Looking for independence, but that's not just for me.

Getting at the core of your motives at the beginning of a project is so key.?For some of us, it’s just an external life wake up call that pushes you into your real desires. For others, you need more. You need more to stay motivated.

It was already late in the night, around 7:30PM when I was meeting with this group of clients.?

The day was heavy - they were tired, I could tell.

Certainly not the right time to come up with deep questions.?

Yet, because it was one of our first calls, I went there. I ask them to share a bit more about their whys, before we could start diving into the tactics and strategies to grow their projects.

At the end of the day, the tactics will be worthless for you, if you do not put life into them (i.e. if your why is not strong enough for you). Why do you think people don’t get rich just after reading many books about getting rich? Because you need to embody the practices in the books, and make them yours before you can actually get rich.

So, after they spent time sharing about some of their reasons for success -Money, independence from their job, inspiring others - one of them went deeper.

"It’s a matter of identity Donclarte." - he said.

"Why always buy our product from foreign nations when our community is well equipped to do so." - he continued.

Why it's difficult to shape the identity of a community.

This sentence, I have heard it multiple times, but in this case, it was different.

This client was investing to get the problem solved. He has an incredible project in the engineering industry and want to live off of it for him, and then bring his values to shape the identity of the whole Afro-community.

Instead of just talking about it in happy hours, they paid me to show them how to get to the next stage in terms of revenue with their projects. They were not joking with this.

This identity motive is a strong why, and at the same time a difficult one to achieve. It requires people who are dedicated over the long-run.

You see, all countries have some specific industries that they are known for. Whether it’s Tech in the States, or cars in Germany or fashion in France or copper in China - having local providers that excel in their domain can help shape the identity of a whole nation or group.

This is not easily done. It requires those who are not just in for the short-term quick results, but also stay focused on the long-term vision.?

Making money and achieving independence for yourself is doable and accessible to many. It really mainly requires courage to battle your limiting beliefs, and learn some basic sales skills to get your initial sales.

Inspiring others? Same, having a small side-business, or a comfortable level of success will have many young people join your DMs to ask questions. Plus, you can always volunteer time to teach the youth.

Helping to advance or shape the identity part of a community is tougher. Why? Because it requires complete transformation from yourself as well.

You know the saying: Be the change you want to see in the world? Well, this is where your insecurities will show up and you will question yourself if you are up to that same change. Having bigger visions also comes with a bigger discipline and a need to adjust your personal life in multiple fields.

I am blessed to work and speak to Afro-professionals for whom this is of utmost importance. They go after their projects to make money and to be the change they want to see in the world and in our community.?

If you or someone you know have this burning desire to shape the identity of your industry, I invite you to schedule a discovery session time with me for free here .