“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”
–Albert Einstein
Favorite Brunch Spots
- Farmers & Distillers
- Blue Duck Tavern
- Le Diplomate
Favorite Dinner Spots
- The Dabney
- Kinship
- Kith & Kin
- Pineapples & Pearls
- Tiger Fork
Favorite for Group Dinner & Drinks
- Brooklyn On U
- The Park at 14th
- La Vie
- Estadio
- Ris
- Claudia’s
- Barcelona Wine Bar
- Ocean Prime
- Kingbird
Books Read, 2018
- The Power of a Praying Husband by Stormie Omartian
- The Senator and the Socialite by Lawrence Otis Graham
- Our Kind of People by Lawrence Otis Graham
- We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- The Dip by Seth Godin
- Love & Respect by Emerson Eggerichs
Lessons Learned
18 Things I learned from 34 years on earth.
- Never argue and raise your voice outside of a courtroom. It doesn’t accomplish anything.
- Don’t force things. Blessings don’t flow and move in our lives in that way. God’s plan is frictionless. We create the friction.
- People show us who they are. Pay attention and believe them. It’ll save you headache and heartache.
- Almsgiving is powerful and transformative for both sides. Practice Maimonides’ Eight levels of giving. It’s life-changing.
- Fasting and prayer without committing sin is how I hear God’s voice. Learn how you hear it. It’s different for everyone.
- Learn to listen to your inner voice. It will never lead you wrong.
- Humble yourself. Reveling in your own success is an insult to God. The glory belongs to him.
- Watch the company you keep. Mediocrity is contagious. Keep bad vibes and energy away from you. Always remember, energy is not created nor destroyed. It’s simply transferred.
- Business partnerships are like marriages. Don’t rush into them. “Date” first. Do small projects together. Learn about one another beyond the present. Grow into “marriage.”
- Save one-tenth of everything you make. Invest it wisely. It can, and will, change your life.
- Prioritize your health– physical and mental. Get a doctor for both.
- Traveling the world, particularly observing the lives and ambitions of our brothers and sisters in developing countries, will inspire you to be the best version of yourself.
- Celebrate the small wins.
- Three-ply toilet tissue is a simple luxury worth having.
- Education in America is a major key to a better life. It’s one of the best vehicles in the world for social mobility to transform and improve lives of current and future generations. Invest in it. For yourself, your family, and your community.
- Being able to comfortably say no to anything or anyone is true freedom.
- If you want to be successful, learn to fail and grow from it. Failure leads to success.
- You can’t eat or drink everything you used to love as a kid. Your body chemistry changes with time. It can be confusing and mindboggling. It’s a hard pill to swallow, figuratively speaking.
Life has a way of teaching us the lessons we need to learn.
The February Project
In February of 2017, Cadene and I dedicated ourselves to strictly supporting Black-owned businesses for an entire month in honor and celebration of Black History Month. We only purchased goods and services, for all of life needs, from black-owned manufacturers, distributors, retailers, or entrepreneurs. It was a tough and eye-opening endeavor, but very rewarding. I originally had the idea hit me in December 2016 and a friend recommended I read “Our Black Year” first. I read it and did a lot of research. I took 30 days to prepare for the endeavor (January 2017) and we took the journey in February 2017. I have some solid lessons learned (philosophical and tactical) and I want to expand on the endeavor by going again in February 2018 for Year 2.
Additionally, On February 9, 2017, Jameel Scott and I pulled together 18 Black men and women to open bank accounts at black-owned Industrial Bank. In total, we moved over $100,000 to Industrial Bank in new accounts. We had a chance to meet with the CEO of Industrial Bank, Doyle Mitchell, for a little over an hour to discuss the history of the bank and ways that we can help them moving forward.
This year, I would like to invite friends, colleagues, and family to join us. To make an informal pledge to proudly support businesses owned by Black Americans in honor and celebration of Black History Month (February 2018). It’s my hope that this will be a fulfilling economic and spiritual journey for many.
Ujamaa is a Swahili word and Kwanzaa principle that means “familyhood” and “cooperative economics”. The principle is taught on the fourth day of the Kwanzaa celebration and the idea is to openly discuss and reinforce ways to support businesses by Black Americans– which are often times marginalized and undercapitalized.
I’m putting together a simple online listing of Black-owned businesses in the DC metro area at mitchbrooks.com/february. You can add new listings to it as well. I ask that you confirm 100% that a business is black-owned before adding them.
-Mitch
Best Restaurants for Group Birthday Dinner
Mitch’s Top Recommendations for Group Birthday Dinner in DC
- The Line Hotel
- La Vie
- Kingbird
- Park14
- Acadiana
- Nobu
- Farmers, Fishers, & Bakers