HISTORY
In January of 2008 while praying during a 40 day fast and seeking God's directions on how best to approach the significant issues that plague our young black men in this ever changing an complex society. I was led to think of the one thing that was shared with me by a mentor that I believe most profoundly affected my life. It didn't take me long because about 10 years ago I experienced what I believe was a epiphany, while redesigning our bedroom closet I found an old sheet of paper from my past. On it was written a list of short term, intermediate and long term goals, composed by me when I was fresh out of college, around 1977.
I was a new member of a community service organization called the Jaycees and we had a guest speaker who was one of the forerunner of the PMA movement (Positive Mental Attitude). I don't remember his name or very much about his speech but I do remember he made a big deal about the importance of writing down your goals and posting them on your wall or closet so that you can see them on a daily basis. Just seeing them affects your subconscious mind in a profound way and causes the written goals to become your internal motivation. I was single at the time and I remember being very moved by this revelation because no one had ever talked to me about how important it is to write the vision for your life, so I followed his directions and wrote my goals on this plain sheet of paper that he past out and I took it home and taped it to my wall. It stayed on my wall for years and after I got married and we moved to our new home I brought it with me and put it on my closet wall, as the year past it got dislodged and settle behind a shelf in the closet, and for years I didn't see it. Here's the epiphany, when I move the shelf and found that old tattered sheet of paper, I was amazed that I had accomplished every goal on the sheet except one and it was a long term goal that I am still working toward even as I write this letter. The list actually contained the correct age that I got married, the type of business that I'm in, my children, my community service commitment and more than 20 additional goals that God had allowed me to accomplish. Simple yet powerful.
So this simple yet powerful principal is what I believe has the potential to do for other young men and women what it has done for me and others in establishing a foundation to build a positive life full of purpose and value. Please join with me and help to share this profound concept with all who you feel can benefit. "Do What You Can Do." |