You are only as good as the stuff you surround yourself with. It is as true with people as it is with things. You are a mashup of the things you allow into your life. If you want to be happy. Hang with people who support you and make you happy. If you want to be creative. Study creative works. Great athletes study other great athletes. Great musicians copy other great musicians. Learn from your heroes. Copy them. Nothing comes from nowhere.

Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard. --Colin Powell

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A clip from Tonya Freeman's Talk on Your Inner Circle

There are plenty of people telling you what you should be doing. There is only one person who can tell you what you want to do.

 You.

One way to find out what you want in life is to find out what you don't want. How do you do that? Trial and error. Try things. If they don't work, try something else. You have the right to change your mind. Remember however that somewhere there is a clock. And it's running. Between the past and the future there is the present. Whispering… "Right now."

This week we hear from Steve Shlansky - founder of Go! Productions - who tells his story of finding out what makes him happy. Here's the link: Steve Shlansky: The Circuitous Route.

Integrity

Having integrity is like being creative. It's hard to define but we know it when we see it. Integrity is the most important trait you can have. Hard work, talent, luck, and contacts mean nothing if you don't have integrity. Integrity is the blueprint of life. Integrity is doing what you say you are going to do. It means that you can be trusted. It means that you believe in the people around you and that you believe in yourself. In the work world, it means you'll hit the deadline. It means you will show up on time. It means that you will carry the load. It's a pledge that you won't let your teammates down. Integrity is a promise that you won't let you down. Integrity is "put up or shut up." Do you have integrity? Prove it. 

 
"In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you." — Warren Buffet         

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For more on Integrity, watch our featured speaker, Amani Channel

Amani Channel: Imagine Your Future

Hope Or Fear - Your Choice

“It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” ~ Albus Dumbledore Choosing between Hope and Fear is one of the most important choices you will make in your life. It seems an easy choice. Of course you would choose Hope. But it's not so easy. Fear is cunning. Fear is always there, whispering in your ear that you aren't good enough. Fear wants you to believe the labels.

• Underachiever
• Learning disabled
• Slacker
• 'D' student

 For more on Hope and Fear, watch our featured speaker, Edwin Link
Fear may even look like the people you trust the most - teachers, friends, or parents. But Hope is the thing with feathers. More than Red Bull, Hope gives you wings. Hope allows you to see what others don't see and to fly above the fear - to fulfill your dreams and to be happy. So it's your choice but it's not a simple one. You can carry a bag of fear or you can drop it and open the chest of Hope. You choose.

Edwin Link: Between Hope and Fear

 

NEW BLOG: Talk About Your Future

Today we begin a new career-planning blog featuring our 30+ career talks at talkaboutyourfuture.org. Our first entry feature basketball legend, Chris Webber.


Just in time for the NCAA Playoffs, Fab Five teammate and NBA great Chris Webber visits Grady High School and talks to the students about living their dream.

Chris Webber: Making Your Dreams Come True

  Chris Webber knows about dreams. His dream was to play in the NBA. But he knew it wasn’t enough to dream. He had to work hard. Chris knew that he had to grab his dream and make it real. He needed a plan.

That’s the message Chris Webber brings to the Grady students. It’s important to have dreams, but dreaming is not enough. If you want to make your dream real, you need to put a process in place. Attaining your dream is hard work.
He says that you need to be smart enough to know what you want to do and and learn the process of knowing how to get there. He invites students to share their dreams and gives them practical advice about how to start.

Chris Webber had a dream. Because he cultivated it, believed in himself, followed his plan, and built relationships, his dream became a reality.


Chris Webber’s talk is for anyone who has a dream and wants to know how to follow it.

You have everything inside you to make your life happen.

For further study, including viewing the entire lecture, following a lesson plan, and providing feedback, follow this link.

New Video: Suzy Blough - Understanding Each Other's Differences

Suzy Blough, a longtime worker in the field of international education, discusses the importance of understanding each other’s differences, actively seeking new experiences, and pursuing one’s passions.

For more information visit our new "Talks About Your Future" blog here.

New Video- Tonya Freeman: Choose Happiness

Tonya Freeman, an educational specialist at the Center for Disease Control, discusses what “success” really means and the importance of being comfortable in one’s own skin.

“It isn’t about the money,” says Freeman. “It’s what you want to do in life, if you’re a happy person then you will surround yourself with happy people”

She emphasizes the importance of knowing, and being happy with, oneself and how this relates to “success”.  Having clearly defined goals can help provide stability during tough times.  She discusses the importance of a close-knit circle of friends and choosing the right people.  Freeman gives her advice on being able to confidently express one’s talents.  She emphasizes the mutual exclusivity of money and happiness.

See the entire video, plus much, much more at on the Talk About Your Future website.

Edwin Link: Between Hope and Fear

Edwin Link: Between Hope and Fear
By Ben Gross


After a short vacation for the winter holidays, Grady Talks returned to the halls of Atlanta’s Grady High School with a presentation by Edwin Link, Director of Program Management at the Young Audiences Woodruff Arts Center.  Link began by sharing what seemed, at first, like a somewhat out of place message: young people don’t always listen to what adults have to say! 

To illustrate the point, Link told the class that when he was a kid, he really wanted to be a fireman.  If the adult Edwin had traveled back in time and told his younger self that he wouldn’t be a fireman, Link said he never would have believed it.  Still, Link is not a fireman and he loves his job.  Thus, Link promised not to get bogged down by specifics that may or may not resonate with the students.  Instead, he shared a general rule of thumb – almost a philosophy – that he has developed over the course of his life: the need to maintain balance on the “Hope/fear continuum.”

All of us feel fear, and all of us are hopeful of certain outcomes, Link stated.  He continued: when we make decisions, our hope and fear play a role.  The secret to good decision-making is to always ask yourself before making an important decision: “Where am I on the hope/ fear continuum?”  According to Link, decisions made out of fear amount to inaction and missed opportunities, whereas decisions made strictly out of hope are often impractical.  Balance on the hope fear continuum, Link explained, ensures that we can follow our dreams but also have practical and realizable goals.         

Link also shared a story from his adolescence with the students.  In his first year of high school, Link was a D student and the faculty had all but given up on him.  In his sophomore year he was placed in a remedial English class.  After a few weeks of school, a student threw a chair at the teacher (which luckily did not hit her, but did destroy the blackboard).  That was Link’s “Aha” moment.  “I’m not in school to be in classrooms with dented blackboards and crying teachers,” he thought to himself.  But when Link went to the guidance counselor to ask to leave the remedial class, the counselor said: “You’re Edwin Link, D student.”  Link had been labeled.  People expected him to play his part.  They expected him to get Ds. It’s hard to overcome expectations, Link continued, especially when they’re negative; but it’s never too late.

Labels are not permanent, no matter what anyone says.  He told the students: your life is always yours, and you’re free to take it in whatever direction you please.  Link eventually did convince the guidance counselor to remove him from the remedial class, and, despite the labels, he improved his grades and became an accomplished student.     

NEW VIDEO: Edwin Link:Know What You Don't Know

Woodruff Art Center's Edwin Link recently spoke at Grady High School as part of The Grady Talks Program and received high praise from the students.  Check out his entire 37 minute presentation and read the student comments below!










Edwin Link: Know What You Don't Know from Grady Talks on Vimeo.






 STUDENT COMMENTS:

• You are my favorite presenter. What you said about balance really stood out to me.  I completely agree that living your life in any extreme, being it fear or hope, is not the best thing to do.
   
• I took what you said to heart.  You asked us to write down our hopes and fears and surprisingly, I've never been asked to do that before. Thank you for sharing your story.
   
• You are the best presenter we've had. You have a gift for working with people. Your concepts and ideas are easily understood and very effective.
   
• I liked your perspective on hope and fear.  I think this outlook will help me make holistic decisions in life.
   
• The presentation was remarkable and very informative. The balance between fear and hope is important and you really have to be in between both.
   
• Thank you for sharing your ways on decision making. Hopefully it is not patented, because I will be using it.
   
• Your speech was amazing.  I am inspired and encouraged.  I encourage you to keep speaking to our generation and make an impact on peoples lives just like you have do for me.
   
• I really enjoyed your presentation and found it most inspiring.
   
• The information that you shared was eye-opening.  I learned that I should know what I don't know and explore every option and career.
   
• The information that you shared was eye-opening.  I learned that I should know what I don't know and explore every option and career.
   
• I learned some valuable information today and a better perspective for my future.
   
• Today was a good day due to the fact that you came to speak with us.
   
• Your talk was very enlightening and taught me to try different activities.
   
• You give me hope to know that other people who slack a little in school can make a good life.  I'm looking forward to the future.
   
• I really enjoyed your presentation.
   
• You are pretty cool.   I like the continuum, it made me re-evaluate some of the choices that I will be making about my future.
   
• Thanks Mr. Link, it was great, the best one yet!

NEW VIDEO: Carrie Whitney, Publicist

Publicist Carrie Whitney discusses what it's like to be an independent publicist with group of high school students at Grady High School in Atlanta.  In this 44 minute talk, Carrie covers a brief history of Public Relations including a story of Edward Bernays and how he went from creating war propaganda to creating the very first "Flash Mob".

Carrie received very complimentary comments from the students.  Here are some the things they had to say about her talk:

• I want you to know that your time did not go to waste. I am considering being a publicist.     --De'Avis
• I'm hoping to build a network with you because I am in the process of opeing my own store.     --Mercedes
• You were very informative and interesting. I appreciate you and have the utmost respect for you.     --Shayla
• You seem to like you have a wonderful and interesting career.     --Jamil
• You have come a long way and it would be an honor of mine to hear you speak more so I can gain more knowledge.     --Terrance 

Carrie Whitney: The Life of a Publicist

Carrie Whitney: The Life of a Publicist
By Ben Gross

Not everyone gets to be his or her own boss. Publicist Carrie Whitney does. Whitney recently shared some of her stories and experiences as a freelance publicist with a group of students at Grady High.

Whitney told the class about what being a publicist is all about. She began by letting the students know that while public relations began as a field less than 100 years ago, it is now a program offered by a host of colleges and universities. Publicists’ chief task, Whitney said, is to use their skill as writers to promote their clients in the media – and to ensure that their clients’ reputations remain favorable.

Sometimes, this can be a challenge (especially the latter part), but that only adds to the thrill of public relations, Whitney said. Whitney spoke about another interesting element of PR: while marketers must pay for advertising spots in the media, publicist’s press releases are actually desired by the media and their contents are published for free. As we all know (probably from personal experience!), the public loves to know about what’s going on in their city, in the operations of businesses they like, and in the lives of their favorite celebrities; publicists are responsible for conveying this information to the media, which then makes it publicly available.

Whitney shared that publicists can work freelance like her, or become full time employees of businesses, institutions, or individual clients (for instance, Madonna has her own full time publicist). Each day brings a new challenge, Whitney said, “and I constantly find myself learning something new.” Whitney’s work as a publicist lets her become involved in a wide range of projects and work with a host of clients. She told the students about her work promoting a new energy drink, “Chuse,” which will hit Atlanta stores in the near future; handling what the industry terms ‘crisis management’ for an author who wrote an article that was taken out of context and began to receive some bad press; and working closely with Atlanta officials and business persons to promote local events like the Dogwood Festival. Whitney spoke about some of the unique advantages of working in public relations. She has contacts with journalists and employees at large media organizations both in Atlanta and New York City and she regularly receives invitations to high-profile events, like celebrity fundraisers and sporting events.

Whitney also talked to the students about what it means to be freelance. She told the students that she has the ability to work on her own schedule – she can sleep in and work late, or get up extra early and take the afternoon off – and she can often work at home in her slippers or with a coffee and muffin at Starbucks.

Whitney said that while there are perks to a salaried job – notably a bit more consistency in hours and pay – she could not imagine giving up the freedom and excitement of freelance work. Freelance work may not be for everyone, Whitney said, but for those who thrive on variety, unpredictability, and a good challenge, it offers a rewarding alternative to a more traditional career.

New Full-Lengh VIdeo: Mark Fogarty

Presented here is the entire 22 minute talk Mark Fogarty recently delivered to the Grady High School class about changes in Journalism. We call Mark's talk,  Getting in Touch with your Inner Genius.  In this clip, Mark tells the young adults that everyone has an “inner genius,” a uniquely personal skill set that enables them to stand out from the crowd and shine.  Mark is an editor for SourceMedia, a company that publishes dozens of business newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and websites.


STUDENT COMMENTS:

• After listening to you presentation, I have a better understanding of journalism and how important it is to our society.
• Thank you for coming all this way from New York just to speak to us.
• I think that journalism sounds like an interesting career to have and I might want to do that in the future.
• I found your presentation very interesting and beneficial because I plan on majoring in communications for college.
• I thank you with all my heart for the inspiration that you gave to us.
• I loved your presentation, especially the giving away of the Kindle even thought I didn't win it.
• Thank you for all the advice and for taking the time out to come and speak.
• I want to start a better life so I can become some one just like you.

Don Cornwell: Top Ten List for Career Success

Don Cornwell: Top Ten List for Career Success
by Ben Gross



A previous speaker told us that we all have an inner genius, a personal set of skills that makes us unique, which helps us find work that we enjoy and in which we excel.

So, how do we know what our inner genius is?  For some of us, that’s easy.  We may have been playing golf since we were 3 or solving complex differential equations before we knew that the Tooth Fairy didn’t exist.

Still, for a lot of us, finding our inner genius is a little bit more complicated.  That’s where Don Cornwell comes in.

Don is the Associate Director at the Emory University Career Center, and he spends his days working with college students to help them discover what it is that they will find rewarding as a career.

Don recently came to Grady High to speak with the students about the process of laying the groundwork for a successful career.  Don began by telling the students that he himself did not know what he wanted to do for a long time; he said that in his experience working with college students, it’s common not to “know what you want to be when you grow up.”  Don explained that even if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, there are certain practices which will help guide you in the right direction.

Doing his best Dave Letterman imitation, Don presented the students with a Top Ten List for Career Success:

1.  Believe in yourself 
2.  Become a life long learner 
3.  Be ethical…in everything you do 
4.  Listen to your heart 
5.  Get experience 
6.  Challenge yourself 
7.  Appreciate diversity 
8.  Build relationships, find mentors 
9.  Make good grades/Do good work 
10. Be a team player and develop leadership skills

And, he told the students to always keep an eye open for opportunities and to approach every situation with enthusiasm and dedication.  Don told the class: “if you do your best and make the most of every opportunity, one thing tends to lead to another and good things are never too far away.”  

Mark Fogarty: Getting in Touch with your Inner Genius

Mark Fogarty: Getting in Touch with your Inner Genius
by Ben Gross

Everyone has an “inner genius,” a uniquely personal skill set that enables them to stand out from the crowd and shine.  Mark Fogarty, an editor with New York based SourceMedia, recently delivered this message to a group of students at Grady High School in Atlanta.

Fogarty discussed a slate of ideas and issues, ranging from stories of his own past to experiences and insights he has gained as an editor for a nationwide trade magazine.  He told the students that finding one’s first job and the process of sending out resumes is in large part a number’s game – he told the students that when he was looking for a job, he sometimes had to send out upwards of 100 resumes before receiving an interview, and then only for every ten interviews would he receive a job offer.   His message: don’t get discouraged by rejection, because it’s all but inevitable, just keep at it.

Fogarty talked to the students about the increasingly fast rate of change in today’s world.  As an example, he quoted the Atlanta based band Outkast and their song, “Hey Ya,” which features the lyrics, “Shake it like a Polaroid picture,” telling the students that someday soon, high school students may have no idea what a Polaroid picture is, now that the Polaroid instant camera has been discontinued.  He further gave an example from his own industry, telling the students that in the not-too-distant future, high school students may not even know what a newspaper is – considering how quickly e-media is growing!

Amidst his suggestions to stay enthusiastic and dedicated in spite of rejection and change, Fogarty continued to return to the idea of the inner genius.  Fogarty told the students that they all have a special talent to contribute to the world, and he stated that in his experience, so long as one works hard, pursues what they enjoy, surrounds themselves with people who give them positive energy, and continues to hone their talents (all of which amount to bolstering the inner genius), anyone and everyone can change the world.

Publicist Carrie Whitney to Speak at Grady High Dec. 8th

Atlanta Publicist, Carrie Whitney will speak at Grady High School December 8th about her career in marketing as part of the Grady Talks speakers series. 





Carrie has been associated with the marketing and event production agency, of PennHouse Productions for the past 10 years.   She also works with Launch Atlanta as well as on solo projects.  Carrie's name can be found on numerous press releases announcing art opening in the Atlanta area. She's worked on Atlanta Dogwood Festival, Museum of Design Atlanta, PEASANT bistro, Chuice Raw Food in a Bottle, Grant Park Summer Shade Festival and Caring for Others a homelessness prevention organization.

Additionally, Carrie has been a research assistant history teacher at Georgia State University. In 2010 she graduated from GSU with a Masters in Public Health.

Emory Career Center Consultant to Address Grady High School Students

Don Cornwell, Associate Director of the Emory University Career Center will speak to Grady High School students about preparing for their career on December 2nd, 2011.   Don has been working one on one with Emory students as a Career Consultant since 1998. 


Don earned a Masters of Education in Student Personnel Services with a concentration in Counselor Education from The University of South Carolina (1997) and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with a concentration in Human Development and Psychological Counseling from Appalachian State University (1990).

Journalist Mark Fogarty to Speak at Grady High

"Liz Lieberman brings New York City journalist Mark Fogarty to Grady High School in Atlanta Dec. 1 to discuss changes in the media business".  That's the lead that Mark wrote in preparation for his Grady Talks lecture.  Mark says that the sentence includes the 5 W's of Who, What, Where, When, and Why. 




Mark's message to the students is that the process and foundation of journalism remains the same, whether if be print or electronic.  He offers advice on what students can be doing now in order to get into the field of journalism.  

Mark works for SourceMedia, a company that publishes dozens of business newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and websites.  

NEW VIDEO: Amani Channel: Imagine Your Future

KEF Media Senior Producer, Amani Channel, talks to Grady High School students about the importance of working on your character in order to get the job of your dreams. He says that he hasn't really done anything exceptional to get where he is now. You just have to always do your best, do what you say you will do, be on time, look your best and practice your craft. He offers a comprehensive list of ways you can improve the way people see you.


In this half hour talk, Amani gives students a guide to building character and being seen as the professionals that they want to become.  From "showing up on time,"  to "making your yes mean yes," following this comprehensive list of "to do" items will assure that you will have a bright future.  Of course you still have to do a lot of hard work!

Amani Channel: Imagine Your Future

 Amani Channel: Imagine Your Future
 By Ben Gross

Whether you spend your days proposing bills on the floor of the senate or mowing the grass outside of the Capitol, if you give your job your all and do your best, you will find personal and career satisfaction.  So said media producer Amani Channel at his recent talk with a group of students at Grady High.  It really doesn’t matter what you do, Amani said, so long as you invest yourself in your work and take pride in your profession.  A journalist, avid blogger (see his blog, myurbanreport.com), and producer, Amani set a goal of breaking into the television industry as a college student, after taking – and loving – a broadcasting course.  Amani’s goal brought him from California to the east coast, where he began his career as a TV reporter in Washington, DC.  After some time in Florida, where he continued working and also earned a Master’s degree, Amani came to Atlanta, where he now works as a producer for KEF Media and also runs several small businesses of his own. 

Amani talked to the students about three keys to his success, which allowed him to realize his own goal of a media career. 

The first key: Have a Mentor.  Amani found a mentor at his first job in DC, who guided him and counseled him, and who has continued to provide him with insight and advice.

Second: Do Whatever it Takes.  Amani told the students that he would not be where he is today had he not always focused on putting himself entirely behind his work, and showing coworkers and employers that he is ready, willing, and able to accomplish any task put before him.  No job is too small or too big, no time commitments too demanding, and no project too difficult if you’re passionate about it and desire success, Amani said. 

And third: Be the Best.  Amani shared the following advice his father once gave him: “If you’re not learning something new everyday, you’re doing something wrong!”  By doing his best work and always focusing on ways to improve and learn, Amani told the students, he has been able to always be the best person he can be.  With this attitude, he has been able to set his own goals and reach them with confidence, knowing that good work and a positive attitude are rewarded with personal fulfillment and positive career results. 

Amani concluded by telling the students that if they are confident in themselves and remain passionate about all that they do, they will find that they, too, can “go against the grain,” stand out from the ordinary, and accomplish anything that they put their minds to. 

Donations to Grady Talks are now Tax Deductable!

We have just received good news from the IRS.  As of October 27th, 2011, Talk About Your Future, Inc. has been approved as a 501(3)(c) charitable organization with tax exempt status.  Thank you for the hard work of our board member, John Williamson of Morris, Manning & Martin LLP who put together the submission.  

Please donate & deduct!  Also, if you know of any small family foundations, we'd love to be able to connect with them!