Pursuing Your Destiny (Part Two)

God has placed a desire within all of us to pursue an extraordinary destiny (e.g., start a business, buy a house, go back to school, invent something, run for public office, write a book, etc.) What stops us from pursuing it? Lack of resources or education? Failures and setbacks?

When I was 17, God gave me the idea to start a non-profit that would provide leadership development programming for high school students and award college scholarships. However, executing the vision proved more challenging than anticipated. While planning my first leadership conference for the students, I had difficulty finding serious donors willing to invest in a new program; I could not afford a venue to host the conference; and I had trouble recruiting high school students to attend without the benefit of an interactive website, professional marketing materials, celebrity speaker, or major publicity. As a result, the day of my first leadership retreat, I found myself alone at the small community venue without any registered students and very few contributions toward our scholarship fund other than my own earnings from my summer internship which I had donated.

God already knows that the vision He has given you is bigger than your resources, education, and experience. The process, or journey to success, is intended to equip you with the skills you will need to maintain your success once you have achieved it. Meaning, the obstacles you overcome will test your character and your commitment to the vision. They will also encourage you to expand your knowledge (e.g., learn more about business, financial management, marketing, leadership, etc.) If you persevere, you will develop an inner strength (that you never knew you had) and discover solutions that you can use to help yourself and others as you continue to grow and excel. Lastly, the process is also intended to give you a sense of humility and thankfulness to God for your blessings – which should encourage you to reach back and help others in the same way.

Therefore, instead of leaving, I stayed and resolved that I would give my presentation to the empty chairs if necessary. That’s when I witnessed a miracle right before my eyes. I saw a minivan pull up with a group of 12 students. Thus, marked my first ever “Revolution Leadership® Retreat”

Eleven (11) years later, Revolution Leadership®, Inc. is now a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization that provides educational leadership programming and awards college scholarships for high school students. We have served over 1,300 high school students nationwide and have been recognized by the Orlando Magic® NBA team, featured in Black Enterprise® Magazine, recognized by Chick-Fil-A®, featured in several televised interviews and received major corporate funding. Students that have attended our leadership programming have become business owners, financial investors, motivational speakers, published authors, and more!

So, don’t give up on your destiny – pursue it!

8 Principles to Pursuing Your Destiny (Part One)

Here are 8 essential principles to pursuing your destiny:

1.    Be Organized- When God inspires you with a vision, write it down. You can use the initial blueprint to remind you of your destiny and encourage you along the journey.

2.    Be Willing to Work/Research – Getting the idea is just the first step. Next comes praying and asking God to lead you the people to talk to in order to find the resources that you need. Be willing to research, read books, and ask questions.

3.    Be Willing to Start Small – My non-profit started off small with very little support. Celebrate small accomplishments and be proud of them! Everything that is big was once small.

4.    Be A Good Steward – Learn to manage the resources that you have – no matter how small they may seem. Don’t complain about what you don’t have. Think creatively and educate yourself. Once God sees you doing something with a little, He will open up doors for you to receive more.

5.    Be Willing to Endure Opposition – Nothing comes without a fight. Be willing to endure criticism from those closest to you. Expect for doors to be closed, for people to doubt your abilities, and for plans to fail. Just because it doesn’t work the first time – doesn’t mean it’s not destined to work at another time.

6.    Be Willing to Give Thanks - Always remember to give thanks for your successes and failures (because they help you grow). You can demonstrate your thankfulness by helping others get where you are. Don’t wait until you have “arrived” to help someone else. Make it a habit of giving back to others, even on a small scale (e.g., mentoring, charitable donations, volunteering) throughout your journey.

7.  Be Willing to Build A Team -  Involve others in your vision. Share responsibilities (make sure you follow up) and share the credit for successes. To grow, you need to be able to multiply your efforts as well as receive the input of others. 

8.    Don’t Doubt God’s Plan for Your Life - Despite how bad things look, trust the dreams God has placed in your heart and keep pursuing your destiny!

Tired of Losing? Check Your Strategy.

Strategy is the ability to leverage the resources you have been given in order to win in a given situation. I started my apparel company without having any prior experience in the retail industry. I was still able to win because I relied on God for supernatural strategy. I prayed and God gave me the brilliant idea to schedule a meeting with a former retail store owner that I had recently met at a networking event. I did not have much money at the time, but I invited her to my house for dessert and I was able to acquire her years of retail experience in an hour. I later ran into regulatory issues that required over $1 million in fees and costs to obtain a license to sell collegiate apparel. I needed a strategy. Once again, I prayed. God told me to share my dilemma with a lawyer friend of mine in New York, despite the fact that he did not have a background in retail. To my surprise, he outlined a winning strategy that worked. I have been selling officially licensed collegiate apparel for the past five years. Later, when I began contracting with an international manufacturer to expand my company, I once again relied upon advice I had learned from local retailers. Before hiring the first (5) five members of my sales team, I consulted the sage advice of one of the top salesmen in the country. Learn to ask the right questions to develop superior strategy to win in your relationships, business, education, and personal life. How do you do it? Pray and ask God to direct you to the right person that is succeeding in an area you are struggling in. Then ask them how they did it.

Leadership & Basketball: Are YOU Championship Material?

I have loved the game of basketball since I was a little girl. Why? Because it has taught me some of the most valuable lessons in leadership. Watching basketball, taught me that talent is not enough. The NBA is full of talented athletes from top schools around the nation. Yet, many of them never win a championship. Why? Because life has a way of throwing opposition our way that makes us question if we really are championship material. Once we stop believing we are championship material, our actions reflect our belief (e.g., we stop practicing) and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Michael Jordan never won an NBA championship during his first 7 years in the league. Jealous players in the All Star game refused to pass him the ball, he missed 64 games his 2nd season due to a broken foot, and lost in the finals consistently since his opponents double and triple teamed him every time he touched the ball. Yet, instead of mentally conceding that he wasn’t championship material, he continued practicing, learning, and growing. As a result, he is the greatest player in history with an unprecedented 6 NBA championships. Being presented the "Magic Maker” award during this week’s Orlando Magic game reminded me of two things: (1) why I love basketball and (2) why despite life’s obstacles, I must always believe that I am still championship material.

California -- SDSU Leadership Summit

I just returned from being the keynote speaker at the San Diego State University Leadership Summit. It was a great experience! I was able to connect with so many wonderful college and graduate students. I remember being in their position. Longing to be successful but unsure of the path. I shared with them many of the principles that allowed me to find success both professionally and personally. The most important, being choosing to maintain your values. In our society, we watch leaders rise and fall more than the cost of gasoline. Its not that they lack talent. More often, they lack the character to sustain them in their positions of success. No one is perfect...especially not me. Yet, every day, I try to remind myself of my values and ask God's help in upholding them. Values such as treating everyone with courtesy and respect, regardless of how rude they are to me. Using self control and discipline over the words I speak to myself and others. Sacrificing for those around me. And making every decision while considering the individuals that it will impact, as opposed to selfishly only considering myself. Short term success might be attained from breaking the rules. But long term success and true peace of mind, is only found in maintaining your values.