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!
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