How Might We Value Equity?

This post was originally published on LinkedIn on May 7, 2017.

On Sunday May 7, 2017, as I was reading pg. 29 of Keith Ferrazzi‘s, “Never Eat Alone”, I came across a tool which he uses called, “The Relationship Action Plan.” This plan is separated into 3 parts:

1. Developing goals that will help us fulfill our mission.

2. Connecting these goals to the people, places, and things (resources) that will help us get the job done.

3. Determining the best way to reach out to the people who can help us to accomplish our goals.

As I was reading this, it made me reflect on one of my #7DaysOfWisdom videos which I shot back in September of 2016. In this video, I discussed the relationship between sweat equity, relationship equity, and financial equity. In addition to Keith’s “Relationship Action Plan”, I believe that it is highly important for us to understand and value equity.

Equity is something which we can all learn and earn. It starts with the amount of work we decide to put in (sweat equity). Through our sweat equity, we will eventually begin to build the connections and relationships (relationship equity) which lead to opportunities to increase our financial equity and the impact we can have on the lives of others. Let’s stay focused and have fun pursuing the things we love to do in life. Live legendary, leave a legacy!

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Cultural Curator, and Educator. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

The Story Behind: Speaking at Fresh Start

As we quickly march into 2017, I’m super excited to announce that I have been booked for my first official public speaking engagement at the 2017 Young Adults Fresh Start Conference. The Fresh Start conference will take place on Saturday January 14, 2017 from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm at the Harvest International Pentecostal Church of Christ in Newark, NJ. I am honored to be speaking alongside of Pastor Ryan Faison, Elder Evans Pierre, and Minister Nyle Fort.

I was invited to speak at The Fresh Start conference thanks to one of the organizers, Garmeterick Moore whom I met this past summer (2016) in Newark, NJ while driving for Uber. Who would have thought that I would end up meeting a complete “stranger” in my second summer driving for Uber who would eventually offer me my first public speaking engagement? Oddly enough, although I am super thankful, I am not quite surprised. I say this because I am a firm believer in how the magic of the universe tends to manifest answers and opportunities at just the right moments. More importantly, I believe that when we live our life on purpose, we prepare ourselves to leverage opportunities which fulfill our purpose.

Fast forward a few months and on Sunday December 18, 2016, I received the following text message which to my pleasant surprise was completely unexpected:

[Disclaimer] This screenshot was published with the permission of both participants involved in the dialogue via text message.

This goes to show, we never know the type of impact just one (sometimes short) interaction with someone else might have on their impression of us. Our reputation is our resume. Great conversations help to create great opportunities. The only limits we abide by are those which we put upon ourselves. It’s about time for us to break free and flip the narrative. We all have an experience to share. We all have a moment to share. We all have a story to share. The only thing that is stopping us from getting to where we would like to be in life is the action required to get there. So…how do we take action in an effort to discover and fulfill our purpose and vision? Stay tuned for more!!!

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Cultural Curator, and Educator. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

We All Matter – What Will We Decide?

GettyImages-73204093.0

Photo courtesy of Doug Benc

Earlier this morning, I read a few pages of Tony Dungy’s, “The Mentor Leader.” On page 107, I came across a story that he shared in regards to his days as a student in junior high school. Mr. Rockquemore, Tony Dungy’s Assistant Principal at Frost Junior High School once asked Tony, “Why would you let anything stop you from doing what you have the ability to do?” It was this question along with Mr. Rockquemore’s willingness to get involved with Tony’s academic and athletic development that changed the entire course of Tony’s life.

The lesson that  I learned from this story is not to underestimate the platforms we have to impact and touch the lives of one another. Unless we tell someone or we are told by someone, we will never know the impact that one phrase, sentence, word, or experience might have on us or someone else. I have often heard the phrase, “Don’t forget the “small” people at the bottom when you make it to the top.” In my opinion, there are no small people. We all matter tremendously. The fact that we were all born as human-beings is a miracle in itself. Out of the five kingdoms of living organisms, we are just one species. Let’s not even touch on the various groups of kingdoms. We’ll save that for science class!

Nonetheless, it’s important that we are humble and grateful for the lives that we live. Regardless of who we are or where we are from, there will always arise an opportunity which will allow us to make an impact on another person’s life. This will either be for better or for worse. It is up to us to make the right decision. Now the question is, “What will we decide?”

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

The Common Denominator of Success

As I was finishing up the miniature edition of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens” by Sean Covey this morning (I just needed some quick inspiration), I came across a very thought provoking quote summing up Albert E.N. Gray’s years of studying successful people. It goes as follows:

“All successful people have the habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do. They [successful people] don’t like doing them necessarily either. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.”

After reading this I felt inclined to google Albert E.N. Gray. The first result that appeared was a PDF link to a 6 page article of his entitled, “The Common Denominator of Success.” After reading this article, it really helped me to gain more of an understanding as to what truly separates those who succeed from those who do not. Here’s a quick hint, not only do successful people do the things that “unsuccessful” people do not like to do, successful people also have a purpose strong enough to make them form the habit of doing things they don’t like in an effort to accomplish the purpose they are looking to achieve. Wow! This is timeless knowledge from 1940!

[Disclaimer]: I personally believe that “success” is relative to the beholder of it’s title. Hence, whenever the term “failure” or “unsuccessful” is mentioned, it is not to demean or patronize anyone who may take offense. Our purpose here at aloversambition.com is to publish purposeful and thought-provoking content with the aim to enlighten and inspire our readers.

 

Here are 4 main points that I extracted from Albert E.N. Gray’s 6 page article that were most relevant to myself. Hopefully we can all benefit from this in some capacity!

1. Embrace What’s Difficult:

The secret of success lies in forming the habit of doing things that unsuccessful people don’t like to do. The things that unsuccessful people don’t like to do are the very things that you and I and other human beings naturally don’t like to do. In other words, we’ve got to realize right from the start that success is something which is achieved by the minority. Therefore, it is unnatural and not to be achieved by following our natural likes and dislikes nor by being guided by our natural preferences and prejudices.

2. Focus On Accomplishing Results: 

By doing the things we don’t like to do, we can accomplish the things we want to accomplish. For example, successful people are influenced by the desire for pleasing results. Unsuccessful people are influenced by the desire for pleasing methods and are satisfied with the results obtained by doing things they like to do. Why are successful people able to do things they don’t like to do while unsuccessful people are not? Because successful people have a purpose strong enough to make them form the habit of doing things they don’t like to do in order to accomplish the purpose they want to accomplish. In other words, it’s important that we find our why. Our why is our purpose. As comedian, Michael Jr. once said, “When we know our why, our what has more impact because we’re walking in or towards our purpose.”

3. Have a Growth Adaptability Mindset:

It is easier to adjust ourselves to the hardships of a poor living than it is to adjust ourselves to the hardships of making a better one. Think of all the things we are willing to go without in order to avoid doing the things we don’t like to do. All of which seems to prove that the strength which holds us to our purpose is not our own strength but the strength of our purpose itself.

4. Form Purposeful Habits:

Every single qualification for success is acquired through habit. People form habits and habits form futures. If we do not deliberately form good habits, then unconsciously we will form bad ones. We are the kind of people we are because we have formed the habit of being that kind of person. The only way we can change is through habit. Behind every success there must be a purpose and this is what makes purpose so important to our future. It is important that we do not allow our future to solely depend on circumstances in which we have no control. Rather, our future should depend on our purpose in life.

_________________________

(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.