I'm Just Saying ... This is Gonna be a Great Year!

This past weekend I had the privilege of being a guest panel speaker on a NY local cable talk show called "I'm Just Saying" hosted by an extraordinary woman, Cathleen Williams. We met via Facebook (cuz you guys know that's where I do a lot of my "agressive networking"), and when she invited me to her show informing me that the topic was going to be "Who's Educating Black Boys in America?" there was no way I could be any place else! We learned some very disturbing facts about how many young black men are not graduating from high school & discussed what we can do "as a village" to get our young men back on track!



Let me just say that I got so much out of this trip that "thank you" doesn't scratch the surface of the joy I have in my heart. I met & networked with a wonderful group of brothers and sisters all committed to empowering our people in general, and our children - specifically - our young men in particular. I met fathers of daughters & mothers of sons, and all of us shared valid concerns for their futures. One brother, Dr. Naquaan Muhammad (seated directly in front of me) said, "I have daughters, & I have to make sure that the men I have to someday hand them over to, can do a better job of taking care of them than I did!"

Between the brothers & sisters in the audience and those of us who were on the stage (we did 3 tapings) we created quite a buzz amongst ourselves. However, I left there with a little something extra. The entire experience lit a fire in my heart and under my bottom! Have you ever been around a group of people who just made you take a look at yourself and say, "DAMN! I gotta step my game up!" Well, that was what was going on in my head the whole time.

Don't get it twisted, I held my own, and there was nothing but love and mutual respect throughout the place - but when you have that kind of internal dialogue; when you're surrounded by people who motivate you to raise your personal standards of excellence, those are the people you need to get around and stay around! Sometimes we get so comfortable and complacent with our little group of friends that we fail to see the box we're locking ourselves into. However, this past weekend I walked into a studio full of strangers; met a lot of new friends, and walked out with an extended family of brothers and sisters.

I'm starting the year off wonderfully. This is going to be a break out year for HRJR Enterprises. Books are selling, and the "Make It Happen!" CD is starting to take off. We're looking to both conduct and participate in a few tele-seminars and perhaps even a live one or two! Peronsally, I have a trip planned to meet world- reknowned success coach, Jack Canfield in Boston in the spring, and another "promo" trip to Los Angeles is in the works for the fall.

I'm Just Saying ... this is gonna' be a great year!