through those adversities. It’s a mindset that you have to have in order to become a successful entrepreneur. You must learn the lessons of those interruptions and disruptive situations. If at all possible, do not let it stifle your creative process. You should catch the new rhythm, and operate from that space as best you can until you can change the chord, or frequency. I am a firm believer in, “All things in life, conspire for your greater good,” and “Believe, Do not doubt.” (I actually have that tattooed on me as a daily reminder.) You have to also continuing learning and mastering your field. Keep reading. Keep researching. Keep up with your industry with a forward vision and be innovative. Always keep learning. I just learned in depth last year, The Four Quadrant Matrix for time management. It helps prioritize and properly balance work and life. I urge everyone reading, to look it up and apply it to your life.
Work-life Balance. It also makes you prioritize SELF-CARE. Lack of self-care in balancing work and life will have you stressed, burned out, and can cause physical, emotional, and spiritual damage. It’s still a lesson where I’m bumping my head a few times.
You must prioritize time for yourself to just re-group, or just to sit still and be. A scheduled lazy day, a day at the spa, a day at the gym, a day doing your favorite activities, going out to eat, going to listen to music and dance, whatever activity helps you decompress and re-group, you should prioritize it. Make time for it, and do it. No excuses !
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
I may have to cheat here and give two books, lol. Though they are separate, together they are invaluable. For the better part of 8-9 years during the first 3 months of each year, I read The Alchemist & The Four Agreements. Both are like a reset from the previous year to the New Year entering with a clear mind and focused energy to accomplish the year’s goals that I set.
The Alchemist is authored by Paulo Coelho. It is about a young shepherd who has these recurring dreams and sets out looking for treasure in his dream and encounters a magical man who tells him to pursue his Personal Legend. As he sets out, he encounters different risks, different lessons, and different rewards on his journey. Through the ups and downs, one thing stands true, “All things conspire for your greater good.”
This is one of the mantras that I live by, and when I’m in those doubting moments or when I’m trying to find the lesson in the pain or setback, I remind myself of that. When I look back over the years, I always have a small grin because the mantra has been proving untrue yet.
I highly recommend this book to your readers. I always recommend this book among friends, family and colleagues.
The other book that I read in tandem with The Alchemist, is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. The four agreements are a part of my personal life laws or code. Learning them, fully understanding them, and applying them to your life will change your view points on things forever. It’s like once you see it, you can never look at things the same way again.
The Four Agreements are: Be Impeccable with your Word; Don’t take Anything Personally; Don’t Make Assumptions; and Always do your Best.
Don Miguel Ruiz, bases these agreements through ancient Toltec wisdom, and brilliantly explains in detail the true meaning of each agreement. I hope that just saying the four agreements peaks curiosity to read the book. To explain in of them in detail, would be to give the book away. What I will say that there is a 5th Agreement that it’s in another book, by the same author, and it is a part of a series of six books, “A Toltec Wisdom Book.”
I will say to any of your readers: If you are in a moment of uncertainty, a moment of giving up, in an era of depression, in a moment of trying to understand why things in your life are happening, or in a moment of trying to gain clarity on how you feel or express how you feel. I challenge you to read both of these books. I’m willing to my paycheck that it will make a difference on how you attack life when life be life-ing. Just read it, sit with your thoughts, and apply the lessons in your life. Watch what 6 months of applying these gems makes a difference.
Contact Info:
- Website: Launching 2024
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_cosmicality._/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brownboxspecial
- Youtube: Youtube Channel Launching 2024
- Other: The Cosmicality. App is launching 2024
Image Credits
Cosmicalty. Ena Rochelle Photography Imagine That Studios
