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On November 4 at 5:55 p.m. I called my son and told him that tomorrow when he wakes
up there will be a new president, a black president, Barack Obama. We talked about
history, the significance of the moment, and I also found out that he voted. I told
him that this meant that he could be anything that he wanted to be. I was ecstatic,
and then when I got off the phone I thought to myself “I hope that I did not lie to
him”.  As a father, the one thing that you don’t want to do is disappoint your
child, especially if ya’ll don’t live in the same house.

That was November 4.

 
On November 5 at 6:58 in the morning I called m son again, but now assured and
confident to let him know that Barack Obama is now the President of the United
States of America, and then I began to cry. I cried when I asked him if he
remembered what I told him about this moment, and he said “that the election is
over”. I then reminded him that he could be anything that he wants to be, and to
never let anybody tell him that he can’t. Not understanding the impact of those
words he said “ok”.

 
I did not lie to him and he was not disappointed, because we voted for America’s
First African American President and we voted for change. And I don’t speak of
change from the political platform of Obama; I speak of change of  the black male
psyche in America and to the hope of what our kids can be. For this last year the
black man who we have seen the most on our TV’s, in our magazines, on the internet,
and who has been the topic of conversations was Barack Obama. Our eyes have not been
captivated by an entertainer, an athlete, or somebody going to jail, but by an
African American President. No, his presidency does not change race relations, and
yes we still have so much to fight for, but we also have much more to hope for and
much more that we can be.

 
We have always been told and told our kids that can could be anything that they want
to be, even President. Now this hope is a reality, and now I can truthfully say YES
YOU CAN!

 
YES YOU CAN come from a single parent household and achieve greatness!
YES YOU CAN dream and achieve your dreams, no matter if no one has ever done what
you want to do!
YES YOU CAN be a black man and achieve far beyond ghetto expectations (graduate,
don’t go to jail, don’t get nobody pregnant)!
YES YOU CAN make a difference!

 
No matter how these next 4 years turn out, our children’s hope ruler has been
expanded and an affirmation instilled, that YES THEY CAN…
 
What do you think?
Copyright © 2008 Maco L. Faniel. All rights reserved.

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myspace.com/macofaniel <http://myspace.com/macofaniel>
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Maco L. Faniel
Truth Communicator – Writer – Advocate – Consultant

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It seems that at at 67, I am a minority Obama supporter and find myself wondering what others in this age group are thinking with regard to the FUTURE of our country?! 

Lift Every Voice and sing till earth and heaven ring
Ring with the harmonies of liberty
Let our rejoicing rise high as the listening skies
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea

Sing a song, full of the faith that the dark past has taught us
Sing a song, full of the hope that the present has brought us
Facing the rising sum of our new day begun
Let us march on till victory is won

Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod
felt in the days when hope unborn had died
yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet
come to the place for which our fathers sighed?

We have come, over a way that which tears has been watered
We have come, treading out path through the blood of the slaughtered
Out of the gloomy past, till now we stand at last,
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast

GOD of our weary years, GOD of our silent tears
Thou Who has brought us thus far on the way
Thou Who hast by Thy might, led us into the light
Keep us for-e-ver in the path we pray

Lest our feet, stray from the places our GOD where me met thee
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world we forget Thee
Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand
TRUE TO OUR GOD, TRUE TO OUR NATIVE LAND

(James Weldon Johnson)

It won’t (at least not any time soon).

However, it is important that every entrepreneurial and visionary reading this understands the opportunities that exist in this economically-challenged period.

There are too many articles (including ones I’ve written) that extol the success of Disney, HP, and other companies that launched or labored during bank panics and post-Great Depression recovery.

So, since that’s already been said, let’s say something different because you want to know what this means to you. Right now, you don’t care about Disney or HP, you care about your company and what you should do…right?

I understand.

My advice is to do what you’ve been doing…well, sort of. Do what you’ve been doing with a twist…
(article continues in the next issue of DBA, in my column, “Extra Points”…pick it up…or visit them online @ http://www.dbamedia.biz)

enough with the shameless self-promotion…

i want to talk about you in my next column. i want to start telling your story so that it can inspire others and send their game into “overtime” (extra points…overtime…get it?). anyway, if you think you are remotely interesting…let me hear from you. (sdm at expointsonline.com)

too many people are in need of some inspiration right now, so don’t be stingy with your story…let’s tell it!

i just feel like its time for something that will teach future generations how to be visionaries, and furthermore let them know that its okay to have dreams.  i have been dreaming since single digits, so i want to impress that experience and that understanding upon some kids that want to dream big.

gotta dreamer in your life?  let us know…info@thedmp.org

anyway, this program is for coaches, consultants and trainers who need marketing assistance. i was doing this in an informal way, but now it seems that its time to make a more formal introduction to the marketplace. isn’t it amazing how something’s are just staring us in the face, as we ask for more this and that?

but, back to my funk for a second.

i have a friend, a brother, who is going to be so happy about this blog entry. for those of you just tuning in, i want to tell you that i am one of those people who is usually upbeat and positive. i spend the majority of my days rendering positive influence to clients and to those in my personal life, and it gives me great joy.

enter the funk.

on the heels of ike (what good friend/big brother antoine b. deems “hurrication”), which was a self-professed time of victory i believed, i developed a funk, which has lingered until the last few minutes or so (stay tuned). i wasn’t excited about anything, and my positive upbeat self, while present to those who needed it, was closer to being a one-act play, than my genuine self. of course, you cannot be honest with everyone about how you feel- good or not-so good, so i pressed on.

i continue to go through the motions, and courtesy of the black market exchange, i attended a tele-conference…it was great..kudos to crystal w. Because of this conference, DivisionOne, once an informal thought and effort is now official launched–courtesy of a great eflier and a list of almost 4K professionals! (see thumbnail below)

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the funny thing about a funk is that, for me, i didn’t just stop, i just didn’t want to do anything, or do just the minimum, which is weird because i am a go all out, don’t stop til its done type of person. anyway…

the great thing about the funk, is that i was aware of it, and that i had people who rallied around me and said, “hey steph, i am here for you.” isn’t that great? so, if you don’t have people who you can lean on in your life, i suggest that you get some. because i was aware of the funk, it allowed me to put things into perspective regarding what was happening around me. i knew that i had to make some things happen despite the funk, and that was what i did. additionally, i spent alot of time alone and with G(l)od (inside joke), just trying to get clear, and to hear what my steps should be…or not be. so, the funk was somewhat productive and i always knew that it was a temporary condition…and yours is too. (wink-wink)

so…without further ado…i am pleased to announce the fruit of my funk…division one.

So, as short as this entry is, I want you to remain encouraged and stay tuned.

Hopefully, we can get the Meebo up and running and we can connect in real time.

Be inspired!

sdm

I know that you thought you were off of the hook, didn’t you.  After all, you’ve been carrying this dream of yours around for quite some time, and now we’re in a recession–dire economic crisis…whatever you want to call it.  Well, unfortunately, that won’t save you…it’s still the time to make the vision a reality, and so that you don’t think I am making this up, i went looking for some research.

Name at least 3 companies started during a recession or depression…can you?  Most of you can’t, because the thought of it may seem a bit a bit ridiculous…so let me help you out:

Disney (1923)- In 1923 the US economy began to experience a mild downturn; however before that, the economy had been in a growth period (Ahhh! The Clinton Era)

IBM (1896)- the beginning of economic recovery…which meant they were planning and progressing towards of launch of this company when the economic situation was a bit bleak

Coors (1873)- during the Bank Panic of 1873; the main industry of the time (railroads) began to fail and file bankruptcy

Wrigley’s (1893)- during the Long Depression; the worst economic depression in the US at that time

and General Motors (1908)- following the US Bank Panic of 1907; the bank panic was the result of an UNSTABLE FINANCIAL environment in the US…

Does any of this sound familiar?  Doesn’t it look like CNN’s homepage TODAY?

WOW! Of course I had to use companies that you knew about, because had I told you about LaWanda’s Fish Truck, you would have looked at me “in that tone of voice.”  But these are companies that we know, that we still patronize today, and someone had to have the audacity to launch out, despite the situations, regardless of the economic conditions, and whatever else may have been in the way to make them happen.

Can you?

Can you push past the excuses and the drama and everything looking one way and your belief that it is truly another?  Can you push past doubt and “no” and fear, and “no,” and confusion and “heck no!”? Well, if you can…congratulations, I hope to be writing about you soon…if not, you should email me (sdm at expointsonline.com) right now and I guarantee that you will push past all of this junk and manifest that thing on the inside of you.

Here’s a few reasons as to why you MUST start a business (even part-time during a recession) (I found these on recessionproofblog.com):

The weak, lazy or lucky have all cleared out of the market and only the few remain paving the road for you to have a bigger market share. Case in point of the Mortgage Brokers. During the refi boom, mortgage brokers were a dime a dozen and now after the meltdown, most of the weak and lazy brokers are out of the market.

You have much less competition to deal with thus your share of the available customer base has just grown exponentially.

You are now the BIG fish in a small pond and vendors that would not give you the time of day during a booming economy are now begging you for the business and are willing to give you terms.

Suppliers and vendors are starving. They used to dictate their own terms when they had more business than they can handle. Now they are willing to do anything to get your business (from cutting their prices to giving you very flexible terms).

You can learn the most during a recession. Starting a business, even part-time in a downturn affords you the opportunity to make mistakes with both your suppliers and customers. Everyone is more forgiving, especially if you are in a niche market that is growing and has less competitors