Hello and Happy Holidays from MySelf Builder. Today we're talking about helping others make their dreams come true. In life, it's easy to become fixated on what we want to accomplish for ourselves and our personal needs. There's nothing wrong with that. As humans, we have to take care of ourselves and should always work towards becoming our best, accomplishing our goals, and living a good, purposeful life. But when we have the opportunity to impact someone else's life in a positive way, we increase our capacity to create change and influence others. Think of a team sport like basketball, where each player has the same goal of winning games and titles. By practicing, learning and playing together, each team member becomes stronger. Coaches, trainers, referees, supporters and fans add value to the team and have the ability to influence each player's actions, their mindset, and manage the conditions for the team to be successful. Sometimes, we may have a dream or goal that does not turn out exactly how we expected or hoped it would. Don't get discouraged. Instead of becoming bitter, angry or jealous, ask, "How can I help make someone else's dream come true?" If you ask some of the most famous people on earth what's the key to their success, you'd hear many of them respond by listing the team of people who support them. Think about acceptance speeches at awards shows that a famous person gives once they've won. Artists and musicians need songwriters and producers to help make successful records. Actors and on-screen talent need showrunners, directors and a team of production assistants to make movies and television programming. Have you ever seen how long the end credits are for movies and the hundreds of people that it takes to produce a film? I was asked a lot as a child what I wanted to be once I grew up. Over the years, the answers ranged from becoming a doctor or lawyer to working for the FBI or media company. In high school, I became very interested in journalism. I took an introduction to journalism course, which then led to me joining the newspaper staff. Newspaper became my favorite part of being in school. I loved writing about sports and entertainment, interviewing people and designing each edition. I also loved my sports and entertainment marketing courses. When I went to college, I decided to major in communications. I took classes in media writing, television production, cinema and public speaking. I went on to complete an internship in DC, working for a small video communications firm. One of the assignments required another intern and I to be prepared to cover a live news story at any time and complete a full news video package with recording, writing, editing and publishing. We ended up covering a protest outside of the US Supreme Court. It was very stressful with people marching and chanting, holding up signs, trying to find people to interview who could present different viewpoints about the issue and managing all of the equipment. That experience allowed me to realize that I was not ready to become a reporter just yet. I still had a passion and interest in this field however. Recently, that passion and interest led to the development of a student news team at the school I've worked at over the last 5 years. When my team and I reached out to see if students would be interested in having a newsroom, we received more applications than we anticipated. And now with just a few student news team meetings underway and the first production being in the early stages of development, the group of students who were selected to serve on the team received a surprise visit from WXII News 12 Anchor Davontè McKenith. He was extremely kind and took the time to meet and speak with each student group and was impressed with all of their hard work. Even though my plans changed years ago when I decided to begin my post-college career in education, seeing the excitement, curiosity and willingness to learn about news production from young people has been rewarding and fulfilling. This experience serves as a reminder, especially during this holiday season at a time when people can become consumed with buying or receiving the best present, that the greatest gift is to help others build new dreams. Keep Building!

Hello everyone and welcome to the MySelf Builder Digital Forum. Today I'm going to talk about how overcoming adversity can lead to unexpected outcomes. We all face challenges and resistance from time to time, especially when we're trying to accomplish something. Maybe you've dealt with adversity, or difficulties in school involving other classmates, teachers or assignments. If you play sports or participate in school organizations, perhaps you've struggled with time management or getting everyone on the same page to reach a common goal. You may deal with personal issues at home or at work involving loved ones, friends, or co-workers. Or what about when someone says something about you that isn't true? There are so many examples of ways people deal with adversity and setbacks. I love watching football. I respect teams like the Commanders and Raiders, and am a fan of the Carolina Panthers (you may already know where this story is going). About 6 years ago, the Panthers seemed unstoppable. They went undefeated for most of the season, eventually winning 15 games and even made it to the Superbowl. Ever since then, the team hasn't really been the same. Player injuries, constant changes with the quarterback position, replacing head coaches and having a frustrated fan base are all examples of the adversity that the organization continues to face. However, notice how that adversity doesn't stop the team from coming back week after week and striving towards winning the next game. A few years ago, I faced a great deal of adversity. I had an upper respiratory infection and had to be written out of work for a few days. My grandfather was in the hospital, and his health was declining fast. This was also around the time of my birthday, and I didn't feel like celebrating with everything that was going on. Eventually, we lost my grandfather and if you know about our relationship, we were very close. A few days later, I went back to work and hadn't been back long before I was told that one of the co-workers had stated something that was not true about me. I couldn't believe it. I had all of these things going on and now this. In the face of adversity, it's important to seek clarity and determine the best ways to respond to situations. If we react and respond negatively, waiting to go off and snap and let everyone know who they're dealing with, then we can actually end up making the situation worse. When I found out about the lie at work, I immediately reported it to my supervisors. I knew that confronting the person directly, in the state of mind I was in, would not be the best idea. "They might tell another lie," I thought, and I wanted the right witnesses who could facilitate the discussion in a safe space. A conference date was scheduled with my supervisors and the liar - I mean the other coworker and me. All throughout this time, I kept thinking about my grandfather and how calm he always seemed. Nothing ever seemed to phase him. He was cool, calm, strong and persistent. After all, he was a Green Beret, one of the elite special forces in the US Army. While I had him on my mind, it was like a feeling came over me and made me think about my work emails. I couldn't figure out why emails were on my mind and why I needed to check them. I remembered one particular email that the coworker had sent me several weeks prior. It had information coming from them that proved they had not been telling the truth. I couldn't believe it. If I would've stayed upset and not thought clearly, I may have never remembered that I still had the email. During the conference with our supervisors, I remained calm and listened, then at the right time, I shared the email with everyone. The coworker was speechless and literally could not say another word. The meeting ended and it was over, just like that. Now here is where it gets even better. That person eventually left the job. Before that happened, I also received a promotion with more flexibility, more influence and a larger salary. Spiritually, God allows us to endure adversity and face challenges to prepare and help us reach our destiny. It may not make sense at the moment, but overcoming challenges with a positive attitude, seeking clarity and finding the best ways to respond to situations all help us develop our character. I keep thinking back to what if I had not relied on my faith during that time. I would have never received that promotion and probably would not have decided to go back to graduate school. I would not have started my own business and would not be sharing this story with you on this platform today. Facing adversity is very difficult, but we should not let it change us and make us bitter, angry or react negatively towards others. Try talking to someone for good advice, look for examples of people who have overcome great challenges. Stay motivated and encouraged. You have what it takes to persevere, and I hope that hearing this message today will continue to inspire you. Keep Building!