The Pour into Effect: Why Pouring Back into the Lives of Others Still Works

The easiest thing to see is a person’s potential, but the hardest thing to see is you doing your part in helping them to tap into their potential for greatness. The magic happens in a person’s life when they truly discover their unlimited supply of GREATNESS…

I can proudly say that I would NOT be the man that I am today had it not been for every person that poured into me. They did NOT just pour into who I was in that moment; they poured into my potential for greatness. See, when I was a kid no one ever told me that I could be great. No one ever said, “Hey Kyle greatness, it lives within you but YOU have to first be willing to tap into it.” So I went throughout my childhood never really striving to be great; but it wasn’t like I was striving to be below average either. I just did NOT know what was possible. However, I had people that were a part of my village who saw something in me that I didn’t even see within myself at a very early age.

They saw a glow in my smile. A certain pep in my step. They saw my future's potential for greatness! And instead of keeping the great things about themselves to themselves as a secret they not just shared it with me; no no they poured into my life. I had little league coaches like Coach Cannick, Coach Lawyer, and Coach Swinton who poured solid foundations of hard work and a willingness to never be defeated even in defeat. I had an AAU coach named Coach Bob who poured into me the importance of discipline and what it meant to compete at a very high level. I had high school coaches like Coach Roberts and Coach Faber that poured into my confidence and why having a good work ethic is a major key to success. But it did not just start and stop with my coaches I had teachers like Mrs. Hamilton, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Brantley, Mrs. Blackshear, Mrs. Dickerson, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Cox just to name a few that pour into my educational process and the importance of obtaining one. These teachers sacrificed their lunches if it meant them helping me to understand a math concept like PEMDAS or subject verb agreements that would one day benefit me. These teachers put me in positions of leadership and it could have been something as simple as leading a line down the hallways or encouraging me to run for student council and be a part of our academic debate team. They poured into my potential for greatness not in my potential for mediocrity. But along with my coaches and teachers I had people in my community and in my church that too saw that glimmer of hope in me obtaining greatness someday. So, people like Mr. Youmans who still owns a retail store in my hometown would pour into me good business principles. Today, I have my very own T-shirt clothing line and I understand how supply and demand works in a capitalistic society. Cousin Tee had a small convenient store that was part of her house that had everything available in it from different types of sodas, candies, chips, batteries and toothpaste. I can remember days when I stayed with her as my grandmother ran errands seeing how she treated her customers showed me why customer service was another major key to success. Literally, right up from her store on the right sat my church Gillison Branch Baptist. At this church where Rev. Burison pastored, I had members like Mrs. Jones, Sister, Little Betty and Deacon Devore just to name a few poured into spiritual development. They would always tell me, “Son I’m praying for you.” They helped me to understand why a prayer life and a personal relationship with God was imperative to me being able to one day walk into my purpose driven life.

I need for you to take a moment right now (wherever you are) and reflect back on all the people that poured into your life and poured into your potential for greatness. Maybe you (like me) had a coach, teacher, community leader or even a church member that gave of themselves in your past to prepare you for where you currently are in your present. Your potential showed them future possibilities of success and they felt compelled to a part of this beautiful process. At some phase of your life these people probably felt like gnats; flying in and out of your ears constantly bothering you. But I write this blog to tell you that they were not gnats they were actually like your very own personal jugs of always flowing water. So whenever they saw you running low (going through trials and tribulations) they knew exactly what to pour into you to fill you back up. I believe, that in order for our communities to once again thrive in the 21st century we as a people must be willing to pour back into the lives of others. We cannot simply sit back and not give anything great of ourselves when others have given up so much of themselves to put us in a position to win today. You have a kid right now walking in your neighborhood that is lost but that has the potential to be great but yet you have done nothing to help. I want you to ask yourself, “What have I done to help foster his success? (or) What have I poured from myself into her that will help her walk into her greatness?” This is a practice that I believe we as a people must get back to in order to change the trajectory in what is happening in our communities and in this society. Every one of us was born with the potential to be great; some tap into their greatness sooner than others but some need others to pour into their lives to help them discover the greatness that lives inside. Never forget the people that pour into your life and helped to make a difference. You now owe it to the next generation to do your part in making that same difference in the life of someone else. I would NOT be the man that I am today had it not been for those that poured a little bit of greatness from within themselves into me. I humbly coined this practice, THE POUR INTO EFFECT.

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