I feel this #MondayMotivation quote from motivational speaker Eric Thomas on a whole other level. I hope it gives you the strength you need to push through this week.
We love potential. We love dreaming of great possibilities in our lives. We see what could be. We even keep people in our lives because of their “potential.” But, as ET reminds us with this quote, potential is not enough. It’s nice, but it’s ultimately just hope. But life doesn’t change because you hope it does. There has to be some movement behind it. There has to be some action.
Dreaming of what could be is just the spark that lights the fire that burns bright in your life. Seeing the potential of your idea or gift is just the beginning. It takes consistent work and growth to truly see that potential through. As I recommit to my consistency theme this year, make that commitment with me. We know the potential. Time to make the moves!
If you work the typical 9-5, you are familiar with the annual employee review with a boss. The review is to speak on your wins and losses for the year and see where there is room for improvement. And, of course, the review also determines a lot of times whether you’ll see a salary increase. Then, you may have the chance to set goals and objectives you would like to achieve in the new year.
That’s how it’s laid out at my new job. Being new, I recently had a three-month review with my boss which went great. I was then told to set objectives for the upcoming year—what I would like to achieve or strive towards and how I planned to do it. I typed out my plan vigorously and sent it off to my boss for approval, ready to get to work.
As I thought about it later that day, I realized that the new year is not that far away. It’s literally right around the corner. Which means it’s almost the season for everyone to create their vision boards and setting new goals. Y’all know that I’m all for it. However, I also thought that I really need to do my own personal self-review of this year—what went well, what went bad, what I need to get better at. I need to set my own personal objectives and specific tasks to get me there.
All of this reminded me of a video from my favorite inspirational speaker, Eric Thomas. We need to not only know what we want, and work for what we want, but we also need to realize that, if we don’t get it, we have to be honest about the roles we played in that. Did you let yourself down? Did you slack off? Were you as disciplined as you could have been?
If you didn’t reach your yearly goals, you owe yourself an explanation as to why things didn’t happen and what needs to change and happen in the coming year. That’s where the personal self-review comes in. I already knew I’ve got things to work on, but when I sat down and worked through it, I had to be real. There were a few great things about this year, but there were also some goals I didn’t reach. And you know what? There was no one else that I could blame. I didn’t do the things I KNEW to do out of lack of self-discipline and fear. Not only did I need to come up with a list of goals for the new year, but I also had to come up with specific tasks AND sacrifices to get it done.
We do it for our jobs, but we owe it to ourselves to sit down and evaluate ourselves. Consider what you were able to accomplish this year, and what you didn’t. How can you do better for the coming year? What things do you need to cut out? Once you give yourself a review and set those new objectives, commit to stepping your game up and doing better!
As I’ve written before, I absolutely love the style of motivational speaker Eric Thomas. Known online more so as ET, he dishes out powerful words of wisdom and has no cut cards! His intense energy coupled with his real gems of inspiration is perfect motivation. (I encourage you to subscribe to his YouTube channel!) When I discovered he had written a book about his own journey and the lessons he learned along the way, I had to read it for myself!
The Secret To Success gives readers insight into how Eric grew up and how he was able to overcome how own mistakes and failures. Those very same mistakes and failures allowed him to grow into a speaker who has inspired millions around the world with his teachings.
As a teen, Eric moved out of his parents’ home. From the book, he no longer wanted to deal with his stepfather, deciding to go his own way. His way ultimately left him homeless and a high school dropout. As he moved from house to house for shelter, ET quickly saw that navigating this life wasn’t as easy as it appeared to be. However, his journey ultimately shaped him into the man he is today.
A major lesson that ET learned was to be around people who challenged him to be better. A close childhood friend, Bill, made him see that he could be more than a high school dropout. ET had way more to offer than that. His girlfriend (and eventual wife) DeDe also pushed him to get his GED and come with her to college. While ET was afraid to start over in a new city, DeDe told him flat out that she was not going to be in a long-distance relationship with someone who didn’t have a plan for his life. Eric quickly got himself together, got that GED, and headed to college to be with the love of his life. It was all because he had the right people in his corner that wouldn’t let him settle for mediocrity.
During his time at college, the motivational speaker helped to start a Christian ministry, Bell Tower Ministries, designed to help students academically and spiritually. It was with that ministry that he began to hone his public speaking skills and creating programs and messages that would truly impact people. He learned quickly that it took a strong work ethic to get ahead, and that you needed to take advantage of opportunities when they first pop up.
Though Eric didn’t finish college with DeDe, they did get married, and he knew that he would have to provide for her. So, while working on his ministry duties, as well as teaching a free GED program, he also got a job at Olive Garden to help pay some bills. I saw that he did what he had to do to grow and get to where he wanted to be, which was to ultimately to help inspire more people through his personal testimony. He also went back to school years later, getting his bachelor’s degree and eventually working his way up to a Ph.D.!
I’m always slow to read books with everything that I have going on. That’s why I always give myself a whole month to get through one. However, this one, I couldn’t put down; I finished it in about a week and a half! This is someone that I listen to and watch regularly, so to be able to learn how he made it this far was great.
It also reminded me that nothing worthwhile in this life comes easy or overnight. You have to be honest with yourself about the effort you’re putting in towards your goals and dreams. You can’t just kind of want it. As ET says, “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful.” Reading this book showed me why that phrase was so important to him and made me turn up the heat on my own goals.
I love watching Eric Thomas’ videos! He keeps it all the way real, giving people exactly what they need to hear. I know I needed to hear the message behind this video! So I’m passing it along as today’s Words of Wisdom video.
In the video, ET notes that, when many of us face trials and challenges, we stop and turn to run. That’s with anything—school, work, weight loss, or any other new goal or opportunity. It’s our natural inclination because we get scared or discouraged. In true ET fashion, he says that that’s the reason why we haven’t reached the level of success we want.
I saw this video this week in my saved clips on Instagram, and he was talking directly to me. With my new job, I’ve had moments of mistakes that have been discouraging. Small things, but, with my anxiety and perfectionism, it tends to feel 10 times bigger and worse. So I start questioning myself and my capabilities. I’m not quitting because I love the mission behind my company and learning from more experienced professionals (and I need the checks!). But my nerves get the best of me and I sometimes psych myself out. Have you had something like that happen before?
This video was a reminder to me to NOT BACK DOWN. Yeah, I’ll make mistakes and fail along the way, but I can’t stop. Things may not always work out like they should, but I have to keep going. That’s with any goal for any of us. We have to put it in our minds that we will not leave our opportunities and goals behind until we are successful! I’m committed to that. Are you?
Eric Thomas, also known as ET The Hip Hop Preacher, goes all over the country to inspire people with his tough but real motivational speeches! He also records YouTube videos for subscribers as well.
I’ve heard of him before, but started really getting into his videos late last year, and I LOVE them! ET has no cut cards, and it’s his honest talks that have helped to push me to another level in my own life.
This one talks about expecting to win as you make moves towards the goals you have for yourself. I truly believe that what is meant for you is for you, and your dreams and goals will come to pass. When you expect to win, you move a little different. You keep working harder even when rough times come. You’re more determined to get ahead, knowing that your day is coming!
Imperfectly B 