Follow Your Dreams

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

-Harriet Tubman

Greetings family. There has been a lot going on since the last time I posted, however, today’s post isn’t about filling you in with updates. Today’s post is specifically centered on informing you about a wonderful opportunity I had. On 6/12/12 I had the opportunity to speak to a group of youth and young adults about “Following Your Dreams.” I was asked by City of Miami Commissioner Barbara Jordan to be a guest speaker. When I’m not teaching, giving legal aide or any of the million and one other things that I do, I really enjoy speaking to young people. This opportunity was both an honor and a pleasure. So I’ve included a redacted version of my speech. It was 30 mins long and I thought it would be much better if I shaved it down for you. You’re welcome. Enjoy.

Step 1 of this plan is to Believe in Yourself.

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

-Mary Williamson “A Return to Love”

Every great feat in life starts out with a dream. A dream that you can dunk a basketball by jumping from the free throw line. A dream that one day we’ll put a man on the moon. A dream that one day we’ll have an African-American president. The dream serves as the vision, the starting point, the catalyst to get what we want. It’s the gas the engine needs to work. It’s the steam, the locomotive needs to move. It’s the sunlight and water plants need to grow.

You can’t rely on other people to improve your self-esteem. It’s impossible. It’s called self-esteem; esteem of one’s self. The only person in control of it is you, so if you don’t believe in you, no one else will.

Step 2: Make a Plan

The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.-Ben Stein

How many of us have ever been on a road trip? When you went on this trip where did you go? How did you get there? What did you do before you left? Before you hit the road you had to first decide where you were going and how you would get there. You had to figure out your final destination and the best route to get you there. With everything in life we must have a plan. If we fail to plan, then we plan to fail. In order to follow your dreams there must be a plan.

Step 3 is to Just Do It!

Just Do It!-Nike

The iconic phrase “Just Do It” is captivating for a number of reasons. First of all, the athletes who’ve stood behind this logo, Michael Jordan, Lebron James and Tiger Woods, just to name a few, are some of the best in the world. Look past the iconic sports heroes and the multi-million dollar ad campaigns and you’ll see more. You’ll see a decree; a declaration to just do it. This slogan tells us that if the athletes in the commercial can do it so can we. They didn’t do it with fancy equipment, technology, or magic. They did it by working harder than anyone else and longer than anyone else, to become better than everyone else.

Don’t ever think that you’re too young to make a difference. Don’t ever think that you’re too young to effect change. It was the young, the minority, the disenfranchised that elected Barack Obama, the nation’s first black president. They said it couldn’t be done, he’s too young. They said it wouldn’t be done, he’s too black. They said it wouldn’t be done, he’s not rich enough. Mr. Obama politely responded, “Yes We Can.”  It was the youth and young adults who hit the streets, the highways and byways telling the country about a man named Barack Hussein Obama, a man who would be the Change we needed. It was the youth and young adults who helped him raise the millions of dollars that they said he couldn’t raise. It was the youth and young adults who helped make history and it will be you who he’ll count on to help make history once again in 2012.

I think that part of the reason why the youth and young adults of this nation don’t do more is because we are scared. We’re scared of being told no, scared of the uncertainty, scared of failure. It isn’t because we’re selfish or inconsiderate, it isn’t because we can’t help, it’s because we’re afraid of what awaits us on the other side. Bill Cosby once said that “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.”
          We should adopt Drake’s motto to live life to the fullest, because “You only live once that’s the motto [ ] Y.O.L.O.” Take note young people that the concept of Y.O.L.O. isn’t to go smoke, drink, and live life recklessly. It’s to go out and do something with your life that matters. We have to get up from in front of the Xbox and the PS3 and make a change. We have to take our iPods out of our ears, or at least turn the volume down, and make a change. We need to be the change we want to see in the world, because if we wait around for someone else to do it we may be waiting forever. We have to Just Do It!

Step 4: Push Through the Pain

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Before a car leaves the manufacturer it is put through rigorous tests and challenges so that it is prepared to handle the day-to-day needs of the average driver. The vehicle is tested by being put in extreme situations it’s unlikely to experience in the real world by the average driver. However, the manufacturer knows that if it can handle these extreme tests, it can handle anything.

Life is a constant test. In order to make it to the next big thing you have to pass the big thing in front of you. By no stretch of the imagination is being 16 easy, but it’s at least bearable because of the 15 years of life you experienced before you turned 16. As much as I enjoyed my experience in law school, law school sucked. Everything that I am, everything that I’ve accomplished has been born out of strife. When I think about it, my moments of greatness have come when my world was at its darkest and my light its dimmest.

Greatness lies in overcoming obstacles. Like Michael Jordan, Barack Obama, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey, I realized that were it not for those tough times, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

Step 5: Give Back

The bible says “to whom much is given, much is required.” Does anyone know what that means? It means those of us who have been blessed with much should give more than those who have been blessed with little. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are two of the richest people in the world. They’ve donated millions of dollars to education, research and charities and will donate even more when they die.

For those of us who may not be millionaires and billionaires before we die, there are other ways to give back. You can give back like Commissioner Jordan by becoming a civil servant. I’m sure Commissioner Jordan and her staff will be the first to tell you that the pay isn’t great, the benefits aren’t either, but that her reward comes from helping people. You can give back by giving of your time and your talent.

I’m so very thankful about my experiences in this community. For a community that didn’t have much to offer, it gave me everything that it had. Because of this experience I give back every chance I get. My reward is the smile on people’s faces when I’m helping feed the homeless, spending time with needy kids, or motivating young people like you to follow their dreams.

Follow Your Dreams

We’re faced with a struggling economy, bleak job prospects and turmoil all over the world. It’s easy to give up. It’s easy to sit on the sidelines, shake our heads and believe all hope is lost. However, instead of looking at this as the time to give up and retreat, we should look at this as an opportunity to stand tall, hit the winning shot and show what we’re truly made of. You can’t win the game if you never get off the bench and into the game.

Despite the grim outlook we have to hold our heads up and P.U.S.H. When everything seems to go wrong, just PUSH. When school or work gets you down, just PUSH. When your money looks funny and the bills are due, just PUSH. Young people, PUSH stands for Pray Until Something Happens. 

I know that times are hard and the rent is due but we must P.U.S.H. We have an excellent opportunity to be successful by standing on the shoulders of the giants that came before us to become trailblazers, pioneers and productive citizens in the community. What will you do with your opportunity? My hope and my prayer is that you’ll continue to P.U.S.H. and Follow Your Dreams!