The Secret to Success (17 page)

Summary: Effective means of working with students. Tips 1-7.

•   Build a relationship.

•   Remember each student is different.

•   Find a balance.

•   Create an energetic learning environment.

•   Involve the parents as much as possible.

•   Be a life long learner.

•   Give students a sense of purpose.

Do you think about me now and then?
Do you think about me now and then?
‘Cause I'm coming home again
.

Do you think about me now and then?
Do you think about me now and then?
Oh, ‘cause I'm coming home again.
Maybe we can start again. -
Kayne West

By 1998, I had everything I could ask for. My marriage was going great, my career was on the rise, I had a great position on campus, and I was back in school with my degree on the horizon. I also had my second child, my baby girl, Jayda. Life was great but school was challenging. I remember being so frustrated I would have to put my books down and do what I called the “You can do it” visualization exercise. I pretended that I was at my graduation. It was simple because I had gone to every graduation since I arrived on campus. One reason I went every year had to do with the fact that I felt as though I needed to support my friends. Another had to do with the fact that I needed it to burn. It hurt to see my peer's siblings and younger cousins graduate before me. I enrolled at Oakwood in ‘89 and here it was ‘98. Each time I attended the ceremony it cut like a knife, but that's exactly what I needed it to do. I learned that pain produces certain things that complacency can't. So when I was tired of studying, I would put my books down and walk through the living room pretending I had on my cap and gown. Then I heard the announcer say,
“Graduating with a bachelors of science from the College of Business. Mr. Eric Thomas.”
I was so motivated after that exercise, I would run back to my study area and put another two hours into my books.

I finally completed my degree 12 years after enrolling in college. As I put on my cap and gown I looked in the mirror and began crying tears of joy. I thought about all the cold nights sleeping in abandoned buildings in Detroit. I thought about the moment I found out who my biological father was. I thought about my wife and kids and how proud I was to be a father and husband. I thought about Bob and all the other people who had poured into me when I was at my lowest point. At that moment a calm came over me. It was a feeling I had never experienced. It was a feeling of ultimate peace. I was no longer being held back by my thoughts of academic inadequacy. I was no longer mad at my mother or my biological father. I was no longer mad at myself for the foolish decisions I had made in the past. At that moment, I realized that God had a true plan for my life all along. I understood that he birthed me to be a champion for the underdog. To be that champion, he needed to put me through the fire so that when I speak to people who are at their lowest point, with seemingly no way out, I can honestly tell them that it is possible to rise up and succeed.

Months later, I began thinking about the opportunity Rodney and Murray at MSU had offered me in regards to graduate school. It was consuming my thoughts. I kept saying to myself,
“…even though you never finished high school and barely managed to finish your bachelor's degree, wouldn't it be crazy to give graduate school a shot?”
But that would mean leaving everything De and I had worked for behind for a graduate assistantship that paid little. That would mean leaving our house, De's job, my influence in the city, and all of our family and friends behind.
“Am I willing to make that kind of sacrifice?”

Hesitant, because I knew it was going to sound crazy, I talked to De that night about my thoughts of attending graduate school at Michigan State University. She laughed at first because she thought I was joking. Once she realized I was serious, the discussion heated up. De was trying to convince me that we had everything we dreamed of having as teenagers, a house, family, secure jobs, and a community of friends who love and support us. I explained to her as best I could that I was positive that this was what the Lord was calling me to do. To which she replied, “Well why don't you go up there and get settled and the kids and I will come up when you get everything in order?”

“No De!”, I was adamant. “There is no way that I can do this without you and the kids. Ya'll are my life and I need you by my side if I am going to make this work.” Reluctantly, De agreed to leave everything we had worked for behind in order to pursue a new opportunity in Michigan, the place where it all began.

The next morning I went online and downloaded an application from the College of Education's master's degree in K-12 Educational Administration with an emphasis in leadership. I waited for months, checking my mail every day. Finally, I received a large green and white package with a Michigan State University insignia. My heart began to race just as it did with the G.E.D. letter and the Oakwood College letter. I opened it. It read:

 

Dear Mr. Thomas,

Your application for admission to the Master's degree program in K-12 Educational Administration has been reviewed. I am pleased to inform you that you have been recommended for admission…

 

I finished my Master's degree two years later, and as I write this, I am a semester away from completing my PhD coursework at Michigan State University. Imagine that, “Dr. Eric Thomas.” Has a ring to it doesn't it? We all face challenges in this world, and life is certainly not always easy. But as the expression goes, “It's not about the hand you're dealt, but how you play your cards.” Looking back, there is no way I could've imagined my life being so fulfilling. I am still happily married to De, my kids are growing up fast, and I love what I do for a living.

If I could have you take just one thing from this book, it would be that there is no magical formula for success. It's about having a dream and working towards it no matter what negative circumstances occur along the way. In basketball there is a saying that says, “The only way to get out of a shooting slump is to keep shooting.” The same can be said for our lives. The only way to get out of mediocrity is to keep shooting for excellence.

Always remember that success is not a destination, it's a journey. To this day I still hear more “No's” than “Yes's.” The difference between me then and now, is the fact that the “No's” don't frustrate me anymore. Now, the “No's” actually serve as motivation for the next endeavor.

We all have the ability to produce greatness in our lives. Not one single person on this earth is exactly like you. This means, not one person on this earth can do, exactly what it is that you were born to do. What were you born to do? That is a question only you can answer.

E.T.

For almost two decades Eric Thomas' ministry has been a catalyst for developing personal pride and responsibility through positive change in the lives of millions. Through administration, aggressive education, and training programs Eric Thomas empowers people with skills needed to realize and sustain their piece of the “American Dream.” Without positive and consistent intervention, the cyclical nightmare of poverty, hopelessness, and despair will be the only realized “American Dream” for people and their children.

It has been found through sociological research that there is a profound link between an individual's destructive behavior and the lack of resources available to them. Without exposure to opportunities, resources to educate, and a strategic plan to use and implement them, the disparity that exists in our society will continue to threaten the growth of our nation.

This concept can be used in various aspects of individual lives. It takes a leadership mentality to change a life perspective and you must be the change you want to see.

To say I'm excited about collaborating with Eric Thomas is an understatement. I have known Pastor Thomas for many years and to see his life and career elevated to where it is today is no surprise. After spending any amount of time with this Stella person, whether in conversation or seeing him in action, it becomes apparently clear that God has called him to the stage of public speaking for such a time as this.

I believe this book will add a new chapter to Eric's journey. I also believe it is the first of many more to come. It would be wise for all of us to keep our eyes and ears open for whatever's coming next. This man has stepped into an arena that's been tailor made for him. I believe many lives will be blessed in addition to those who have already benefitted from Eric's work.

Godspeed brother Eric,
Cry loud and spare not!

Daryl S. Anderson Sr.
Founder / CEO
Spirit Reign Communications &
Publishing

Eric Thomas is known for his engaging, dynamic, and inspiring personal approach to unlocking the secrets to success. He has “Cycle-Breaking” experience, blunt essays on reality, and the remarkable ability to reach even the most jaded of minds. The messages he presents have helped thousands of youth nationwide become peak performers academically, spiritually and personally.

Eric Thomas has electrified audience's ranging from Fortune 500 companies to urban public schools. He manages motivational series for NCAA Division I programs and inner-city youth development agencies. Eric Thomas' message presents the struggles of his own life, the principles learned, and the insights taken. Within the directive are the strategies he used to overcome the battlefields of life.

•   Public Speaker

•   Life and Relationship Coach

•   Retention and Academic Specialist

Changing lives and relationships worldwide:

•   Discovering who you are and what motivates you

•   Creating the life you want

•   Setting and achieving proactive, powerful goals rather than just reacting to life's events

•   Breaking out of self-defeating behaviors

•   Gaining a true supportive partner throughout the process to assure that you achieve your goals

•   Unleashing the powers within you, to accomplish more than you ever dreamed possible

•   Realizing the impact of serving and knowing it's not what they do for you, but what you do for them

•   Setting minds to the relationship status desired

•   Changing perspectives to positivity and growth

•   Motivational messages and character development sessions for professional and amateur athletic programs

•   Executive Coaching