This week’s goldbox Spotlight is Raven Turner an alumni of Prairie View A & M University was a student athlete in track & field as well & now is a motivational speaker. Thanks for your time!
What is the best advice you can give to someone starting out?
The best advice I can give someone who is starting out in their journey whether it be entrepreneurship or a different endeavor is don’t compare your progress to someone else’s progress. Life is long, what you're in pursuit of is not going to happen overnight. If you want to see results you have to stay committed to what you said you wanted despite the challenges and difficulties that will inevitably arise. Be cognizant of where your focus goes, because where your focus goes your energy flows. If you focus on what you don’t have, and or on the negativity, you’re going to make your journey a lot more difficult than it has to be.
In addition to this, another piece of advice I would give anyone starting out is to celebrate your small wins and understand the power of momentum. Ever since I started my journey of becoming an aspiring entrepreneur I’ve become more aware of how necessary it is to acknowledge your small wins and how significant it is to create momentum. Both are critical in your journey regardless of the endeavor that your pursuing. Small wins are milestones you pass or accomplish on the way towards achieving your desired goal. I’ve come to realize now more than ever the reason a lot of people never move forward in their personal endeavors is because of their inability to see the power of small wins and the results that derive from it.
Momentum is contagious because it produces movement and that movement is what produces results. If you take a second to think and really look at life for what it is you will see that life is momentum. It leads from one thing to another. Having a goal in life and having NO momentum is like trying to drive a car on an empty tank of gas. It’s hard, it's stressful and it won’t go anywhere. The gas that fuels your car is the same as the momentum you need to move forward in accomplishing your goals. I would highly recommend to anyone reading this article, if you haven’t already, start celebrating your small successes and create momentum because it's going to springboard you forward. Remember, the road you’re traveling is a marathon, its long, so don’t get deterred when things don’t happen as quickly as you may like. Ecclesiastes 9:11 “The race is not won to the swift but to the one who endureth till the end.”
What things inspire your process?
There are a lot of things that inspire my process, however, the three that inspire my process the most are as follows:
#1 Fear:
The fear of not operating at my fullest potential and using the talents and gifts God gave me. I would hate to get to the end of my life and wonder what could have been if I only took a chance. This inspires me daily.
#2 Giving You Best:
Number two can best be described as a quote I once read, “Honor those who came before you and leave a legacy for those coming after you. I did not get to where I am today by myself, many people have been instrumental in my life helping me get to this point. I want to honor those people and I do that by giving life everything and showing them how appreciative I am. I want to leave a legacy for my future and give back to those who have helped me.
#3 Not Satisfied:
Number three is simple, I’m just not satisfied. I'm chasing greatness and the only way to achieve that is I must be consistent and keep moving forward.
Who are three people you look up to or inspire you?
Three people who have inspired my throughout my life is
Kelia Bazile; Regional Vice President of Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Inky Johnson; American motivational speaker and former college football player
Eric Thomas; American motivational speaker, author and minister
Kelia Bazile aka Mama Kelia is someone I’ve known personally for over ten years. She is like my second mother and has always inspired me on many levels. Her drive and resiliency is something I’ve always admired as she constantly strives for more in life. If theirs one lesson I’ve learned from mama Kelia its to be a giver. Give to others without any expectation of receiving. Not only is it something that God wants you to do, but its the right thing to do.
Inky Johnson and Eric Thomas are two motivational speakers whom I have met on a few occasions and they have inspired me from afar. There stories of being homeless eating out of thrash cans and becoming paralyzed in one arm after getting hit in a football game really changed my perspective and how I view things that happen in my life. Adversity and opposition is not to break us, often times its to reposition us. The three above individuals are unapologetic about who they are and what God has done in their life. They’re unwavering in their morals and values and all three have honestly impacted my life in a way that has shifted my attitude and changed my perspective.
