{VIDEO} Calling All Leaders…
Take a second to drop what you’re thinking about.
Imagine for a moment that you could make a living doing something you love, changing people’s lives, and creating a lasting impact.
Imagine that all the shit you fear like failure, financial stress, losing friends — doesn’t matter. That thinking about it is stopping you from achieving your dreams.
Imagine that everything you’ve ever been told about not being enough, not being ready, was a lie.
As a kid, I never even entertained these thoughts.
I grew up in a super rough part of Newark, NJ. I was surrounded by people on downhill tracks, violence, drugs, not a whole lot of positivity. What I did have though were amazing role models in my parents. They taught me to lead with my heart.
I’ll tell you the biggest secret to success: it has to be meaningful. It has to create an impact.
Otherwise, it’s not success at all.
I am grateful to look back at what I’ve accomplished, and truly feel like I’ve been blessed.
However, the first time I achieved massive financial success, I blew it. I got all of the material stuff, the trips to vegas, the cool-ass celebrity friends.
And I wasn’t happy. In fact, I entered one of the darkest periods of my life after that.
You know what lifted me?
The realization that if I was going to be truly successful, it would mean devoting my efforts to transforming the lives of others. Sharing what I’ve learned. Giving back.
In the wake of that, I created this movement — LeadersCreateLeaders — and went back to my hometown to establish a startup incubator for young entrepreneurs called Fownders. I knew I had to give back to the place that shaped me.
In the incubator we plan to bring all the resources I wish I had when I started as an entrepreneur. We will teach the things they don’t teach you at school — like self-awareness, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, tech, and personal development.
Let me tell you — I’ve never been happier. The change in the equation was how much I’m giving. It’s a law of the world we live in that in order to receive what you want, you have to also give. Everything in equal measure, and that’s often a barrier to people creating the lives they really want.
We get selfish. We get afraid. We forget that it’s an equal cycle — you have to give.
When you’re too focused on yourself — it’s a trap. You’ll get lost. You’ll forget why you’re doing what you’re doing. You’ll be horribly unhappy.
What we need the most right now are leaders who give back.
People who support each other.
Communities who elevate and empower each other.
What we need the most right now are leaders that create leaders.
No matter where you’re at on your journey — you’ve got wisdom that other people can learn from. Whether you’re one step ahead or fifteen miles doesn’t matter. The idea that we are separate and need to compete with each other is what warps the world. We’re in it together. And this has never rung truer than it is in this moment, after the past couple of weeks we’ve had.
So if you want to change the world, give to the world.
Want to join me in creating true success?
We are planning on proving out the Fownders model in Newark and then franchising out to every inner city community nationwide.
If you think there should be a Fownders in your community please email me at gerard@fownders.com and watch the video below!
’Til next season,
Gerard
