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The Purpose Equation: Idea + Implementation = Impact!

I get excited when I hear the wonderful ideas people dream up – especially if the idea develops into something that could impact the lives of others.  But once the conversations are over and days/weeks/years go by, I wonder why people don’t move into the next phase to implement their ideas.  Thomas Kuczmarski (Kuczmarski and Associates – http://www.kuczmarski.com), a Chicago consultant specializing in innovation, wrote a contributing article in Fortune Magazine several years ago.  He stated “Only one of every 20 or 25 ideas ever become a successful product – and of every 10 or 15 new products, only one becomes a hit.”

Those whose product becomes a “hit” mostly likely followed the “Purpose Equation”

Idea  +  Implementation  =  Impact

Idea

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word idea: any conception existing in the mind / thought or notion.

We conjure up ideas all the time…at work, at home, watching the news, reading a book, over lunch with friends, from an overnight dream, etc.  Ideas can: (1) make you money, (2) change an existing process by making work easier for you and those around you; (3) satisfy other people; or (4) create a movement.  Probably 90% of us (including myself) have dreamt lots of ideas at some point in time, but do we act on them? Do we have the courage to implement those ideas?

Implementation

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word implementation:  to carry out / execution, or practice of a plan, or method.

Out of that 90% Idealist group, few of us will embark on the journey to implement the idea by first evaluating the cost.  “The Cost” mean: (1) how much will it take to finance this concept; (2) how much allocation of time will I need to promote this concept; (3) how much will the idea consume my everyday life – will it cause me to be away from family and friends; and (4) how many people will this idea benefit?  You might even evaluate the pros and cons of your idea.  Probably a brave 8% of us will venture into this level.

Impact

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word impact: to influence; effect.

Few have reached this level because they strongly believe their idea will make money, change a process in their professional work, satisfy other people or create a movement.  At this point, you have to erased all doubts in your mind and simple embrace the “No Fear Zone Attitude.”  You have to weigh the cost and seek good counsel.  You also have to forecast the possibilities on how your idea will make an impact to your inner circle, where you live and eventually to the world!  You have studied those in the business on where you want to do well.  The more you get people to be convinced by your idea, the more passionate you become. Probably 2% of those will reach this status level.

I recently watched a local news report of a young father whose 1 year old son died of heart failure.  It was an un-expectant event and the parents had no idea why their son died.  Through their own health examination, the wife had some kind of rare heart condition that she was not aware of.  Months later, the young father heard the plight of another married couple who lost their teenage son of an apparent heart ailment while playing on a football practice field.  This led the young father to do something about this and he created an organization to help young kids get proper heart check-ups.  During the recent 2013 Final Four Collegiant Basketball Tournament in Atlanta, his organization along with a team of physician registered 350 young kids to get a ‘free’ heart examination with another 100 on the waiting list to be examined later this month!

The young father converted his sadness into success.  He is a great example of the Purpose Equation!

So in summary:

 

Are you ready to innovate   your IDEA?

Ask yourself: Is it supposed to make money? Will it make a   difference in the workplace? Will my idea satisfy other people? Will it cause   a positive movement to change my local surrounding, neighborhood, country or   world?  If you answered “yes” to one or   more of the following questions, then go to the next stage.

Have you weighed the   cost to IMPLEMENT your idea?

Ask yourself: How much would it financially cost to invest in my   idea?  Do I have enough time in my week   to spend on my idea?  Can I balance my   life where I can still spend time with family and friends? What are the true   benefits of my idea and would people buy into it?  

Are you ready to make an   IMPACT?

Ask yourself: As it relates to my idea, have I changed my   mindset to erase all levels of fear and doubt?  Am I good at selling my idea to those   who’ll benefit from it?  Am I prepared   to receive slow or instant results   of my idea?  Have I done enough to   research my target audience, spend time with wise counsel, prayer, and   prepare for IMPACT?

The Purpose Equation formula becomes evident by constantly working on your idea 90% of the time plus implementing the idea 8% of the time which will result in 100% impact!

Let’s go people and do some good!

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Succeeding Through a Time of Sorrow!

As always, my weekly goal was to write about how one could bridge their passion with purpose, but I suddenly learned of an unexpected event that forced me to express my thoughts concerning the loss of a dear friend back in Michigan.

Most people will agree with me that we can’t be certain of our longevity here on Earth.  While some individuals may experience an unplanned shorten life, others are fortunate to live a long healthy life.  To me it doesn’t feel right that the imbalance act of death is favorable for some but not for others.  It seems that we all should be given an opportunity to live a long/healthy life.

I so appreciate seeing the many Facebook comments and references about John L. – our friend, father, brother and confidant.  Its time like this when we need to comfort each other as instructed in the Bible – “All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.” (1 Corinthians 1:3-5)

A good friend of mine John L. passed away this week and tried to find solace in his passing.  I can go as far back in time when he, another schoolmate Tony R. and I were creatively talented in art class.  Mr. Woods (the Art Teacher) always complimented us on our adolescent drawings and made us feel that we were the Renaissance trio of Filippo Brunelleschi, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo (Simoni) of our times!

When most boys discover bondable friendships through sports, my friendship bond with John started through the work of art.  I don’t believe we ever attempted to single out one or another in art class; there was a sincere respect on our parts to draw comparisons and contrasts to the uniqueness of our finished art production.

We continued a friendship throughout the entire school years at Walter F. White Elementary School and later at River Rouge High School.  In all occasions, John took every advantage to perform the solo act of setting the comedic tone when it was time to have a good time.  When in high school, John went on to become more involved in sports while I focused my direction on academic pursuits.

After high school graduation, we would only see each other occasionally when I came to Detroit to spend time with my family.  It was extremely comforting to me when I learned that he desired to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  While maintaining his witty attitude, he was sincere about gravitating toward a meaningful life to know Christ and wanted to devoted more time to study the Bible.

Two years ago would mark the last time I would sit down with John along with other friends.  Oddly at that very moment now locked in my mind, he reminded me about the days of Mr. Wood’s art class.

How do I succeed through this period of sorrow?  First – knowing that God still remains on the throne and His plans are designed in mystical ways to deposit a lesson for us all.  Second – I usually find a way to honor loved ones who leave us so soon.  I believe you can always find metallic luster of precious diamond qualities lying beneath the soul of an individual.  For John, I felt he had a gift of making people feel better about themselves [especially after a good laugh]!  Prayerfully I’ll plan to share my stories of John through courses of mentorship programs, donate to charities [in honor of him] that brings joy to various children hospitals, my speaking events, future international mission trips and maybe join with other high-school alumns and create a foundation in his name.  I’m sure he’ll be please to know we’re doing something good versus nothing at all.  What about you?

Let’s go people and do some good!

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5 Reasons to S.T.A.R.T. Today!

The last five years have been turbulent for the United States.  The uncertainty of keeping or losing a job, people experiencing less wages across every work industry, and a continuous news theme of higher food prices and “pain-at-the-pump” has effected nearly everyone.  But the sign of the times are beginning to move toward better pastures.  This is the time now to gear up for a better future for you and your family!  So here are five reasons to START today!

S – Seize the Opportunity

It seems that everyone wants to develop, begin or start a personal project or new private business.  Some of my friends look to do this for the benefit to: (1) increase monetary wealth; (2) shape and empower a targeted audience; and/or (3) offer an innovative product to satisfy a group of constituents.

Here are some latest business economic trends:

1)      The number of franchise businesses in the U.S. is expected to grow this year to 757,438 from 747,359, an increase of 1.3 percent, according to the International Franchise Association’s first quarter update to its economic outlook.

2)      Trading Economic reports that Business Confidence in the United States increased from 54.20 in February 2013 from 53.10 in January of 2013.

3)      The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Small Business Optimism Index increased 1.9 point in February to 90.8.  Still far from high indices rates of 100 in 2004/5, analysis remains hopeful that we’re moving into a positive trend.

So if you are lagging to push yourself to start that business or personal project you’ve been talking about all these years, it’s time to seize the opportunity and start now!

T – Tell Your Story

To have a successful business venture, you must tell and sale yourself to anyone who will buy into your purposeful venture.  Think about this, your box of 500 business/networking cards just arrived in the mail.  If you’re really serious about moving your new business forward, there is a great chance you’ll develop numerous business relationships within that one box!  Please remember, the business card doesn’t tell your story; that’s your role.  Passing the card to the prospect only invites the opportunity to have a scheduled meeting.

A – Activate the Brain

The brain is a multi-factorial part of the body.  Divided in two parts, the right hemisphere of your brain is more creative, emotive and non-rational or intuitive.  The left hemisphere is responsible for analytical and more logical processing.  When building your business relationships, be adventurous, creative, expressive and open-minded.  Open communication and dialogue to others are essential in developing your vision into reality.  Remember, a closed mind and mouth, is a closed business!

R – Read

As it relates to hitting the books, Founder and Chairman of ActionCOACH Brad Sugar wrote a supporting piece in his featured web article – Grow Your Business By Getting Back to Basic: “Many people discount the value of seminars, books and workshops, but there’s no better way to get ideas than to learn from those who have ‘been there’ and ‘done that’ before you.”  It’s a good practice to learn and study what other successful people are doing.

T – Thankful and appreciative

As you start your venture, it’s wise to remain humble and thankful for each and every experience!  As a courtesy, send thank you notes or small gifts to those who help map the course for your business or organization.  Stay close to positive and uplifting people while you craft and invent you passion.  It’s been said “Be thankful for what you have today!  Work hard for what you want tomorrow!

So friends, get out of that “foxhole mentality” and begin to START your journey now!

Let’s go people and do some good!

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Pushing Beyond Your Limits!

Ah (sigh)!  You’ve finally reached the pinnacle of your life…a decent paying job, an affordable home to live in, the ability to plan a family vacation year-after-year, and the choice to opt for eating at a restaurant instead of cooking at home!  Yet there’s something inside you that always seem to be out of reach.  It’s that thing (or things) you really want to do.

I recently read a fascinating journey of one of our civil rights leaders, the late Hosea Williams.  Raised by his grandparents in Jim Crow south, young Hosea joined the military and fought vigorously in World War II.  While in Europe, there were many ground battles between the U.S./British-led forces and the German army.  Hosea’s 13-member combat unit tried to engage in battle with the enemy and at the end of that campaign, twelve soldiers were killed in a foxhole leaving Mr. William barley alive.  With his chest and stomach practically opened by the shrapnel of an exploded bomb, he was rescued by U.S. medical soldiers and hurriedly driven off to a nearby medical station.  Unfortunately, another mortal fire killed the driver of the ambulance that he was being transported in.  He was again picked up, sent to an army hospital, operated on, sewn up, and sent back home as an honored disabled military veteran.

Years later, Mr. Williams would tell people that he knew God had a purpose for him because he was spared twice.  Yet at the time, he didn’t know his purpose in life.

After his tour in the war, he returned to the discriminatory practices of racial segregation. The military purchased a bus fare for Mr. Williams to return home.  Before the bus was able to reach its destination – his Georgia home town of Attapulgus, it made a brief stop in Americus, Georgia to allow passengers to rest for a brief moment.  Looking for an opportunity to get a drink of water, the recuperating Mr. Williams noticed that this particular bus stop didn’t have a rest area for colored people and so he struggled to get a drink of water from a designated white-only fountain.  Little did this ribbon decorated purple-heart recipient know, a police officer saw him drinking from the white-only fountain and quickly moved toward him.  He was then beaten by the officer for not adhering to the segregated laws of Georgia.

Immediately, Mr. Williams knew his purpose in life … to fight segregation and injustices to all disenfranchised people.

Hosea Williams:

  • pushed beyond the limit to live through the oppression of Black People during the years of Jim Crow.
  • pushed beyond the limit to survive the military campaign of World War II.
  • pushed beyond the limit to beat his 13-month hospitalization in a Europe army hospital.
  • pushed beyond the limit to get a drink of water at a segregated white-only fountain.
  • pushed beyond the limit to fight for desegregation and injustices for the remaining years of his life!

Something stirred inside of Mr. Williams to push beyond his perceived limits.  Had he chose not to push himself, he could’ve easily returned to his southern home, looked for a mediocre job, married his home-town sweetheart, start a family and embraced a quiet/low-profiled life.

This ‘thing’ inside of him was forced out to do and change his world.

After successfully contributing to the civil rights movement, he founded a non-profit organization in 1971 – Hosea Williams Feed the Hungry and Homeless.  Today the Atlanta based organization, provides hot meals, clothing and other basic services for the needy on major holidays.  His committed care and love for disenfranchised people lives on through the organization, currently serving 50,000 families each year.

This week, business mogul Donald J. Trump recently tweeted this message: Passion Motivates, Passionate people don’t give up; their zeal eliminates fear.  Passion can also create business opportunities.

What about that ‘thing’ you have locked in the bowel of your soul?  Willing to carve it out and demonstrate what you want to do with it?  Think about Hosea Williams….

Let’s go people and do some good!

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An Inconvenient Passion

In 1965, a Midwest housewife and mother of five decides to leave her family behind to fulfill a desire that spurned by witnessing a horrible event on the evening news.  Five hundred miles away in the south, another housewife and mother of four also decides to leave her family to fulfill a desire by watching the same tragic event on the evening news.

Two mothers with different outcomes: one loses her life and the other living on to create a legacy.  The two of them shared an inconvenient passion – and that passion was to dismantle the barrier for people to vote in our country.

Inconvenient Passion of Viola Liuzzo (April 11, 1925 – March 25, 1965)

In early spring of 1965, Viola was 39, raising five children and married to a teamsters union business agent in Detroit, Michigan.  After watching the film clips of Selma’s Bloody Sunday (March 7, 1965), she couldn’t imagine the state troopers’ brutality of attacking young marchers!  She and the nation grew furious over the treatment of protesters who wanted to conduct a peaceful march in the South.  Feeling somewhat helpless to do something, Mrs. Liuzzo eventually decided to leave her comfortable home in Detroit, drive to the South and joined the movement.  Little did she know that her involvement could lead to harsh criticism, physical harm or death – especially brought on by the KKK and other extreme “hate” organizations in the South.  Her passion may have overridden anything at the time; yet it was an inconvenient decision to those close to her.  Tragically on March 25, 1965, her life ended by the hands of race-hatred KKK men on the lonely two-lane Highway 80 between Selma and Montgomery.

Inconvenient Passion of Coretta Scott King (April 27, 1927 – January 31, 2006)

In early spring of 1965, Coretta was 38, raising four children and was married to a newly elected Nobel peace prize laureate living in Atlanta, Georgia.  Certainly going through the strife of having her home bombed in Montgomery, receiving all types of racial threats and hate mail for more than 10 years, Coretta decided to join her husband on the march from Selma to Montgomery.  She too decided to leave her comfortable home in Atlanta to support the movement.  Little did she know that her involvement could lead to harsh criticism, physical harm or death – especially brought on by the KKK or other extreme “hate” organizations in the South.  Her passion may have overridden anything at the time; yet it was an inconvenient decision to those close to her.  She went on to support her husband and the movement.  Unfortunately, her young husband’s life ended three years later by the hand of a lone assassin.

You can image the inconvenience of their passion which was not a welcome invitation for their families.  The idea of the children not having a nurturing mother around or the notion of both women with self-ambitions ignoring their duties at home were not common in those days.

Eventually, Mrs. Viola Liuzzo’s inconvenient passion, along with other martyrs connected to the Selma movement helped turn the tide of events by allowing all citizens the right to vote.  She became one of the unsung heroes in the civil right movement.

Eventually, Mrs. Coretta Scott Kings’ inconvenient passion, along with others in the movement helped turn the tide of events by expanding civil liberties for all in the years succeeding her husband’s death.  She became a worldwide leader in her own rights – pushing our country to honor a man who fought for equal justice.

Spiritual Leader Os Hillman wrote the following in his weekly article “Living for a Cause Greater Than Yourself” – God has called each of us to live for a cause greater than ourselves – a life that is dependent on His grace and power to achieve things we never thought possible through our lives.

Do you feel that you have an inconvenient passion? Are you too concerned about how it might be unfavorable to people around you or should you move toward fulfilling your passion that can benefit multitudes of people?  The opportunity awaits you…

Let’s go people and do some good!

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9 Characteristics of Leadership Inner Qualities

A twenty five year old sales-marketing professional has everything going for him.  Matthew has earned top sales within his team, been awarded the employee of the year, and received a recent bonus to boot!  He also had been promised a job promotion within the next six month.  Before that could happen, Matthew was told by the executive team to present a new sale concept to the company’s Board of Directors.  From the executive team’s stand-point, the sales concept will increase the overall business profits and they are advising Matthew to promote the initiative.

Matthew’s inner being is starting to trouble him.  The sales concept offered by the executives fall short of his own confidence in taking the company to a higher level.  He’s challenged by wanting to share his own sales qualities versus having doubts in his own executive team’s concept.  Does Matthew have the courage to tell the executive team the concept lacks potential, or does he go along with this lackluster sale opportunity and pray the Board will buy into it?

We’ve all had this unsettling feeling in our everyday lives.  We tend to stay close to our own strong convictions of inner qualities versus other foreign qualities formed by others.  Other uneasy examples come in various forms:

  • A love-struck teenage girl has strong heart-felt feelings of a new boyfriend while everyone else thinks the ‘boyfriend’ is a jerk!
  • An elderly father who believes he can still drive while family members cringe with agony of their father’s stubbornness to give up his driving privileges.
  • A son who recently graduated from high-school and now has a desire to go to a community college while his parents want him to enroll into an Ivy League institution.

When you’re standing on one side with your own inner qualities and everyone else is firmly on the other side, it feels lonely.  Yet those inner qualities you chose in life really matters to you.

Self-Improvement Expert Author Connor R. Sullivan wrote the 2008 article “Four Traits of a Person Who Wants to Develop Inner Qualities as Well as Physical Attractiveness” says this – “A person who has developed inner qualities has the benefit of being greatly self-assured because he or she has chosen their priorities.  It is so freeing to be able to act on principle and have the knowledge that you are living according to your chosen value system.  It is called being ‘true to yourself’ and that knowledge carries over into every area of everyday life and influences every relationship a person has.”

I further challenge the idea by asking you the question: Beyond the ‘self-assuredness’ of your own inner qualities, are these qualities adding value to those around you?  Are you translating those qualities into others that should:

  • spark a form of passion and excitement in their life?
  • grow a stronger positive culture around you?
  • develop a pursuit of purity?
  • tailor your conversations to influence those around you?
  • establish an excellent work ethic at your job?
  • allow your friends/neighbors to become more involved in church?
  • build a long-lasting marriage?
  • foster a true-connection with your children?
  • make a better home for your family?

What kind of inner qualities you think are useful to God?  Christian Author Jim George in his book entitled “A Man After God’s own Heart” provides several qualities:

1)      Not given to drunkenness – Godliness and drunkenness are not compatible.

2)      Not violent (meekness) – this is the quality of keeping yourself under control

3)      Not quarrelsome – a Godly person will not participate in arguments.  Rather, the person’s conversation is always full of grace (Colossians 4:5)

4)      Not a lover of money – a Godly person is not pre-occupied with amassing material possessions or becoming ‘greedy’ with money

5)      Not overbearing – we should be humbled servants at all times

6)      Not quick-tempered – we avoid having a ‘short-fuse’ attitude

7)      Not pursing dishonest gain – a Godly person is careful not to get involved in anything that might appear to be dishonest or illegal

8)      Just – we are to do right and fair; a person of integrity

9)      Loving what is good – a Godly person has a passion for what is good and wholesome, whether in the books and magazine one reads, the movies and TV shows one watches, or the friendships and hobbies one cultivates

When evaluating my inner qualities, I find a comfortable downtime of space toward the last week of every December.  Normally I reflect on what has transpired over the year and ask God to show me ways to improve as I prepare for the new year.

The evaluation of your inner qualities may happen more often than mine.  Whatever the case, it’s always helpful to examine your inner qualities.  This examination process will allow you to become more passionate and purposeful to the things God has in store for you.

Let’s go people and do some good!

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Embracing Your Life Purpose

Be honest with yourself…no one is watching while you read this.  Do you find it challenging to cultivate your life’s purpose?  Did you doubt yourself the moment you discovered your newly found purpose?  Do you get frustrated when everyone around you is acting out on their life’s purpose and you’re still making attempts to fine-tune yours?

No worries…your purpose in life is already here or just on the horizon; just learn to embrace it!

As a business strategist/therapist, I gleefully hear the enthusiasm of an individual’s new business concept and shortly within the same conversation; they become unenthused when their ideas are faced with perceived obstacles.  Most often, people will point to the main obstacle – that is of course “money.”  But the real obstacle could be the person with the purposeful idea!

Imagine yourself driving pass a large cemetery and viewing the beautiful manicured gravesites, properly spaced tombstones adorned with vibrant flowers and statuette mausoleums.  I’m sure the many buried folks out there had a purpose to produce wonderful inventions or could’ve made a difference in the lives of many.  Problem is most took their unspent purposed driven ideas with them!  You on-the-other-hand have the ability to start today!

Everyday, new business ideas or concepts are meant to produce a response from others (another name for others is ‘consumers’).  Infomercials are prime examples of promoting new ideas.  As weird as those products may look on TV, people will buy into that idea!  From exercise workout videos, to kitchen equipment, and/or faux jewelry, it’s all about trying to make people feel good or satisfied.

While profitable institutions attempt to pitch their idea [product] to anyone who’ll listen, goodwill organizations will pitch their idea [purpose] to build a movement.  The strategy is simple, embrace what you believe in, know what you’re destined to do [your purpose] and put it out there.  You may not have the courage to broadcast your purpose in life to the whole wide-world, but it may be enough to impact your environment or community.

In the best seller book, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, he writes “God has given you a Life Message to share.  Your Life Message includes sharing your Godly passions.  It maybe a passion about a problem, a purpose, a principle, or a group of people.”

Think about the positive impact you’ll deliver to the hundreds, thousands, or millions if you take the risk to embrace your purpose and share it.  Now think about that sizable impact on others if you decide not to embrace your purpose….any questions?

Are you now ready to Embrace your Purpose?  Wonderful! Let’s go people and do some good!

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21st Century Brutal Whipping – Where are we?

As we proudly honor the fine achievements in the African-American community and currently celebrate Black History Month, I can’t help but wonder if our attention is too focused on the ‘greatness’ of the people, rather than helping the plight of other people?  I wonder about the people who came before us and fought hard for civil liberties and equality.  Like many of you, I’ve watched the BET Honors last week as well as the historic Presidential inauguration last month. I’ve also read many of your “Scandal” TV commentaries on Facebook – a praising chatter about the most celebrated prime-time show featuring an African-American woman who is the central/leading character of the drama series.

The question poised in the last paragraph can be related to the very first question by God to Man written in the Book of Genesis. “God called to the Man: ‘Where are you?” (Msg. 3:9).  This week, mainstream media showcased a disturbing YouTube video that was watched by some forty-thousand viewers showing a young Newark, NJ African-American teen being forced to stripped naked by several ‘thugs’ then mercifully being whipped for nearly one minute – all because of $20 (If you care to watch it, go to www.liveleak.com and type in their search engine “Newark Teen” – it is for mature audience only).  Call it flogging, whipping, or whatever – the senseless act sheds light on where we are.  We seem to overcast these stories and say how sad, yet little is done.  We sadly watched an innocent young girl’s funeral in Chicago last week – shot down in the cross-fires of a gang shooting – yet little is done.  We watched in horror last year of a surveillance video (of nine full minutes) showing a 9-year old child brutally beating two infants in a day care center in Mississippi; only steps away a day care provider has her back to the problem, yet little is done.

Where are we…?

One of the greatest abolitionist in U.S. History – Frederick Douglass, wrote in his 1845 autobiography book (Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave) witnessed a whipping from a slave master to his aunt.

[. . . ]
Aunt Hester went out one night,—where or for what I do not know,—and happened to be absent when my master desired her presence. He had ordered her not to go out evenings, and warned her that she must never let him catch her in company with a young man, who was paying attention to her belonging to Colonel Lloyd. The young man’s name was Ned Roberts, generally called Lloyd’s Ned. Why master was so careful of her, may be safely left to conjecture. She was a woman of noble form, and of graceful proportions, having very few equals, and fewer superiors, in personal appearance, among the colored or white women of our neighborhood.

Aunt Hester had not only disobeyed his orders in going out, but had been found in company with Lloyd’s Ned; which circumstance, I found, from what he said while whipping her, was the chief offence. Had he been a man of pure morals himself, he might have been thought interested in protecting the innocence of my aunt; but those who knew him will not suspect him of any such virtue. Before he commenced whipping Aunt Hester, he took her into the kitchen, and stripped her from neck to waist, leaving her neck, shoulders, and back, entirely naked. He then told her to cross her hands, calling her at the same time a d——d b—-h. After crossing her hands, he tied them with a strong rope, and led her to a stool under a large hook in the joist, put in for the purpose. He made her get upon the stool, and tied her hands to the hook. She now stood fair for his infernal purpose. Her arms were stretched up at their full length, so that she stood upon the ends of her toes. He then said to her, “Now, you d——d b—-h, I’ll learn you how to disobey my orders!” and after rolling up his sleeves, he commenced to lay on the heavy cowskin, and soon the warm, red blood (amid heart-rending shrieks from her, and horrid oaths from him) came dripping to the floor. I was so terrified and horror-stricken at the sight, that I hid myself in a closet, and dared not venture out till long after the bloody transaction was over. I expected it would be my turn next. It was all new to me. I had never seen anything like it before. I had always lived with my grandmother on the outskirts of the plantation, where she was put to raise the children of the younger women. I had therefore been, until now, out of the way of the bloody scenes that often occurred on the plantation. [. . . ]

Sadly some hundred and fifty years later, senseless whipping of another being is inhuman and unacceptable.  The unsettling ideal of watching this clip and listening to these thugs taunt and whip this teen (who is of the same race) makes me ill.

Where are we…?

If you ever felt discomforted by these recent stories about the future generation, please take action.  If you’re doing something already, I salute you!  There are a myriad of young-related organizations in your neighborhood.  Our children need us!  Where are we?  Our response should be: We’re here to help young man or young lady.

Lets go people and do some good!

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A New Makeover! – Winter 2013

Have you ever received a “regret” letter from a company you wanted to work for?  Have you been rejected by someone you wanted to date?  How about being turned down to qualify for a home mortgage loan?  For those of you who are at least 25 years old, I can guarantee you that most of us have had this experience in our lives.

Rejection is hard…but for a few of us, rejection can be difficult to overcome.  International Country Star Singer Taylor Swift said this about rejection and I quote “You have people come into your life shockingly and surprisingly.  You have losses that you never thought you’d experience.  You have rejection and you have to learn how to deal with that and how to get up the next day and go on with it.” end quote.

As our national economy continues to rebound from a low inventory of good jobs, millions of unemployed workers struggle to maintain a positive outlook on their career.  For 13 months, I was a bona-fide member of the national jobless club.  Though I did not feel proud about this period of my life, I enjoyed some of the club’s perks:

  • I was able to opt out of the all-inclusive morning and evening city rush hours
  • It allowed me to enjoy the pleasures of cooking at home – which was therapeutic to me
  • I could truly enjoy my mornings without feeling rushed
  • I could read books that I purchased over the years but hadn’t made time to read them
  • I experienced the balance of indoor exercising and outdoor walking

Yet still, I along with millions of other unemployed adults burned the midnight oil to search for a job that secures us the privilege to live in a descent home and provide basic needs for our families.  How do we keep our momentum going after receiving many rejection letters?  For me, I relied on a higher power to siphon a form of positive strength.  And through this strength, I discovered three steps to use and for some of you, I hope this will deactivate your jobless membership status.

The Recruitment Process – Employers are always looking for what they need from an individual who holds the right skill set of the position.  They are also relying on personal connections, social networking websites, and someone that ‘fits’ their particular corporate culture.

The Reaction Process – The way you react to a job interview is important!  I’m not talking about how you express your excitement about receiving an interview, but to handle your response in a professional way – before and after the interview process.  You should study the interviewer for the meeting.  The best way is to know the interviewer is to search the person on Linked In and collect basic information.  Say the person “like” Starbucks on his/her social network webpage.  After the meeting, you can send a ‘Thank-You’ note to the interview and enclose a Starbucks gift card in the attempt to secure a second interview.

The Re-entry or Re-emerge Process – Once you’ve been offered the position, you feel excited and ready to go.  But you’ve been weathered, emotionally bruised for a period of time – depending on the gap of time you’ve been unemployed.  Imagine yourself on the first day of the job and you introduce yourself to the new team.  Everybody will want to know what you’ve done before coming to the job.  Whether you may or may not know it, some of us will continue to wear this woe-is-me on our face and use it like a weekly church sermon.  Get rid of it!  It’s a chapter now closed – look ahead!

I believe this three stage process will give you the confidence for a new makeover!