Who’s In Your Child’s Circle of Influence?

I was listening to The Trail Blazers podcast, hosted by Stephen Hart, where Candace Mitchell, cofounder and CEO of Techturized Inc., was interviewed.  You can click here http://www.clammr.com/app/clammr/209867?extendedInfoAutoplay=1 to listen to the interview.  Candace made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and talked about how she has gotten over any sense of fear of approaching any goals she envisions for herself, because she’s gotten to a point where she is certain of the eventuality of the attainment of her goal.  Her greatest concerns are always whether or not she has everything in place to handle all that comes along with the fulfillment of her visions.  The example she gave was if her company determined that they wanted to onboard 1000 new customers next quarter, did they have all of the infrastructure in place to handle those customers.  I thought this was perfect.  I’ll tell you why in a short moment.

One of the things Stephan kept saying was how profound it was to hear how evolved Ms. Mitchell was to be 28 years old.  Now that, coupled with her statement about her lack of fear (and a few other statements), made me think about the value of who this young woman must keep company with and who encompasses her circle of influencers.

During my interview with Dr. Mike Roberts in the How To Raise Your Black Child To Be An Millionaire audio book, he mentioned how most wealthy Black parents have their children in social groups like Jack and Jill to give them exposure to other wealthy Black families.  He also mentioned how his father and mother were not wealthy, but they put him and his siblings in that environment as a part of their grooming towards excellence and perhaps greater than what they themselves had.

Why is that important and how is that relevant to Ms. Mitchell?

My following thought (among many thoughts that followed) was regarding parents who may not have access to or be aware of groups like Jack and Jill; or perhaps, because of their own insecurities, can’t see themselves venturing to groups where the majority of the parents earn several times more than what they earn, let alone sending their children around other children whose outfits at any given moment may cost more than their child’s entire wardrobe.

While abiding in this type of thought pattern is not something I would encourage any parent to continue doing, I understand how often our own patterns of thought, practices, and insecurities can easily spill over into the lives and often determine the shaping and/or destiny of our children.  So, I was struck with the thought of how I, as an adult, have learned just how intensely valuable it is to constantly listen to the right things; keep the right images within sight; read and watch material that grooms me into and gives me exposure to who I want to become.  I mean, just in listening to that interview with the 28 year-old CEO, I immediately thought back to how at 28, I was struggling to make my second (or third….maybe fourth) business earn enough to just pay my mortgage and utilities.  What would have made the difference for me?

I’ll tell you.  If I’d had then, the network of people I have and am developing now; or, if I’d constantly fed upon podcasts or CD’s back then (ok….yes….some VHS’s too!) like the one at http://tbpod.com/, it’s very likely I would have accessed the tools necessary to get me to where I was trying to go.  I would have mentally, skillfully, and entrepreneurially evolved into the person necessary to effect the results for which I was aiming.

My point is that it is imperative to surround our children with resources like podcasts that teach and highlight entrepreneurs and success in any area of wealth-building.  Our children are online and watching television anyway.  Why not play podcasts like the above mentioned in the car; or discuss children entrepreneurs at dinner; or hell, watch Shark Tank as a family!?  The point is that we must, in greater numbers, start exposing our children to elements that build them in areas that matter.  No matter how insignificant it may seem, get started somewhere.  Bring your children to https://raisingblackmillionaires.com/ and read the articles with them.  And be sure to follow-up the reading with a discussion!!!!!!! You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the thoughts of your children when you engage them in that way and watch their minds and their worlds expand from small acts like these.

Until next time, how can I help you in your journey of #RaisingBlackMillionaires?  Leave a comment below, and don’t forget to share this article.