Today I was totally inspired by the uncle of a young man I deeply admire, Mr. Brandon Coleman.  Brandon attended his uncle’s funeral in Birmingham, Alabama. I learned a great deal about Abraham Lincoln Woods, Jr. There were many people who worked with  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Dr. Woods was a key player.

Take note:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala–Friends and family are celebrating the life of the late Reverend Abraham Lincoln Woods Jr. The civil rights icon died at Princeton Baptist Friday afternoon after battling a long illness.

Most people are remembering Reverend Woods as a civil rights icon, teacher, preacher and agent for change. He left those he loved with specific instructions about his legacy. Now city leaders say his death is a call to action.

“Reverend Woods spent his whole life trying to pave the way for people like me and those and that’s why I get so upset about murders and violence. We have forgotten lessons that those taught us in the past,” said Birmingham’s Mayor Larry Langford.

“How An Ex-Felon Banked 77 Million In A Single Year!” Click here to find out how:

http://gonow.TheSecondTier.com/12mim

Just one great victory.  

It’s amazing what that can do to your life.  

And it’s amazing the kind of momentum you can build off of that.

That one great victory will be different for all people, depending on the 

area of their life in which they’re currently working on, but when they work

hard enough to achieve that one great victory - the first time they

lose 10 pounds, the first time they hit their savings goal for the year,

the first time they paid off all their credit card bills, that great first victory,

whatever it is, it tells them a lot. 

It tells them:

That they DO have what it takes.

That it IS possible.

That they CAN do it.

And it makes the rest of the journey that much more enjoyable and fulfilling,

not to mention much easier because their momentum will carry them from there.

Brian Kim

To say that I am excited is an understatement. 

When, I turned on the television last night  and heard the news about our new elected President in the U.S. I cried. Today, I received an email from an college friend, Dr. Monique Abner and she asked if I was excited…I wrote “Oh Honey, Yes!” She said  “I am SO happy. I’ve cried every time I see his face and hear his voice and think about what this represents to me and my people and my country.” We all came together…I was excited to see the pictures of the people in Japan and Kenya and all over the world smiling ! Oh Happy Day ! My mother had been completing 12 hour work days and campaigning afterwards, knocking on doors, encouraging people everywhere she went from  the Chinese restaurant to Walmart…encouraging everyone in her path to exercise their right to vote. Judge Hatchett was in S.C. last week and told us she was going door to door. Hill Harper was in Spartanburg and I missed seeing him ! Just a beautiful movement. People coming together from all walks of life. A message of Change and Hope. Wow ! Martin Luther King Jr. was assasinated in 1968…40 years ago. The children of Israel wandered in the wilderness 40 years. Now, 2008  I am privileged to be in the midst of such a high vibration ! I am called to walk taller, dream bigger, achieve great results through the storms. I will reach my goals  and so will you !

I read Anya Perret’s article in my college alma mater today and felt the joy the students felt. I have copied it below:

Hundreds of students take to streets of Hanover after midnight in celebration

Two-hundred and thirty-two years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, 145 years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, 40 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., eight years after conservative George W. Bush was named president and nearly two years after a relatively unknown, decidedly liberal senator from Illinois announced his bid for the presidency, Barack Obama was elected as the nation’s first black president in a sweeping victory. Around 11 p.m. Tuesday night, major TV networks called the election shortly after polls closed on the West Coast, and Obama’s predicted wins in California, Oregon and Washington pushed his electoral college total to 291. His opponent, Republican Senator John McCain, conceded within 15 minutes.

“This victory alone is not the change we seek, it is only the chance for us to make that change, and that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were,” Obama said in a speech to tens of thousands of supporters in Chicago’s Grant Park Tuesday night. “It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice”

By early Wednesday morning Obama had secured 338 electoral votes and 52 percent of the popular vote, a resounding victory over McCain’s 163 electoral votes and 47 percent of the popular vote. Obama triumphed in crucial swing states McCain had hoped to win, like Ohio and Florida, two states that were critical to President George W. Bush’s wins in 2000 and 2004.

Obama won New Hampshire with 55 percent of the vote, with 84 percent of precincts reporting, according to CNN. In Hanover, Obama received 86.2 percent of the vote, according to exit polls conducted by The Dartmouth at Hanover High School.

The Dartmouth’s poll indicated the most important issue for local voters was the economy, with 31 percent of respondents listing it as their top concern in the election. Other issues of concern for local voters included foreign policy, the war in Iraq and health care.

In his victory speech, Obama, acknowledged the historic importance of his election, using 106-year-old Georgia voter Ann Nixon Cooper to highlight the nation’s trajectory of change.

“She was born just a generation past slavery — a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky. When someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons: because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin,” Obama said.

In his concession speech, McCain also noted the cultural impact of Obama’s election.

“This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight,” McCain said. “I’ve always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too.”

Though McCain’s audience booed when he first mentioned Obama, they applauded this statement.

“Tonight the highest aspirations of the [National Association for the Advancement of Colored People] and people of color have been reached,” Christine Souffrant ‘11, vice-president of the Dartmouth NAACP, said a few minutes after Obama was declared the winner. “Obama has made history for us tonight. Now, when we tell our sons and daughters that you can become anything you want, we can finally really mean it.”

Obama’s candidacy brought an unprecedented number of young people into the political system, and about two-thirds of voters between 18 and 29 voted for Obama, according to CNN.

“Barack Obama, more than any other candidate, embodies the belief that we, the youth of America, can be a part of our democracy,” David Imamura ‘10, president of the Dartmouth College Democrats, said after Obama’s victory speech.

Following the speech, hundreds of Dartmouth students flooded the Green in an impromptu celebration. The crowd broke into cheers of Obama’s campaign slogan “Yes We Can,” and paraded through Baker-Berry Library and down Webster Avenue, where, accompanied by Safety and Security and Hanover Police, students congregated in front of the home of College President James Wright.

Wright addressed the rallying students at the base of his driveway.

“This is your century,” he told the crowd, which had loudly demanded a speech. Wright told The Dartmouth that he had never seen students so excited about an election.

“I think it gives everyone confidence that they can make a difference, and I think that’s what American democracy is about,” Wright said.

According to Shaun Stewart ‘10, co-founder of Dartmouth for Obama, Dartmouth epitomized the youth-involvement phenomenon.

“Our volunteers were up at 4:30 this morning,” Stewart said. “We had record turnout for this campus. It’s been an amazing day.”

After the winner was decided, both Obama and McCain repeatedly urged Americans to put the election behind them and focus on the nation’s struggles ahead.

“Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed,” McCain said in his concession speech to sporadic boos. “No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.”

Other Republicans worry an Obama presidency will not bring change, or at least not change for the better.

“It means that again the country is voting against something rather than for something,” Jennifer Bandy ‘09, president of the Dartmouth College Republicans, said Tuesday evening before the election had been called. “Obama doesn’t stand for anything. He claims to stand for change, but he has made no significant efforts to make change during his four years in the Senate. It means this country didn’t look at who the man John McCain is; he’s not just another Republican. People would vote against the Republican party because of George W. Bush, but despite what the College Dems would like you to believe, John McCain is not another George W. Bush, and it’s silly and falsehood to put them together.”

In his victory speech, Obama addressed those who did not vote for him on Tuesday.

“To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president, too.”

That was so awesome !

He recently started a Foundation - MANifest Your Destiny. The following is information on it: 

MANifest Your Destiny foundation, a non-profit youth organization established by Ivy League actor Hill Harper, is dedicated to empowering, encouraging, and inspiring underserved males to succeed. The philosophy behind the organization is to provide young men with nurturing support systems, resources, encouragement, and guidance through mentorship, scholarship and grant programs.

Feeling that underserved boys are at a severe disadvantage due to their lack of personal interaction with positive role models, founder Hill Harper felt that the core of what the MANifest Your Destiny Foundation facilitates is a mentorship program. Foundation mentors are successful men in various industries who are committed to providing underserved young men with guidance, positive role models, apprenticeships, internships, constructive outlets and the motivation to dream big and accomplish anything they set their minds to.

The MANifest Your Destiny Foundation provides financial resources and practical experience to support young men’s academic or professional field of interest. Internships and/or apprenticeships are awarded to eligible young people who have demonstrated their passions and commitment to furthering their education through academic achievement and community service. Additionally, the organization awards grants to deserving young men seeking to start their own business.

Also, I spoke on the telephone recently with a friend I hadn’t spoken with in a very long time, Mr. Madukwu Chinwah. He had a dream early in life and was able to turn that dream into reality with focus and action.  I bow in awe of you, Madi.

 Do you know how your mind works ? Reflect on the words of Brian Kim for a moment:

“When I’m speaking of your mind, I’m speaking more specifically in terms

of your thoughts.  Your thoughts have amazing powers that we take for

granted.  In fact, your thoughts are the root cause for all the goals

you accomplish in your life.

The way it works is simply this: 

You think of thoughts which then trigger emotions which then trigger

actions you take.

Thoughts -> Emotions -> (Thoughts + Emotions) -> Actions. 

When you take those actions, you again have the power to think of how

to view them, which then in turn results in emotions and when those

thoughts and emotions are coupled again, that results in actions. 

In other words, the whole process loops itself back again. 

Actions -> Thoughts of those Actions -> Emotions

-> (Thoughts + Emotions) -> Actions

Before we go any further, it’s important that we isolate the fact

that thought is the root of all action and hence goal achievement.

We know that goal achievement has absolutely nothing to do with

the circumstances we were raised in.  People like to point to their circumstances

and use them as excuses as to why they are not able to achieve their goals

but we know for a fact that those who grew up in very disadvantaged areas

and lived in extremely unfavorable circumstances have been able to

supersede these factors and rise up to achieve their goals in life. 

A little girl was raised in the inner city ghetto of Wisconsin by her

mother and grandmother.  She frequently ran away from home, was

molested by her cousin and uncle at the age of 9, and had a stillborn

baby at the age of 13.  Who was she?  She was none other than

Oprah Winfrey. 

A homeless man with a child to take care of while pursuing a very

competitive stock broker internship without pay, resorted to sleeping

in subway bathrooms while desperately trying to find food and shelter

for his child.   He later went on to become a millionaire.  Who was he? 

Chris Gardner.  You know him as the protagonist in the movie

“The Pursuit of Happyness” (yes with a y). 

An immigrant with no money and belongings except for the clothes on

his backs comes to America, becomes a bodybuilding champion, a famous

movie star, and governor of the great state of California.  You know him as

the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

We also know that goal achievement has nothing to do with circumstances

involving physical handicaps.  Ironically, it’s those who’ve been physically

handicapped that have tapped into the power of their mind because they

were forced to deal with it as it was all they had.  It’s as if they were thrust

in a room to confront their own mind with the door locked and the key

thrown away.  Those of us who have no physical handicaps usually take

our minds for granted because we were not forced to face it on a similar

one on one fashion. 

To illustrate, there was once a young boy whose lower part of his body

got severely burned in an accident.  The doctor told the mother that the

boy would become a cripple for the rest of his life, yet this boy made up

in his mind that he would walk.  When he got home, he was so determined

to walk that he threw himself off the wheelchair and clawed his way to the

fence surrounding his house.  He picked himself up by grabbing the fence and

started to drag his legs while traversing along it.  He did this everyday.  The

thoughts in his mind revolved solely around walking.  He so desperately wanted

to walk that he eventually developed the ability to stand.  Then to walk.  Then

to run.  He loved running so much that me made the track team in college 

Who was this man?  He was Glenn Cunnigham, the man who was to later run

the world’s fastest mile. 

There was another boy who was born without half a right foot.  As a boy,

he loved football and all he did was think about playing it so his parents got

him an artificial foot made out of wood.  With his new foot he practiced kicking

the football day after day after day in an attempt to make field goals.  He kept

on practicing kicking footballs at greater distances and because he was so good

at it, he was eventually hired by the New Orleans Saints.  In a game against

the Detroit Lions, with only two seconds left, he kicked the longest field goal

in professional football history, a 62 yarder for a 19-17 win in front of a

60,000+ cheering audience. 

A man suffered a plane crash which resulted in a broken neck, a crushed spinal

cord, along with every major muscle in his body being so badly damaged that

all he was able to do was blink.  He couldn’t breathe without a respirator, he

couldn’t eat, he couldn’t talk.  His kidney, bladder, and bowel did not function. 

All he could do was blink.  He made up in his mind that he would walk.  His

thoughts revolved solely around walking.  He walked out of the hospital 8 months

later.  He’s known today as the Miracle Man, Morris Goodman. 

The common thread we see between people who’ve achieved the goals

that seemed impossible is they’ve tapped into the power of their mind.  They

had nothing else.  As long as your mind is sound with no mental defects, you

hold in your possession one of the most potent inventions in the known universe. 

Your environment and circumstances do not matter.  Your mind has the power to

supersede them IF you can maximize its power.  Therefore it makes sense to learn

all about it. 

Another common factor you will see is time. There is a period of time that

must pass for the goals you think about to manifest.   It is wishful thinking to

suggest that if you think of a piano, a piano is going to magically appear in front

of you.  What I’m saying is that because of your thoughts, you will initiate a

sequence of events that include getting the money to buy that piano, getting in

your car and driving to a store, going to another store because the piano you

wanted wasn’t there, going to another one, finding the exact one you had in your

mind and buying it at the price you want, in essence, having your thoughts

direct your actions to get you the exact piano you had in your mind.  Notice how

all of that began with a clear thought of what you wanted.  It’s like Napoleon Hill

said:  “All earned riches, all achievement have their beginning in an idea.” 

Your mind is the ancestor of action.  It’s the greatest problem solver.  It’s

the most complex piece of technology in the known universe that can truly do

remarkable things. 

But don’t take my word for it.  See what the great minds of history have to

say about it.

“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve.”

- Napoleon Hill

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of Hell, a hell of Heaven.”

- John Milton

“Here in your mind you have complete privacy. Here there’s no difference between

what is and what could be.” - Chuck Palahniuk

“It is the mind that maketh good or ill, That maketh wretch or happy,

rich or poor.” - Edmund Spencer

“To see a thing clearly in the mind makes it begin to take form.” - Henry Ford

“Men are not prisoners of fate, but prisoners of their own minds.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Whatever you hold in your mind will tend to occur in your life. If you continue

to believe as you have always believed, you will continue to act as you have

always acted. If you continue to act as you have always acted, you will continue

to get what you have always gotten. If you want different results in your life or

your work, all you have to do is change your mind.”

“A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.”

- Mahatma Ghandi

“You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never

thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the

limitations of your own mind.” - Darwin P. Kingsley

“You are searching for the magic key that will unlock the door to the

source of power; and yet you have the key in your own hands, and you may

use it the moment you learn to control your thoughts.” - Napoleon Hill

Just as it’s wise to build a strong foundation for your house, it’s also wise to

build a strong foundation that your mind has the power to achieve all your goals.

The mind is the primary source of all goal achievement.  Your mind holds the idea

of what you want to achieve.  To maximize the power of your mind gives you

that edge you can use to easily achieve your goals.  Schools and universities

do not teach this kind of material so it’s up to you to learn it.    To the inevitable achievement of all your goals !