As a millennial that has earned the reputation as a highly respected thought leader, I look around the world today and I see so much potential. Many people have written millennials off. They have called us lazy, entitled and even destined us to fail. However, I choose not to believe any of it. When I look around the world today I see millennials innovating, leading and impacting the world in a profound way. I’ve been so fortunate to win numerous awards and be recognized for excellence in leadership and entrepreneurship. Excellence is a word that I have been obsessed with for years. In fact, I was so obsessed with excellence that I have published countless pieces on the subject. I believe now more than ever the world needs excellence. More importantly, the world needs you to step up and make a significant contribution to your generation.
- Discern the significance of this moment. Your perspective is always determined by the source of your information. In other words, you can subscribe to pessimism or you can choose to be an optimist. I know that the media and other influential voices in your life may be telling you how difficult things are. However, I believe this is an incredible moment of opportunity. I’ve experienced so many setbacks and failures in life and business. My business almost collapsed three times, I was labeled as being too ambitious and many people waited for me to fail. However, almost a decade later I am still standing and my business continues to thrive. I’ve been featured on numerous media outlets, written several books and experienced incredible breakthroughs. None of those things would be possible if I allowed the voices of contradiction to limit my capacity. Instead, I made a decision to discern the significance of moments in my life. That important skill has empowered me to progress, positioned me for promotion and propelled me onto platforms I never imagined possible. You need to get skilled at discerning moments of opportunity in your life and seizing them.
- You need to devote significant time to the development of your mind. Many people have asked me for the key to success. While I believe many things contribute to your success, one of the greatest keys to my success has been the development of my mind. I’m proud to be recognized around the world as a thought leader. My ideas and insights have been featured on some of the largest platforms in the world. In addition, some of the most influential leaders of our time have celebrated and championed my ideas. Honestly, I never imagined I would see my work reach people all around the world. I never imagined that those years of training my mind for success would pay me back in such a profound way. Every single day of your life must be devoted to cultivating a winning mindset. In other words, you have to be willing to confront and challenge self-limiting beliefs and perceptions. Also, you must be able to shatter limitations and barriers that stand in the way of your success. When you neglect the mind you are robbed of opportunities to grow and flourish. Your thinking shapes your success or failure.
- You need to unlock your capacity for greatness. So many people in the world today have settled for a mediocre life. They have no passion to do more or be more. However, I have discovered that most people are not really satisfied with their lives. Deep down inside they know that they were made for more. Unfortunately, they have become products of their environments and prisoners to their circumstances. You will remain comfortable until you are challenged. I’m so thankful that I was challenged because it unleashed my capacity for greatness. Failure in business helped me unleash the force of creativity and innovation. Rejection helped me realize my power and potential. Defeat helped me develop a bulletproof mindset. Everything that has tried to break me I have allowed to be a bridge to breakthrough in my life. Your true capacity will never be discovered until you are willing to collide with pressure.
- Millennials must answer the call to visionary leadership. I have so much to say about leadership. I’ve written books around the subject because the world needs leadership. We have many people occupying positions but we do not have many leaders. A title does not make a person a leader. Actions will always reveal true leadership. The world does not need more ideas. The world needs visionary leaders. Visionary leaders have the ability to see further, expand wider and contribute significantly. Leadership is not just about problem-solving. Leadership is about bringing solutions that shift the trajectory of organizations, nations, and generations. Problem solvers often focus on the short term. However, visionary leaders build strategically and generationally. I challenge you to look beyond the scope of your job or career. Answer the call to visionary leadership in your generation. Visionary leaders do not just focus on increase but they are driven by an uncommon desire to impact. Increase brings you into the realm of more. On the other hand, impact ushers you into the realm of multiplication. Visionary leaders do not just inspire. Visionary leaders imprint everything that they come into contact with. Dare to be a visionary leader!